Musicians Backstage in the 1970s: The Photos

Musicians Backstage in the 1970s - the 50 Best Photos of Musicians Backstage in the 70s It was the post-Beatles decade—years of soul and rock and disco and punk. The 1970s was the era that fully embraced the change of the '60s counterculture, a time when artists waged their own protests against wars, social injustice, and the rapidly shifting American Dream. Some of the greatest names in contemporary music reached their zenith in the '70s. Here's what was happening behind the scenes.</p>" data-next-head/>
Search
Subscribe
My Bookmarks
Entertainment
Style
Food
Drinks
Sports
Lifestyle
News & Politics
Archive
Newsletter
About Us
Follow
Other Editions
Privacy Notice Terms Of Use
Skip to Content
Newsletter Subscribe
Search
Sign in
Subscribe
Newsletter Subscribe
Search
For You
Entertainment
What to Buy
Style
Lifestyle
News and Politics
Food and Drinks
Sports
Member Exclusives
My Bookmarks
Newsletter
US
Privacy Notice
Terms Of Use
For You
Entertainment
What to Buy
Style
Lifestyle
News and Politics
Food and Drinks
Sports
Member Exclusives
More
Entertainment
Music
Musicians Backstage in the 1970s: The Photos
Behind the scenes of an iconic era of music history.
By Matt Miller , Charlotte Chilton Published: Jan 26, 2021 9:31 AM EST
Photo by David Reed/Redferns // Getty Images
It was the post-Beatles decade—years of soul and rock and disco and punk. The 1970s was the era that fully embraced the change of the '60s counterculture, a time when artists waged their own protests against wars, social injustice, and the rapidly shifting American Dream. Some of the greatest names in contemporary music reached their zenith in the '70s. Here's what was happening behind the scenes.
1
Photo by David Reed/Redferns // Getty Images
Gladys Knight and friends backstage at the Apollo, Harlem in 1973.
2
Photo by Michael Ochs Archives // Getty Images
Elvis Presley and Sammy Davis, Jr. backstage in Elvis' dressing room, opening night at the Showroom International Hotel on August 10, 1970 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
3
Getty Images
David Blue, Lainie Kazan, Bob Dylan, Robert De Niro, Sally Kirkland, Ronee Blakley, and Martine Getty backstage at the Roxy for Ronee Blakley's concert on August 18, 1976 in Los Angeles, California.
4
Getty Images
Robert Quine, Elvis Costello, and Richard Hell backstage of CBGB in 1978.
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
5
Michael Ochs Archives // Getty Images
Cher, Elton John, and Diana Ross pose together while backstage at the first Rock Music Awards in Los Angeles in 1975.
6
Photo by Michael Ochs Archives // Getty Images
Michael Jackson and his brother Randy (right) backstage at the Inglewood Forum, August 26, 1973.
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
7
Hulton Archive // Getty Images
Rod Stewart chats with David Bowie backstage after a performance at Madison Square Garden in 1975.
8
Photo by David Reed/Redferns // Getty Images
James Brown poses backstage in London in 1973.
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
9
Photo by Ed Caraeff // Getty Images
Elton John relaxes backstage at Doug Weston's Troubadour on August 25, 1970 in Los Angeles (now West Hollywood), California.
10
Photo by Ian Dickson/Redferns // Getty Images
Aston 'Family Man' Barrett and Bob Marley of The Wailers playing guitar and keyboards backstage at the Odeon, Birmingham, United Kingdom, July 18, 1975.
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
11
Michael Ochs Archives // Getty Images
Led Zeppelin's bassist, John Paul Jones, singer, Robert Plant, and guitarist, Jimmy Page, walk backstage at the Forum in Los Angeles in 1977.
12
Fin Costello // Getty Images
Aerosmith's Tom Hamilton and Joe Perry warm up backstage at Madison Square Garden before a concert in 1976.
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
13
Michael Putland // Getty Images
Eric Clapton speaks with his support staff while on tour in the United States in 1975.
14
Tim Boxer // Getty Images
Ava Cherry hangs out backstage at a Faces concert in New York in 1975. The singer was closely tied to David Bowie at the time.
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
15
Photo by Ed Perlstein/Redferns // Getty Images
Joni Mitchell, Mimi Farina, and Herbie Hancock enjoy a moment backstage at the Berkeley Jazz Festival, which was held at the Greek Theatre in May 1979 in Berkeley, California.
16
Getty Images
Joan Jett of The Runaways backstage at the Whiskey a Go Go in Los Angeles, California in 1977.
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
17
Ron Galella // Getty Images
Peter Frampton walks backstage at Madison Square Garden after a show in 1979. The musician is joined by his girlfriend, Barbara Gold, and his parents.
18
Michael Putland // Getty Images
The Beach Boys pose in a green room backstage before a concert in December 1970.
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
19
Christopher Simon Sykes // Getty Images
Elton John chats with music journalist Lisa Robinson after a concert on the the Rolling Stones' Tour of the Americas in 1975.
20
Michael Ochs Archives // Getty Images
Chuck Berry discusses his performance at Madison Square Garden in 1972, while filming the documentary Let the Good Times Roll.
Watch Next
%0A%09<path d="M240,128a15.74,15.74,0,0,1-7.6,13.51L88.32,229.65a16,16,0,0,1-16.2.3A15.86,15.86,0,0,1,64,216.13V39.87a15.86,15.86,0,0,1,8.12-13.82,16,16,0,0,1,16.2.3L232.4,114.49A15.74,15.74,0,0,1,240,128Z">%0A</path></svg>" width="60" height="60" alt="Play video"/>
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
Music
The Importance of Vinyl Records to Gen Z
Kneecap Will Never Back Down
Who Is Harry Styles, Anyway? Even He’s Not Sure.
How Ludwig Göransson’s Scores Became the Main Character
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
The 5 Best Albums of 2026 (So Far)
The Last Symphony
Megan Moroney Is Never Coming Back Down to Earth
Kid Rock Says He Didn't Lip-Sync His Halftime Show
The Best Songs of 2026 (So Far)
Watch Bad Bunny's Super Bowl 2026 Halftime Show
Oh No, Turning Point’s MAGA Halftime Show Is Real
The Best Moments from the 2026 Grammys
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
Newsletter About Us Media Kit Press Room Contact Us Community Guidelines Advertise Online Customer Service Subscribe Events & Promotions Giveaways Gift Subscription
A Part of Hearst Digital Media
We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back.
©2026 Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Privacy Notice CA Notice at Collection Your CA Privacy Rights/Shine the Light DAA Industry Opt Out Terms of Use Site Map
Cookies Choices

Text scraped from the landing page for research purposes. © respective owners. This text is sourced from the advertiser's public landing page; for removal, contact dmca@luba.media.