Guitar World Magazine Covers Gallery: Every Issue from 1980 to 1986

The year 1980 saw the tragic death of former Beatle John Lennon, the release of AC/DC's epic Back in Black and the launch of a relatively small New York City publisher's guitar-enthusiast magazine called Guitar World.

Although the magazine — which, back then, was published every other month — focused primarily on jazz, country, fusion and blues, it didn't take very long before it attracted a multitude of followers from all different styles who had few other literary resources to turn to.

Our very first cover star? Johnny Winter, who was "Rockin' Better Than Ever!" in 1980.

Below, check out a photo gallery of every Guitar World magazine cover from 1980 to 1986. It's the first in a series of similar galleries.

Before you dive in, who do you think appears on the most Guitar World covers during our first six years? Hint: He (Yes, it's a he) most recently appeared on two covers in 2012 — April and August (And it's not Stevie Ray Vaughan).

Enjoy! The next gallery is coming soon!

NOTE: Remember, you can click on each photo to take a closer look.

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