Cherilyn Sarkisian LaPierre
Born in El Centro, Calif. on May 20,
1946, Cherilyn Sarkisian was a poor, fatherless kid whose eight-times-married
actress-mother struggled by on occasional singing gigs and bit parts. At 16
Cher left high-school and home to take acting lessons in Los Angeles, a plan
that quickly derailed when she met 28-year-old producer-songwriter Sonny Bono at
Aldo's Coffee Shop in 1963. "It was as if the whole room went to soft focus,
like Tony and Maria at the dance," Cher has said often of their chance meeting.
Though Cher was instantly smitten, Sonny wasn't. The two lived platonically at
first, sharing an apartment but sleeping in separate twin beds. While he toiled
as an apprentice at Phil Spector's hallowed Gold Star Studios, Cher kept house.
It wasn't until her mother discovered the arrangement and tried to separate
them, that the pair rebelled and proclaimed their love.
Soon Cher was tagging along to Spector's, harmonizing behind the Ronettes,
Darlene Love, Glen Campbell, The Righteous Brothers and any number of
up-and-comers. Recognizing her star potential,
Bono hoped to record Cher as a soloist. But Spector didn't see much in the
lanky, long-haired teen. She was so nervous during her first recording sessions,
that she insisted - to everyone's chagrin - that the vocally-challenged Bono
sing alongside her. Surprisingly they sounded good together, and a duo was born.
Performing initially as Caesar and Cleo, the pair played bowling alleys and
skating rinks to little effect. Her first solo recordings, released under the
pseudonym Bonnie Jo Mason and as Cherilyn, were also flops. Their fortunes
turned in 1965, when - as Sonny and Cher - they hit gold with the Bono-penned "I
Got You Babe," a sweet ode to married hippie life, (though they didn't
officially tie the knot until '69). Within weeks their previous songs, the
folkish "Baby Don't Go" and "Just You," were re-released and superstardom set
in.
But it was their far-out look - wide colorful pants, skimpy tops, shaggy hair,
and fur vests - that wowed fans. Cher was deemed fashion's shock innovator, a
role she has continued with, for better or worse, throughout her career.
Meanwhile Bono was replicating Spector's lush "Wall of Sound" production style
so expertly, that by the fall of '65 they landed six singles in the Top 40 all
at once. That success, however, was short-lived; the age of psychedelic rock
soon dawned and Sonny and Cher's hopeful sound was passe. They had one more huge
hit together, 1967's "The Beat Goes On," and she had a solo smash, "You Better
Sit Down Kids," before fans deserted them.
Ever fearless, Bono launched Cher in films, spending his own cash when studio
financing dried up. But their movies, Good Times and Chastity, weren't hits and
the duo lost the wealth they earned as pop stars. Now also in deep debt to the
IRS, and struggling to support daughter Chastity born in 1969, they hit the
lounge circuit. Spruced up in evening wear, they sang safe middle-of-the-road
covers for the parents of their former fans - quite a humiliation after the huge
arenas they once filled.
Cher detested all this and wasn't afraid to show her exasperation on stage,
unwittingly honing what would become their trademark shtick. Over time the act
improved, Vegas called, and so did
CBS, taping them for a summer replacement series in 1971.
Purposefully cheesy, imaginatively produced, and packed with those outlandish
Bob Mackie costumes, The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour was an instant smash. But it
was the sharp, often risqué banter between the hosts that held viewers. They had
a magnetic charm, particularly when they'd sing. Hands clasped, eyes intently
locked on one another, his strained voice hardly seemed to matter. More
importantly, the show also broke ground challenging America's concept of
prime-time beauty. Unlike most TV personalities of the day, Cher wasn't blonde,
perky, or primly dressed. Her dark, exotic looks and blunt repartee - on stage
and off - proved liberating to many women.
The new exposure landed Cher back on pop radio; her "Gypsys, Tramps, and
Thieves" became the first of three No. 1 "story songs" she scored during a run
of early-'70s singles. There were also several albums of starkly varying
quality, stoking her reputation as a hit-and-miss songstress.
