<P> By the late 1970s, AC / DC began achieving significant popularity outside their native Australia, with high - energy live performances and a series of successful albums . They had previously paired with producer Lange in 1978, recording their international breakthrough hit album Highway to Hell . Back in Black was the band's first album featuring vocalist Brian Johnson, who replaced Bon Scott after the latter had died back in February of that same year, shortly before the band actually started recording the album . Instead of disbanding, the group decided to continue on with Johnson . </P> <P> Back in Black was composed by Johnson, Angus and Malcolm Young, and recorded over seven weeks in the Bahamas from April to May 1980 . Because the area was hit by tropical storms at the time, recording sessions became difficult on some occasions . Lange demanded perfection in the band's recordings, particularly on Johnson's vocals . Following its completion, the group mixed Back in Black at Electric Lady Studios in New York City . The album's all - black cover was designed as a "sign of mourning" for Scott . </P> <P> As their sixth international studio release, Back in Black was an unprecedented success . It has sold an estimated 50 million copies worldwide . Its enormous sales figures have made it one of the best - selling albums in music history . The band supported the album with a yearlong world tour, cementing them among the most popular music acts of the early 1980s . The album also received positive critical reception during its initial release, and it has since been included on numerous lists of "greatest" albums . Since its original release, the album has been reissued and remastered multiple times, most recently for digital distribution . </P> <P> By 1979, AC / DC were poised to receive a significant level of success with their sixth studio album, Highway to Hell . Robert John "Mutt" Lange produced the record, making the band's sound more catchy and accessible to international audiences, and it became their first platinum album in the United States, selling over one million copies, while also peaking at number 17 on that country's pop charts and number eight in the United Kingdom . AC / DC, formed in 1973, first broke into international markets in 1977 with their fourth record, Let There Be Rock . They were notable for their high - energy live performances, in which lead guitarist Angus Young would don a schoolboy outfit, and for singer Bon Scott's distinctive raspy voice . </P>

How many copies did back in black sell