Claim: Dementia, a brain disease, changed the line up for AC/DC.

AC/DC are an Australian rock band , formed in 1973 by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young . A hard rock/blues rock band , they have also been considered a heavy metal band , although they have always dubbed their music simply `` rock and roll '' .   AC/DC underwent several line-up changes before releasing their first album , High Voltage , in 1975 . Membership subsequently stabilised until bassist Mark Evans was replaced by Cliff Williams in 1977 for the album Powerage . Within months of recording the album Highway to Hell , lead singer and co-songwriter Bon Scott died on 19 February 1980 after a night of heavy alcohol consumption . The group considered disbanding , but buoyed by support from Scott 's parents , decided to continue and set about finding a new vocalist . Ex-Geordie singer Brian Johnson was auditioned and selected to replace Scott . Later that year , the band released the new album , Back in Black , which was made as a tribute to Bon Scott . The album launched them to new heights of success and became their all-time best-seller .   The band 's next album , For Those About to Rock We Salute You , was their first album to reach number one in the United States . Drummer Phil Rudd was fired in 1983 and replaced by ex-A II Z drummer Simon Wright , who left to join Dio in 1989 . The band experienced a resurgence in the early 1990s with the release of The Razors Edge . Phil Rudd returned in 1994 after Chris Slade , who was with the band from 1989 to 1994 , was asked to leave in favour of him , and contributed to the band 's 1995 album Ballbreaker . Stiff Upper Lip , released in 2000 , was well received by critics . The band 's studio album , Black Ice , released in 2008 , was the second-highest-selling album of that year , and their biggest chart hit since For Those About to Rock , eventually reaching No. 1 on all charts worldwide . The band 's line-up remained the same until 2014 with Malcolm Young 's retirement due to early-onset dementia and Rudd 's legal troubles . In 2016 , Johnson was advised to stop touring on account of worsening hearing loss and Guns N ' Roses frontman Axl Rose stepped in as the band 's vocalist for the remainder of that year 's dates . Long-term bass player Cliff Williams retired from the band at the end of their 2016 Rock Or Bust world tour .   AC/DC have sold more than 200 million records worldwide , including 71.5 million albums in the United States , adding them to the list of highest-certified music artists in the United States and the list of best-selling music artists . Back in Black has sold an estimated 50 million units worldwide , making it the second-highest-selling album by any artist -- and the highest-selling album by any band . The album has sold 22 million units in the US , where it is the sixth-highest-selling album of all time . AC/DC ranked fourth on VH1 's list of the `` 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock '' and were named the seventh `` Greatest Heavy Metal Band of All Time '' by MTV . In 2004 , AC/DC ranked No. 72 on the Rolling Stone list of the `` 100 Greatest Artists of All Time '' . Producer Rick Rubin , who wrote an essay on the band for the Rolling Stone list , referred to AC/DC as `` the greatest rock and roll band of all time '' . In 2010 , AC/DC were ranked number 23 in the VH1 list of the `` 100 Greatest Artists of All Time '' .