These
days, many musical icons are known by just one name. Madonna
is a classic example, but the woman who essentially kicked
off this trend got her start in the music business. Cherilyn
Sarkisian was just 17 when she met the man who would change
her life, Salvatore “Sonny” Bono. Bono introduced
the young Cherilyn to producer Phil Spector, who produced
for her one single, a Beatles tribute called “Ringo
I Love You,” which she recorded under the name Bonnie
Jo Mason.
The
single disappeared into obscurity, but Bono and Cherilyn
became a duo, beginning as Caesar & Cleo. The duo didn’t
meet with much success at first, but Cherilyn signed with
Imperial Record, a Liberty imprint, and Bono became her
producer. The single “Dream Baby” became a local
hit in Los Angeles, and the duo soon became known as Sonny
& Cher and signed with Reprise Records. They went from
that label to Atco, a division of Atlantic Records, and
in 1965, “Just You,” their first single with
Atco, was released. It hit the charts, and for the next
two years, Cher pursued a solo career while also recording
such hits as “I Got You Babe” with Sonny. Cher
enjoyed commercial success as both a solo artist and a member
of the duo until the end of the 1960s.
A
new deal with Decca Records in 1971 brought Cher back into
the limelight, as “Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves”
became a number one hit and million-selling single. Other
hit songs followed, and a variety show with husband Bono
brought even more stardom, but the couple split in 1974.
Cher married Gregg Allman twice, and though neither union
lasted, the acting career on which she was beginning to
focus proved to have more longevity. She debuted in “Silkwood”
in 1983 and “Mask” in 1985. In 1987, Cher won
a Best Actress Oscar for her performance in Moonstruck.
Cher has since become better-known as an actress than a
singer, though she continues to record and scored an international
smash with the club single “Believe” in 1998.
She still tours, and though she has won many fans through
her acting, Cher concert tickets still sell like hot cakes.
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