The Queen of Slide Guitar: 30 Photos of Bonnie Raitt in the 1980s

Bonnie Raitt (born November 8, 1949) is an American singer, guitarist, and songwriter. In 1971, Raitt released her self-titled debut album. Following this, she released a series of critically acclaimed roots-influenced albums that incorporated elements of rock, blues, country, and folk. She was also a frequent session player and collaborator with other artists, including Warren Zevon, Little Feat, Jackson Browne, the Pointer Sisters, John Prine, and Leon Russell.

At the start of the 1980s, Raitt was already respected for her bluesy voice, slide guitar mastery, and soulful songwriting. However, her albums in the early 1980s, Green Light (1982) and Nine Lives (1986), didn’t achieve the commercial success her label, Warner Bros., hoped for. As a result, she was dropped by the label in 1983, despite critical acclaim and a loyal fan base.

During this period, she also struggled with alcohol and substance use, which took a toll on her career momentum and health. Yet even in tough times, she remained active in political and environmental causes, such as anti-nuclear activism and supporting women in music.

By 1987–88, Raitt made major life changes. She got sober, refocused her priorities, and began rebuilding her career. Her authenticity and perseverance earned deep respect among fellow musicians. She signed with Capitol Records and began work on what would become her comeback album. She also gained renewed energy and confidence from touring and collaborating with artists like John Hiatt, Don Was, and Bruce Hornsby.

Although her massive commercial breakthrough came with Nick of Time (1989), which swept the 1990 Grammy Awards, the seeds were sown throughout the 1980s. That album’s success was both a personal redemption story and a career renaissance, marking the end of a difficult decade and the beginning of her legacy as one of America’s most beloved roots and blues artists.

“I never thought of it in terms of men or women, I taught myself to play guitar because I was in love with Joan Baez’s voice, and she was also a Quaker,” Raitt said. “I taught myself country-blues off of records that didn’t even include women, but I didn’t think about it at the time. Dave Van Ronk, John Hammond, Jr., and (the trio) Koerner, Ray & Glover were the first people I heard who made me realize it was OK to be white and play blues, and that you weren’t (trespassing) on hallowed ground.”

“Barbara Dane and Judy Roderick were two blues women in the 1960s who knocked me out. I knew about Sister Rosetta Tharpe, but a little later. Pops Staples was one of the guitar guys for me. And two of my heroes were Memphis Minnie and Sippie Wallace. I was inspired by the whole story about Minnie being a street busker and sometimes disguising herself as a man.

“I knew Aretha (Franklin) played piano, and thought it was great, because I loved the way she accompanied herself. And Ray Charles was as important to me as anybody. I learned off of records, as many of us kids did. I took piano lessons, but not guitar lessons. So I was trying to emulate how Fred McDowell, Son House and Robert Johnson played. There wasn’t any YouTube then, so I had to do it by ear.”

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Silvia Monti: A Brief but Brilliant Presence in Italian Cinema

Silvia Monti is an Italian former actress whose career flourished between 1969 and 1974. She made her film debut in 1969 and quickly gained attention for her role as Sofia, the sister of a mafioso, in The Brain (Le Cerveau, 1969), a caper comedy directed by Gérard Oury that starred Jean-Paul Belmondo and David Niven. Monti became known for her elegance, expressive restraint, and natural screen presence—qualities that made her a striking figure in the European cinema of the early 1970s.

Her filmography includes works such as Metti, una sera a cena (1969), A Lizard in a Woman’s Skin (Una lucertola con la pelle di donna, 1971), and Lady Caroline Lamb (1972), showcasing her ability to move fluidly between Italian thrillers, art films, and British period dramas. Though her acting career was brief, it captured a moment in Italian film when style, sensuality, and psychological tension were deeply intertwined.

After retiring from the screen in the mid-1970s, Silvia Monti largely withdrew from public life. She is remembered as one of Italian cinema’s understated beauties—a performer whose brief career left a lasting impression of poise, mystery, and cinematic grace.

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Fidel Castro and Che Guevara in a Prison Cell in Mexico City, 1956 — Their First Photo Together

A young Cuban Marxist revolutionary, Fidel Castro (left), and Argentine Marxist revolutionary, Che Guevara (right), in Miguel Schultz Jail in Mexico City in June-July 1956. This photograph may be the first one showing Castro and Guevara together.

After Fidel Castro’s failed attack on the Moncada Barracks in Cuba in 1953, he was imprisoned and later released under amnesty in 1955. Castro then fled to Mexico, which had become a haven for Latin American revolutionaries. There, he began organizing a new expedition to overthrow Fulgencio Batista, the U.S.-backed dictator of Cuba.

It was in Mexico City in 1955 that Castro met Ernesto “Che” Guevara, an Argentine doctor and Marxist who had been traveling across Latin America. The two men quickly bonded over their shared anti-imperialist ideals and revolutionary goals. Guevara soon joined Castro’s group — the 26th of July Movement — as its physician and one of its most passionate fighters.

In June 1956, Mexican authorities raided a farmhouse in the town of Santa Rosa, near Mexico City, where Castro’s group was training and stockpiling weapons for their planned invasion of Cuba. The authorities arrested Fidel and Raúl Castro, Che Guevara, and several other Cuban exiles.

The group was charged with violating Mexico’s neutrality laws and possessing illegal weapons. They were held for several weeks in Miguel Schultz Prison (also called Palacio de Lecumberri in Mexico City). During their imprisonment, Che and Fidel shared a cell — this is the period captured in a few surviving photographs and accounts that describe their camaraderie and determination.

Thanks to lobbying and financial help from sympathetic contacts, notably Mexican politician Carlos Prío Socarrás (a former Cuban president in exile), the men were released after about a month in prison.

