in Music, Inventions

80s Boomboxes: Nostalgic Vintage Photos Show The Heyday Of Boombox From The 1980s

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A boombox is a portable music player with one or two cassette tape players and with a built-in radio. Boombox was developed in the early 1970s and became popular in the 1980s. In 1985, over 30 million boomboxes were sold in the United States. It is considered as the eighties equivalent of Spotify. People preferred to listen to their favorite music in public, and they would take them to the streets, cafes, parks and wherever they want because it was a great source of entertainment.

The boombox was a symbol of freedom, and it became a pop and hip-hop culture in the late 70s and 80s. They were in all shapes, designs and sizes, some of them were big, and they required large size batteries. The wide use of boomboxes in urban communities led to the boombox being coined a “ghetto blaster.” Even some cities and towns petitioned to ban boomboxes from public places because people were crazy about them.

The 1990s was a turning point for the boombox culture, Walkman and other portable devices replaced them. However, people who preferred to listen to their music publicly with friends still used boombox. The following photos showcase the culture of boombox from the 1980s.

#1 A young man with a Fisher PH 490 Boombox in Central Park, New York City, circa 1976

A young man with a Fisher PH 490 Boombox in Central Park, New York City, circa 1976

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#2 Man walking down the street with his ghetto blaster in his hands, New York, 1980

Man walking down the street with his ghetto blaster in his hands, New York, 1980

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#4 Breakdancers, B-Boys on the street, 5th Avenue, New York, 1981

Breakdancers, B-Boys on the street, 5th Avenue, New York, 1981

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#5 A family with a boombox in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, circa 1982.

A family with a boombox in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, circa 1982.

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#6 The ‘Godfather of Hiphop’ Afrika Bambaataa with boombox, 1983

The 'Godfather of Hiphop' Afrika Bambaataa with boombox, 1983

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#7 Carrie Fisher on Stinson Beach in Northern California with the cast of Star Wars and boombox, 1983

Carrie Fisher on Stinson Beach in Northern California with the cast of Star Wars and boombox, 1983

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#8 Rapper LL Cool J, carries a boombox upon his right shoulder while posing for a studio portrait, 1985

Rapper LL Cool J, carries a boombox upon his right shoulder while posing for a studio portrait, 1985

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#9 Bruce Springsteen enjoying a picnic with boombox, 1985

Bruce Springsteen enjoying a picnic with boombox, 1985

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#10 Street entertainers dancing on Fifth Avenue, New York, 1986

Street entertainers dancing on Fifth Avenue, New York, 1986

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#11 Two black teenagers dressed in Adidas tracksuits, with a stylish boombox, 1986

Two black teenagers dressed in Adidas tracksuits, with a stylish boombox, 1986

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#12 A black teenager with a customised ghetto blaster at UK Fresh Hip Hop event, Wembley, 1986

A black teenager with a customised ghetto blaster at UK Fresh Hip Hop event, Wembley, 1986

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#13 LL Cool J holds a boombox outside a concert, circa 1986

LL Cool J holds a boombox outside a concert, circa 1986

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#14 American jazzman, composer and trumpet player Miles Davis with his boombox, 1986

American jazzman, composer and trumpet player Miles Davis with his boombox, 1986

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#15 A group of adolescents sits in the shopping street of Frankfurt an listens to music from a ghettoblaster in June 1984

A group of adolescents sits in the shopping street of Frankfurt an listens to music from a ghettoblaster in June 1984

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#16 A smiling teenager with a boombox stands outside an African-American youth center in Harlem on July 7, 1984

A smiling teenager with a boombox stands outside an African-American youth center in Harlem on July 7, 1984

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#17 Actor Colin Baker with his assistant Nicola Bryant and boombox, 1985

Actor Colin Baker with his assistant Nicola Bryant and boombox, 1985

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#18 Actor Colin Baker with his assistant Nicola Bryant and boombox, July 1985

Actor Colin Baker with his assistant Nicola Bryant and boombox, July 1985

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#19 Two friends showing their boombox on the beach at Coney Island, New York City, 1986

Two friends showing their boombox on the beach at Coney Island, New York City, 1986

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#20 American acid disco band Shazork with boombox, New York City, 1987.