Meanwhile the happy family portrait presented to America each week, hid
turbulence backstage. Chafing under Bono's fatherly autocracy for years, Cher
wanted out. Their 1974 split brought the hit show to a premature end,
devastating CBS executives and fans. The first photos of Cher with another man,
up-and-coming mogul David Geffen, drew gasps. While friendly at times, the Bonos
would fight bitterly and publicly, producing ugly headlines and making Cher a
tabloid staple. (For years to come, Sonny and Cher would continue their public
sparring via verbal bon mots in the press. "She's still in love with me," Bono
would jest, probably not half-wrong).
In 1975, amid great fanfare and a Time magazine cover, CBS launched Cher in her
own variety series, kicking off with blockbuster guests Elton John and Bette
Midler. But by the third week Cher, overwhelmed with new responsibilities, was
on the phone to Bono arranging a professional reunion. Having failed with his
own series on ABC, he agreed and after Cher's second season, the new Sonny and
Cher Show premiered.
Just one hitch: Cher was now pregnant with the child of her estranged second
husband, southern rock great, Gregg Allman, sending network censors into a
panic. (Son Elijah Blue Allman was born in July 1976.) Intense curiosity sparked
huge initial ratings, but it wouldn't last. Though the former Bonos were happy
back together, and occasionally mined great comedy from their bizarre situation,
awkward moments were inevitable.
In August '77, after two seasons, the show got the ax for good. For some time
after, the duo continued performing in concert - dates Cher owed Sonny as part
of their legal settlement. Meanwhile Cher endured Allman's addictions to booze
and heroin, trying mightily to salvage their off-and-on union. They recorded a
soulful album, Allman and Woman: Two The Hard Way, but it was a tough sell to
their opposing fan bases.
By '79, the marriage finally over, Cher was an unemployed 33-year-old single
mother, yearning for the impossible: A shot in serious films. But her camp TV
image and tabloid troubles were so ingrained, no one in
Hollywood could envision it.
Between romances with rocker Les Dudek and KISS Gene Simmons, she flitted from
project to project playing casino showrooms; catching the tail end of disco with
Take Me Home (her first chart hit in five years); experimenting with her own
rock band Black Rose; and singing with Meat Loaf, among them.
Finally she wiped the slate clean, earning respect on the New York stage in
1982's Come Back to the 5 & Dime Jimmy Dean Jimmy Dean. After catching her in a
matinee one day, famed director Mike Nichols cast her in Silkwood on the spot.
Though the concept of Cher opposite Meryl Streep drew snickers, critics were
stunned when Silkwood premiered, calling Cher a genuine acting marvel. An Oscar
nomination followed, as did her triumphant role in Mask.
By 1987 she was in such demand she found herself in three films at once: The
Witches of Eastwick, Suspect, and Moonstruck. She had also begun what was to
become an important relationship with the 18-years-younger Rob Camilletti, a
liaison that drove the paparazzi to stalk her as never before.
At the same time she was also re-launching her music career. Now signed to
long-ago-boyfriend David Geffen's new label, her collaborators included Jon Bon
Jovi, Michael Bolton, Diane Warren, and Richie Sambora, who later became her
next love interest. Though American radio was cool to her return, eventually her
new sound caught on. Reemerging as a lite-metal rock singer draped in fishnet,
leather straps, and not much else, Cher was suddenly everywhere: On the cover of
Newsweek, on Saturday Night Live, and most memorably, sharing a tearful,
nostalgic reunion with Sonny Bono on Late Night With David Letterman.
Vulnerable on screen in thoughtful, grown-up movies; tough on the concert stage
and in the news with her outspoken candor, Cher was now lording over completely
separate careers as no one in Hollywood ever had. The ultimate validation came
in April 1988: a best actress Oscar for Moonstruck. At 41 - after twenty five
years in show biz - Cher was at last on top, on her own terms.
She churned out eight smash singles during the Geffen era ('87-'92), including
"I Found Someone," "If I Could Turn Back Time," "After All," and "Heart of
Stone." But the productivity took a heavy toll. By the time her next movie,
Mermaids, was released in 1990, she was exhausted and still faced months of tour
commitments. She was near collapse when she left the road in '91.
