30 Unknown Facts About The Fan Favorite Band AC/DC

AC/DC, an Australian rock band with over 200million records sold worldwide, is one among the highest-certified music artists in the United States. Here are 30 interesting things to know about the band:

1. The Band was formed by brothers Malcolm Young and Angus young in November 1973. They recruited vocalist Dave Evans, bassist Larry Van Kriedt and drummer Colin Burgess.
2. Margaret Young, sister of Malcolm and Angus was the brain behind the band’s logo. She saw the initials on a sewing machine “AC/DC” (Alternate current and Direct current) and the brothers adapted it.
3. Even though the band is famously known as “AC/DC” around the world, it is colloquially called as “Acca Dacca” in Australia.
4. During the early days Angus settled with his school uniform for his stage outfit backed by his sister Margaret again. He initially tried other outfits such as parody of Superman, Spiderman, Mask of Zorro and Gorilla.
5. The young brothers thought of disbanding when their lead singer and songwriter Bon Scott died of alcohol over consumption in February 1980. With support and insistence from Scott’s parents the band continued in its glory path.
6. In a tribute to Scott, the band released their new album “Back in Black” with their new vocalist Brian Johnson in 1980. The album became their all time best seller.
7. Scott, before joining AC/DC, formed his own band “The Spektors,” where he performed as the band’s drummer and occasional lead vocalist, in 1964.
8. George Young, older brother of Malcolm and Angus was the first in the family to learn to play guitar. He joined “The Easybeats” after the family migrated to Australia.
9. George along with the lead guitarist of “The Easybeats” Harry Vanda started a production house “Albert Productions” with businessman Ted Albert, after The Easybeats got dissolved in 1970. They produced many projects of AC/DC successfully.
10. George jokingly told his brothers that he believed a band can be called a band only if they completed 200 gigs.
    
11. They were inducted into Australian Record Industry Association’s Hall of Fame in February 1988.
12. Brian Johnson became the lead singer replacing Scott after the latter’s death. Later Angus revealed that they heard Johnson’s name for the first time from Scott himself. Scott had praised Johnson’s singing style which resembled former’s idol Little Richard.
13. Their album “Back in Black” spent 131 weeks on Billboard 200 chart and reached No: 4 in US. It was ranked no: 1 in the UK.
14. On 10 March 2003 AC/DC were inducted into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. They performed “Highway to Hell” and “You Shook Me All Night Long” during the night ceremony.
15. In March 2000, a street in Leganes, Spain, was named after the band as AC/DC Street. However plaque got stolen soon. After replacing the stolen plaque, the government again found it stolen. They finally started selling the replicas of the street plaque.
16. In 2003 Music Winners Awards, the band was honored with Ted Albert award for Outstanding Service to Music in Australia. They paid tribute to the late Bon Scott who was also part of the award.
17. In October 2004 Corporation Lane was renamed as ACDC Lane in honor of the band. This lane is close to Swanston Street where they recorded their 1975 hit “It’s a Long Way to The Top” in the back of a truck.
18. In 2007 it was astonishing to find that 1.3 million CDs were sold in the US despite AC/DC not releasing any album since year 2000. Their decision not to sell albums digitally did not affect their commercial success.
19. By 2007, 22 million copies of “Back in Black” were sold in the US. It is the second best selling album worldwide.
20. The Northumbria University awarded the former band member Brian Johnson, with an honorary degree of Doctor of Music, in his native of Newcastle, in July 2014, in recognition of his significant contribution to the music industry.
    
21. According to the US sales figures by Recording Industry Association of America in 2009, the band has sold 71 million copies of their song, making it the fifth best selling band in the US history.
22. Axl Rose of “Guns N Roses” joined the band in April 2016 after Johnson was diagnosed with hearing loss problem. He had ruptured his ear drum and was advised by the doctor to stop touring as it may further deteriorate his hearing.
23. During an interview on The Howard Stern Show Johnson stated that his love of motor sport had cost him his hearing problem as he forgot to put ear plugs during one of the races.
24. The band made their video game debut with “Rock Band 2” in September 2008. The game developed by Harmonix was released in North America for Xbox 360 that allows 4 players to match the performance of the songs with the controllers.
25. The band recorded “Big Gun” in 1992 for the soundtrack for Arnold Schwarzenegger Movie “Last Action Hero”. It was released as a single that reached No: 1 on the US Rock Chart.
26. In 2008 they released their first studio album in eight years titled “Black Ice”, which debuted at No: 1 in album charts in 29 countries. It attained Multi Platinum status in 8 countries, Platinum in 12 countries and Gold in 4 countries.
27. On 4th November 2009, business Review Weekly named AC/DC as the top earner in entertainment with $105 million. The replaced “The Wiggles” who were no: 1 for the past four years.
28. Malcolm Young retired in 2014 due to ill health. He was replaced by his nephew Stevie Young. They released “Rock or Bust” in November 2014. It was the first album in the band’s history that sans Malcolm Young.
29. In November 2014 drummer Rudd was charged with possession of cannabis and methamphetamine and threatening to kill after his home was raided by police. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 8 months home detention.
30. Cliff Williams retired from the band after 40 years in the music field. He confirmed this with a video statement released at the end of Rock or Bust world tour in September 2016.
31. The net worth of the band is estimated to be $67.5 million as of December 2016.