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AC/DC BAND

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Biographical Information

The band was founded in 1973 by two brothers Angus and Malcom Young in Sidney, Australia.
The other members at the time were vocalist Dave Evans, bassist Larry Van and drummer Colin John (Gaar, 2019).
The current AC/DC members are Angus young, Phil Rudd, Cliff Williams, Brian Johnson and Stevie Young
AC/DC is basically divided into two eras ( Bon Scott era 1974-1980) and (Brian Johnson era 1980-present)

(Erlewine, 2018)

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Music Produced

Throughout their career AC/DC have released 16 studio albums (14 of which are available internationally and two of which are only available in Australia), two soundtrack albums, four live albums, eleven video albums, and two box set albums.
AC/DC debut song "Can I Sit Next to You, Girl?" was released on July 22, 1974.
Their first album was High Voltage released in February 1975.
AC/DC most streamed album “Back in Black” had approximately 79million streams
AC/DC latest album is “Power Up” releases in November 2020.
“Through the Mists of time” is their latest single released in September 2021.(Masino, 2009)

AC/DC’s first original song was written by Malcolm and Angus Young and released in 1974. The song was performed on The Last Picture Show as a music video. Despite the fact that Peter Clack (drums) and Rob Bailey (bass) were not included on the track, they appeared in the video anyway.

AC/DC recorded their first studio album High Voltage in 1974 and was released exclusively in Australia on 17 February 1975. The album took only ten days and was based on instrumental songs written by the Young brothers, with lyrics added by Scott.

AC/DC's most-streamed song is the title track of their 1980 album, Back in Black and has become one of their signature anthems. Recorded as a tribute to Scott, it is widely considered as the defining metal rock anthem. Back In Black made its Top 40 debut on the official singles chart forty years after its release at Number 27, after the band made their catalogue available to download. Power Up is the groups seventeenth studio album released on 13 November 2020 through Columbia Records and Sony Music Australia.

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Instruments Played

The AC/DC group used different instruments to make their music;
The group uses three types of guitar which was played by three different members simultaneously.
The lead guitar was played by Angus Young and used Gibson Guitar Company product.

The rhythm guitar was played by Malcolm Young

(Hose, 2019)

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The group also used the bass guitar having several bass player with Cliff Williams being the primary player.

The group also uses drums and have had several drummers through the years with Phil Rudd being the most frequent

(Hose, 2019)

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Genre

The band refers to their music as ‘rock n roll’
Rock and roll is characterized by a heavy beat and simple melodies.
It was a combination of black rhythm and blues and white country music, usually based around a twelve-bar structure and an instrumentation of guitar, double bass, and drums.
It combines rhythm and blues (R&B), jazz, and country music with the addition of electric instruments. (Masino, 2009)

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Place in History

Rock and roll started in early 1950s with Chuck Berry among the first pioneers.
The genre has roots in gospel, country and blues
The name rock and roll was first used in public by a disc jockey Alan Freed on his radio show in Cleveland (Hall, 2014)
Early rock n roll started from American cities such as Memphis, Chicago AND New Orleans.

(Hall, 2014)

While several musicians have been hailed as rock pioneers, Chuck Berry is largely regarded as the one who brought it all together: the country guitar licks, the rhythm and blues beat, and lyrics that resonated to a generation of young people in the 1960s. Using only a few songs, he laid the groundwork for the musical style that would come to be known as rock and roll. Some of the early rock musicians, such as Sister Rosetta Tharpe and Little Richard, had a foundation in gospel music, which was a common thread across the genre. Others like Fat Domino were in blues (Hall, 2015). These artists, who made their debuts in the late 1940s and early 1950s, did not necessarily consider themselves to be rock musicians at the time, but contemporary music historians now agree that they laid the groundwork for the development of rock music. The term "rock 'n' roll" was first used publicly in 1951 by disc jockey Alan Freed, who broadcasted on his shown from Cleveland, Ohio. (Hall, 2014) On the basis of Freed's show, Cleveland has claimed to be the origin of early rock music, and the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame & Museum is now located in the city.

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Impact on Culture

Rock and roll influenced people daily life, fashion, language and attitude and brought a common ground among diverse cultures and nations.
It helped reduce racism as black and white could perform together thereby creating a diverse fan base.
It influenced love, peace and equality in the 1960s and 1970s.
It influenced diverse sexual preferences and use of drugs as many of the initial rock and roll were assumed to be in the LGBTQ community and used drugs (Hall, 2014)

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References

Erlewine, S. T. (2018). AC/DC: Biography & history. https://www.allmusic.com/artist/ac-dc-mn0000574772/biography
Gaar, G. G. (2019, May 30). AC/DC [Biography]. In Encyclopedia Britannica online. Retrieved Ju from https://www.britannica.com/topic/AC-DC
Hall, M. K. (2014). The emergence of rock and roll: Music and the rise of American youth culture. Routledge.
Hose, C. (2019, January 10). AC/DC Band Instruments. Our Pastimes. Retrieved March 10, 2022, from https://ourpastimes.com/acdc-band-instruments-12500799.html
Masino, S. (15 May 2009), Let There Be Rock: The Story of AC/DC, London, England: Omnibus Press, ISBN 978-0825634697