Nothing beats the feeling of going back in time. We may not have a time machine for you to borrow, but through the following photos and stories we’ll take you back to an era when everything felt warm and fuzzy. Today we’re taking a trip down memory lane with some of our favorite babes of the Groovy Era. From English roses like Jill St. John to American beauties like Barbi Benton, you’ll want to take in every inch of these captivating images.
Bernadette Peters
Believe it or not, Bernadette Peters, a theatrically trained, singing, dancing, and comedic bombshell, was essentially shut out of Hollywood until Mel Brooks cast her in Silent Movie. After appearing in that film she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress and it was as if the floodgates opened and producers figured out where they could cast her. She went on to co-star in The Jerk and Heartbeeps while popping up on shows like Love American Style and The Muppet Show. Peters hasn’t stopped working since the ‘70s and regularly appears on television and in concerts across America and Europe.
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Debbie Harry
In the 1970s Blondie was a part of a New York City scene of art kids, punks, and rockers looking for a good time. Deborah Harry was the coolest of them all, fronting this poppy group of punks and scoring hits while she knocked down barriers. With songs like “Heart of Glass,” “Dreaming,” and “Hanging On The Telephone” the band shouted out anthems that you can pogo to while you sing along. Even though she was everywhere at the time, Harry always had a bit of a mystique. Whether dressed up or in a t-shirt and jeans she could cast a spell over everyone in the audience.
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Carly Simon
This ‘70s folk rock goddess crafted some of the most memorable hits of the 20th century. During the most groovy decade she and her then husband James Taylor lived in a tiny shack on plot of lan with no bathroom door and tools hanging from the wall. Even though the two divorced in 1983 she still looks back on her time as one of the coolest singer-songwriter couples with fondness. She told the LA Times, “I think of that time a lot. It’s part of my blood, my bones, all the liquid in my body. I’ve just taken him in so he’s in my core.”
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Charlotte Rampling
Charlotte Rampling was an English icon and a mainstay of the swinging ‘60s who appeared in some of the most fascinating arthouse films of the groovy era. One of her most interesting films was John Boorman’s Zardoz, a dystopian science fiction film starring Sean Connery, released in 1974. Her chilly look and droll English voice has made her one of the rare female heavies in the cinema. At the time she was all over the cinema and living life as a wild child. She told Interview Magazine, “I mean, we could park anywhere. I just dropped the car off anywhere, nobody hassled you. We did what we wanted, we were vaguely rebellious, but nobody really took much notice of us.”
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Cher
Cher has been giving the American people her all since the 1960s when she performed with Sonny and Cher. By the 1970s she was deep into her solo career but no one took her seriously because of high cheekbones and ageless look. Cher knew the way that people thought about her and tried her best to keep from letting the negative press get her down. She explained, “It’s been hard for me. I’ve been made a joke all my career life. I’ve been one of the most popular women in America and a joke and somehow inside of me. And then my private life got to be so much bigger than anything that I could do as a career thing that everybody just thought I was a total idiot. I am an idiot, but I’m not a total one.”
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