Once freed, they resumed preparations for their invasion. By late November 1956, they secretly boarded the yacht Granma with 82 fighters and sailed from Tuxpan, Mexico, to Cuba. Although the landing was disastrous, only a dozen men survived the initial ambush, it marked the beginning of the Cuban Revolution, which would triumph in 1959.

1961 Ford Anglia Deluxe: The Little Car That Defined an Era

The 1961 Ford Anglia Deluxe stands as one of the most distinctive small cars of early-1960s Britain—a charming blend of quirky styling, practicality, and postwar optimism. Produced by Ford of Britain at the Dagenham plant, the Anglia 105E series introduced in 1959 featured the now-iconic “reverse-rake” rear window, sharply angled tailfins, and a crisp, transatlantic look inspired by American design trends of the late 1950s. By 1961, the Anglia Deluxe represented the more refined trim level, offering chrome accents, improved interior fittings, and optional two-tone paintwork that gave the compact sedan an unexpectedly upscale feel.

Under the hood, it was powered by a 997 cc overhead-valve inline-four engine producing around 39 horsepower, paired with a four-speed manual gearbox—light, efficient, and surprisingly lively for its size. Its unpretentious engineering and excellent fuel economy made it a favorite among young British drivers and families seeking affordable motoring. The Anglia Deluxe also enjoyed export success, finding enthusiastic buyers across Europe and the Commonwealth, and even in the United States as a niche import.

Today, the 1961 Ford Anglia Deluxe is remembered not only as a symbol of 1960s British motoring but also as a cultural icon—famously revived in popular memory by its whimsical appearance in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Its crisp lines, pastel colors, and unmistakable rear window remain instantly recognizable reminders of a bygone era when small cars carried big character.

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25 Fascinating Portraits of a Young Joni Mitchell in the 1970s

Joni Mitchell (born November 7, 1943) is a Canadian and American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and painter. As one of the most influential singer-songwriters to emerge from the 1960s folk music circuit, Mitchell became known for her personal lyrics and unconventional compositions, which grew to incorporate elements of pop, jazz, rock, and other genres.

In the 1970s, Mitchell transitioned from folk and singer-songwriter success to a more experimental sound, marked by the release of acclaimed albums like Ladies of the Canyon (1970) and Blue (1971). Beginning with Court and Spark (1974), which became her biggest commercial success, she began to embrace pop, rock, and jazz. Mitchell started working with the jazz-fusion band L.A. Express, incorporating complex arrangements, horns, and a tighter, groovier feel. This experimentation continued with The Hissing of Summer Lawns (1975), which incorporated world music elements and complex social commentary.

Her albums Hejira (1976) and Don Juan’s Reckless Daughter (1977) continued to push boundaries, featuring collaborations with jazz greats like Jaco Pastorius. She moved further away from commercial considerations, embracing improvisational structures and deeply poetic, observational lyrics. She capped the decade by collaborating directly with legendary jazz bassist Charles Mingus on the album Mingus (1979).

Mitchell was fiercely independent, writing and often self-producing her own work. She famously shifted away from the commercial folk sound even when she was at her peak, following her artistic curiosity into jazz, despite it confusing some of her audience. Her unique, self-taught guitar technique, featuring many unusual open tunings (partially developed due to the effects of childhood polio), gave her music its distinctive, non-traditional harmonic richness.

Beyond music, Mitchell was also an accomplished painter, often designing her own album covers. Her visual sensibility mirrored her musical one — introspective, abstract, and full of emotion. Her fashion and image were bohemian yet elegant — flowing dresses, long blonde hair, and a serene, thoughtful presence.

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Nirvana Singing “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” for RuPaul, 1993

Nirvana singing “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” for Rupaul’s talk show backstage at their 1993 Saturday Night Live performance on September 25, 1993 in NBC Studios New York. The performance was a short segment recorded for The RuPaul Christmas Ball Special, a variety show that aired on VH1 in December 1993.

At the time, the band — Kurt Cobain, Krist Novoselic, and Dave Grohl — was already one of the biggest acts in the world following the success of Nevermind and In Utero. In the humorous clip, they hold up cardboard cutouts of RuPaul while she encourages them to sing the Christmas carol. It’s a sweet and surreal intersection of grunge and drag culture that highlights Kurt Cobain’s genuine respect for RuPaul’s artistry and queer culture.

40 Wonderful Publicity Photos of Dana Plato as Kimberly Drummond for “Diff’rent Strokes” in the Early 1980s

Dana Michelle Plato (November 7, 1964 – May 8, 1999) was an American actress. She rose to fame for playing Kimberly Drummond on the sitcom Diff’rent Strokes (1978–1986), which established her as a teen idol of the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Kimberly was portrayed as warm, caring, and a bit of a “big sister” figure to Arnold and Willis. The show often used her character to explore issues faced by teen girls in the 1980s—body image, dating, and peer pressure. Plato’s natural charm and expressive face made her one of the show’s most relatable characters.

During the early 1980s, Dana became a teen idol, appearing in teen magazines and talk shows. She had a wholesome, all-American look: long blonde hair, soft makeup, and stylish 1980s outfits like sweaters, skirts, and jeans that matched the decade’s preppy trends. Her gentle voice and shy smile became part of her signature screen presence.

Off-screen, life was more difficult. Plato faced personal challenges as she transitioned from child stardom to adulthood. She left Diff’rent Strokes in 1984 after becoming pregnant, though she returned for a few guest appearances later in the series. After leaving the show, her acting opportunities became more limited, and she struggled with finances and substance issues, a sadly common story among former child stars.

Despite her struggles, Dana Plato remains remembered fondly for her role as Kimberly, a symbol of 1980s sitcom warmth and innocence.

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