AC/DC began rehearsing in 1973 in a chaotic, informal fashion, when Malcolm Young told his brother Angus, “This is a rock band: go!” rather than counting the musicians in. The moment captured the direct, instinctive attitude that would come to define the band, which went on to become one of rock’s most successful and influential acts.

The group was formed by Malcolm and Angus Young with Colin Burgess, Larry Van Kriedt and Dave Evans, and took its name from an electrical symbol on their sister’s sewing machine. Initially pursuing a glam-influenced image, AC/DC later adopted Angus’s school-uniform costume; they have since sold more than 200 million records, won two Grammys and reportedly sold over 50 million copies of Back in Black.