As a respite from that grueling schedule, she began work that was less taxing.
Already a spokesperson for fitness centers, her own fitness videos and Equal
sweetener, it was a short leap to infomercials, where the money was great and
the short hours suited her fatigue. Hollywood was aghast at Cher's hair-care ads
and disdained her new home furnishings business as well; lampooned by late-night
comics and dumped from the A-list, Cher had now squandered the elite status she
worked so hard to achieve.
After early-'90s cameos in the Robert Altman films Ready to Wear and The Player,
she went back to work full time in 1996, co-starring with Chazz Palminteri in
the so-so Faithful; directing Anne Heche and acting in HBO's critically
acclaimed If These Walls Could Talk; and singing again on a sultry new album,
It's a Man's World, as part of a new record deal with Warner UK. She had also
become an active fundraiser for AIDS charities, gay rights and the Childrens'
Craniofacial Association, the cause she embraced while filming Mask, the story
of a disfigured teen.
Daughter Chastisty was painfully outed by the press, and has since become a gay
activist. When she told her mother she was gay, Cher initially went "ballistic"
at the news, but has since become her most loyal champion. Their story is told
in Family Outing, by Chastity, which also serves as a guide for other parents
and children coming to grips with the issue of homosexuality in the family.
She was in London in January '98 when a call from Chastity brought the shocking
news of Sonny Bono's tragic skiing death. Captured in tears as she fled through
Heathrow Airport, the media quickly appointed Cher his widow, though they had
been apart 24 years and he was long remarried with a new career as a popular
congressman.
Full of remorse during her reconciliatory eulogy at his funeral, Cher praised
the man who had been father, partner, friend, and foe, displaying a side of
herself the world had never seen. Yet soon came charges of opportunism. Though
hurt by the criticism, Cher continued to mourn openly, paying tribute Bono in a
sentimental CBS special and calling her grief "something I never plan to get
over."
Newly serene and matured by tragedy, Cher hit the promo trail in the fall of '98
with a new album, Believe, marking yet another upswing in her bumpy career. A
sparkling collection of dance tracks aimed squarely at her immense gay
following, the disc quickly became one of Europe's all-time blockbusters, and
the best-selling album of her 35-year recording career. By March '99 she was
ruling the American Top 40 as well, holding at No. 1 for four weeks with the
album's title track. She was now the oldest female ever to hit the top spot and
owned the longest Billboard chart span between No. 1's ('65 - '99) of any pop
recording artist.
In May 1999, Cher added the integrity-restoring Franco Zeffirelli movie Tea With
Mussolini to her filmography, starring with acting greats Judi Dench, Maggie
Smith, and Joan Plowright. At the same time she was also launching a global
concert tour, once again in control of completely separate careers in teen pop
and serious films.
Fans and critics have long debated what Cher means to music, show biz, and pop
culture. A pro at reinvention long before Madonna made it fashionable, Cher has,
at the very least, always personified survival and sheer persistence. The very
failures that destroy the toughest souls in Hollywood, have only served to make
this pop icon permanently resilient.
]]
THE SONNY AND CHER SHOW
In 1970, Sonny and Cher starred in their first television special, The Sonny and Cher Nitty Gritty Hour. A mixture of slapstick comedy, skits and live music, the appearance was a critical success, which led to numerous guest spots on other television shows.
Sonny and Cher caught the eye of CBS head of programming Fred Silverman while guest-hosting The Merv Griffin Show, and Silverman offered the duo their own variety show.[15] The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour debuted in 1971 as a summer replacement series.[15] The show returned to prime time later that year and was an immediate hit, quickly reaching the Top 10.[15] The show received 15 Emmy Award nominations during its run, winning one for direction.
THE CHER SHOW
The Cher Show debuted as an elaborate, all-star television special on February 16, 1975 featuring Flip Wilson, Bette Midler and special guest Elton John.[15] Cloris Leachman and Jack Albertson both won Emmy Awards for their appearances as guest stars a few weeks later,[15] and the series received four additional Emmy nominations that year. Other guests included Pat Boone, David Bowie, Ray Charles, Dion, Patti Labelle, Cheryl Ladd, Wayne Newton, Linda Ronstadt, Lily Tomlin and Frankie Valli. The variety series' debut season ranked 22nd in the year-end Nielsen ratings.