American acid disco band Shazork with boombox, New York City, 1987.

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#21 Three teenage boys pose together with boombox in Times Square, New York City, 1987

Three teenage boys pose together with boombox in Times Square, New York City, 1987

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#22 Freshmen poses with his fans outside a Lower East Side deli, 1988.

Freshmen poses with his fans outside a Lower East Side deli, 1988.

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#23 Man with a large radio, boom box, walking among a crowd at the Taste of Chicago festival at night, 1988

Man with a large radio, boom box, walking among a crowd at the Taste of Chicago festival at night, 1988

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#24 Phil Lynott of Thin Lizzy poses with a giant boombox outside an electronics store in Akihabara, the electronics district of Tokyo, 1980

Phil Lynott of Thin Lizzy poses with a giant boombox outside an electronics store in Akihabara, the electronics district of Tokyo, 1980

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#25 A young man breakdances on a city street while his friend sits on a boombox behind him, 1980s

A young man breakdances on a city street while his friend sits on a boombox behind him, 1980s

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#26 Musician Jessie Daniels of the R and B vocal group dancing with a boombox, 1985

Musician Jessie Daniels of the R and B vocal group dancing with a boombox, 1985

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#27 A young African-American man on his bicycle with his boom box, Cairo, IL, 1985

A young African-American man on his bicycle with his boom box, Cairo, IL, 1985

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#29 A boy with his boombox at UK Fresh Hip Hop event, Wembley, London, 1986

A boy with his boombox at UK Fresh Hip Hop event, Wembley, London, 1986

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#30 A young group of B Boy kids posing in the street with a boombox, Guernsey, 1986

A young group of B Boy kids posing in the street with a boombox, Guernsey, 1986

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#31 A young Punk, sitting in the street with a girl listening to music, 1986

A young Punk, sitting in the street with a girl listening to music, 1986

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#32 A woman holding a boombox her head, and a man dance in the middle of the street, 1989

A woman holding a boombox her head, and a man dance in the middle of the street, 1989

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#33 Protestor at ‘Freedom to Party’ demonstration carrying a large boombox, 1989

Protestor at 'Freedom to Party' demonstration carrying a large boombox, 1989

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#34 The rap duo Twin Towers pose outside the popular Astor Place, 1989

The rap duo Twin Towers pose outside the popular Astor Place, 1989

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#35 A young man in roller skates and a pith helmet, New York City

A young man in roller skates and a pith helmet, New York City

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#36 Mick Jones and Joe Strummer with a boombox, in their tour bus before a concert at De Montfort Hall, 1980

Mick Jones and Joe Strummer with a boombox, in their tour bus before a concert at De Montfort Hall, 1980

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#37 A group of men at the Veeraswamy Restaurant with boombox in London, 1980

A group of men at the Veeraswamy Restaurant with boombox in London, 1980

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#38 Mayor Ed Koch listens to boom box with headphones, 1985

Mayor Ed Koch listens to boom box with headphones, 1985

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#39 A girl enjoying sunbath with boombox at the beach, 1986

A girl enjoying sunbath with boombox at the beach, 1986

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#40 American married couple, New Wave musicians Pat and Barbara MacDonald, both of the group Timbuk 3, 1986

American married couple, New Wave musicians Pat and Barbara MacDonald, both of the group Timbuk 3, 1986

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Written by Jacob Aberto

Sincere, friendly, curious, ambitious, enthusiast. I'm a content crafter and social media expert. I love Classic Movies because their dialogue, scenery and stories are awesome.

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7 Comments

  1. Those are great!! That’s the New York I grew up in…though the only boombox I ever had was one summer in a rental house…it played LP’s also, was huge. I did have a teeny casette player with speakers but never a proper blaster.

    The Astor Place haircut place is still there…not $8 any more, though.

    Ed Koch chilling in Sheep Meadow is hilarious.

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