The Australian band with Angus Young that entered the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a performer in 2003 was AC/DC.
AC/DC formed in Sydney in 1973, founded by brothers Angus and Malcolm Young. Their blues-based hard rock became famous for powerful guitar riffs, pounding rhythms and a deliberately direct stage style. Angus Young’s schoolboy uniform and energetic duckwalk became among rock’s most recognizable performance images.
The group’s early singer, Bon Scott, died in 1980, but AC/DC continued with Brian Johnson. The resulting album, Back in Black, became one of the best-selling records in music history and helped establish the band as an arena-rock giant. Songs such as “Highway to Hell,” “Back in Black” and “You Shook Me All Night Long” remain central to its legacy.
A common mix-up is treating AC/DC as an American band because of its enormous U.S. success. Its members came from Australia, although brothers Angus and Malcolm Young were born in Scotland. The Rock Hall’s 2003 class placed AC/DC in the Performer category, alongside acts including The Clash and The Police.