A good deal of press was generated throughout 1975 regarding Cher's exposed navel, and the daring ensembles created by famed designer Bob Mackie.[15] Her show featured numerous outlandish costume changes, even more than typical variety shows. The Cher show ran for two half-seasons, before a pregnant Cher pulled the plug herself, deciding instead to reunite with her ex-husband for a revamped version of The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour.
THE SONNY AND CHER SHOW
On February 2, 1976 The Sonny and Cher Show debuted with a Top 10 rating and high expectations.[15] Some of the guests who appeared on The Sonny and Cher Show included Frankie Avalon, Muhammed Ali, Raymond Burr, Ruth Buzzi, Charo, Barbara Eden, Farrah Fawcett, Terri Garr, Bob Hope, Don Knotts, Jerry Lewis, Tony Orlando, The Osmonds, Debbie Reynolds, The Smothers Brothers, Tina Turner, Twiggy, and Betty White. However, ratings soon fell, and the show was cancelled after its second season.[15]
Their overall television success, though brief, was unique because variety programming in general was no longer attracting viewers, other than The Carol Burnett Show.[15]
Cher continued to release numerous solo albums during this period, though none matched the critical or commercial success of her earlier 70s recordings. She made a brief return to prime time starring in the television specials Cher … Special in 1978 (for which guest star Dolly Parton was nominated for an Emmy Award) and Cher … and Other Fantasies in 1979. One highlight for her fans was a song and dance number based on the classic musical West Side Story in which Cher portrayed each of the main characters.
In 1979 she legally changed her name to "Cher", with no surname or middle name.[1] Sonny and Cher performed together for the last time on The Mike Douglas Show in the spring of 1979 (until their much-discussed 1987 Letterman appearance), singing a medley of "United We Stand" and "Without You".[16]
I BELIEVE
TURN BACK TIME
HEART OF STONE
JUST LIKE JESSE JAMES
I FOUND SOMEONE
STRONG ENOUGH
SONG FOR THE LONELY
TAKE ME HOME
THE SLOOP
SLOOP SONG
BANG BANG MY BABY SHOT ME DOWN
HALF BREED
GYPSIES TRAMPS AND THIEVES
DARK LADY
I GOT YOU BABE
THE BEAT GOES ON
ALL I REALLY WANT TO DO
SONNY AND CHER HAD COSTOM MUSTANG' S
SONNY WAS A ERIN BOY FOR PHIL SPECTOR
CHER WAS 16 WHEN SHE MOVED IN WITH SONNY
SONNY AND CHER HAD ONE DAUGHTER CHASTITY TOGETHER
GREG ALLMAN AND CHER HAD ONE SON TOGETHER
On June 30, 1975, three days after her divorce from Sonny was final, Cher married rock musician Gregg Allman, a founding member of the Allman Brothers Band. They had one son, Elijah Blue Allman born July 10, 1976.
Cher was in London, England in January 1998 when a call from her daughter Chastity brought her the shocking news of Sonny Bono's death in a skiing accident.[25] He was 62. Photographed in tears as she dashed through Heathrow Airport back to Los Angeles, California,[26] the media seemingly appointed Cher as his widow, even though they had been apart for 24 years and each had re-married since (Sonny twice). At the time of his death, Sonny Bono, by then a popular California Congressman, was married to his fourth wife, Mary Bono.[27] Nonetheless, Cher accepted an invitation to deliver the eulogy. The funeral, unbeknownst to Cher, was broadcast live on CNN. In front of millions, she tearfully and effusively praised the man who had been a father figure, friend, partner, lover, husband, and antagonist.[28]
Despite charges of opportunism, Cher continued to openly mourn, also paying tribute to Bono in the sentimental CBS special Sonny and Me: Cher Remembers (1998), calling her grief "something I never plan to get over."[29] In 1998, Sonny & Cher received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Television. Cher appeared at the event with Mary Bono, who accepted the award on behalf of her late husband.
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