Television personality and AZfoothills.com columnist Nadine Toren is scouring the area, finding savvy Valley features, bringing readers “on the scene.” Every day she’ll introduce you to celebrities, athletes, and give you an inside look into local events and hot spots. She'll touch on topical issues, and keep AZ fans posted on all the big talkers around town.
She strutted her stuff on the cover of "Playboy" in the 1960s, and now the Valley girl is dishing details on her former photo-shoot sure to come as a shock.
It was the mid-west girl’s 15-minutes of fame, getting a taste of the wild side. And eventually, she surrendered her Missouri roots for the Wild, Wild West, moving to the Valley in 2004.
But we’re taking a stroll down memory lane, back-tracking to Black’s college days at UW-Madison, when the self-proclaimed naïve, flat-chested, blond-haired beauty was discovered by the promiscuous publication.
“I came from a strict Catholic family. I didn’t even know what ‘Playboy’ was,” said Bo Black, former “Playboy” cover model.
The magazine was scouting for their big Pac-10 issue, snapping photos of college cheerleaders. Each gal got $25 for partaking in the group photo, much needed dough despite Black’s hesitation.
“I was afraid to tell my parents, but I needed the cash; it was a lot of money at the time,” said Black.
The UW homecoming queen thought the group shot would be her sole stint in the magazine, but “Playboy” photographers thought different. One day, Black’s mother received a phone call requesting her darling daughter Bo pose for the cover of the magazine.
“My mom went ballistic; she was like, ‘What are you doing?’”
After a drawn-out conversation contemplating the subject, Bo’s parents agreed she could jet-set to Chicago for the photo-shoot…as long as she kept her clothes on.
Obviously, Bo didn’t know much about modeling because she took the flight with her hair set in curlers. Once she arrived to the studios in her hair net, Bo was greeted by the confused make-up artists. Just a slight blunder.
For her famed photo, she sported a Packer’s jersey and knee-high socks, holding a helmet as she smiled ever-so-sweetly. As payment, Bo received a hefty $100 check for the shoot, but it remains un-cashed in her scrapbook. She also got an offer tough to pass up—a free plane ticket to anywhere in the world. However, she turned down a trip to Paris or Rome; instead, hopping a flight to visit her then-boyfriend…in Kansas.
“They also offered me $5,000 to take off my clothes, but my parents would have killed me.”
Bo discovered her cover-spot when walking the streets of Los Angeles soon after the shoot. There it was, clear in the middle of a magazine stand—her “Playboy” cover.
“I was shocked!”
She never met Hugh and has yet to visit the mansion, but her daughter continues her legacy having appeared on the E! TV show, “The Girls Next Door.”
Bo’s modeling career was cut quite short, but the cover-girl has definitely been around the block. Since graduating college, she’s spent time raising sheepdogs, 3 children, singing in the Opera, doing social work, spearheading music festivals (Summerfest), getting involved in politics, and habitually practicing her favorite pastime—clothes shopping. Her “Playboy” cover has been featured on a number of anniversary memorabilia, but no swag compares to her memory in front of the camera.
“It was an awesome experience.”
It’s a good possibility you’ll see Bo strolling around Scottsdale, frequenting Old Town boutiques and restaurants. If you look closely, you’ll see she still resembles her inner 20-something—an age she says every woman should forever embrace.
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