by Quentin Frere

Created on: October 27, 2010

The musical era of the 1980's was the decade where music reached it's peak in popularity around the globe. Bands came from all over the world to perform some of the most influential music in history.

~AC/DC~

An Australian rock band that was formed in the early seventies by two brothers; Malcom and Angus Young. Their lead singer, Bon Scott rose in fame as the seventies went by. AC/DC released one of their two most well known albums, Highway to Hell on August 3rd, 1979. Not even a year went by since their release of Highway to Hell when Bon Scott passed away. On February 19th, 1980 Bon Scott died because of excess drinking. The band members were on the verge of ending their careers, but decided to keep on doing what they were best at despite the tragic death of their fellow singer, Bon Scott. The band needed another singer. Brian Johnson went to audition for their band and Malcom and Angus new he was the key to AC/DC's future. In 1980 they came out with one of the best selling albums ever to be released, Back in Black. Their fame continued to grow as they reached the 21st century. Their latest album is Black Ice was released in 2008 and has had much success. AC/DC continues to play on stage today.

~Michael Jackson~

The King of Pop was born on August 29, 1958. Michael Jackson was one of the best entertainers that ever lived. In the early 1980's Michael Jackson had become a well known figure. The release of his album Thriller on November 30th, 1982 ranked #1 best selling album in history. His fame reached its peak and influenced many musicians of all genres. Michael Jackson died on June 25th, 2009. Part of him stayed with us, here on earth; and that was his music.

~Queen~

Queen was a British rock band that was formed in 1971 originally by Freddie Mercury, Brian May, John Deacon, and Roger Taylor. They have sold over 300 million albums making them one of the best selling bands in history. The first album released in the eighties was The Game which featured "Another One Bites the Dust" and "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" which ranked #1 in the United States. Over 4 million copies were sold. Their Greatest Hits album was successfully sold internationally and was ranked # in Britain until 2007. Freddie Mercury's death on the 23rd of November 1991 was a big blow towards the band's career. In 2005, Queen picked up a new band member, Paul Rogers. They continue successfully performing to this day.

~The Police~

The Police were an English rock band formed in 1977. Their band members are: Sting, Andy Summers, and Steward Copeland. The Police has sold over 50 million albums worldwide. They released 3 albums in the eighties: Zenyattà Mondatta, Ghost in the Machine, and Synchronicity featuring Every Breath You Take and Every Little Thing She Does is Magic. This band was a huge hit throughout the eightees with these three albums and are one of the best bands to perfom in that decade.

~U2~

Is a rock band from Ireland. Were formed on September 25th, 1976. They have influenced the music world with their albums and songs and will continue to do so in the future. U2 has won more Grammy awards than any other band and has sold over 150 million albums. They have released 12 studio albums which have been successfully sold worldwide. Their band became a part of the rock n' roll hall of fame in 2005. For years they had been considered one of the best bands in the history of music and they still are today.

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