Formed:
Genres:
Principal Members:
- Sonny Bono (born Salvatore Phillip Bono, February 16, 1935, in Detroit, MI; died January 5, 1998, in South Lake Tahoe, CA): vocals
- Cher (born Cherilyn LaPierre Sarkasian, May 20, 1946, in El Centro, CA): vocals
Contributions to music:
- The most popular male-female rock duo of the Sixties and early Seventies
- Sonny was a major songwriter who penned several hits for other artists
- Cher possessed one of the greatest and most unusual singing voices of her time, and was one of rock's first and greatest divas
- Their romantic image helped to make the "hippie" lifestyle more appealing and acceptable to Middle America
- Ruled TV in the early Seventies with their "Variety Hour"
- Cher went on to become a respected actress, while Sonny became one of the first rock stars to enter politics
Early years:
Success:
Later years:
Other facts:
- Sonny wrote Larry Williams' "She Said Yeah" and the Searchers' "Needles And Pins"
- As Bonnie Jo Mason, Cher had scored a minor hit in 1964 with "Ringo, I Love You," a novelty song dedicated to the Beatles' drummer
- Cher sings backup on several early Spector productions, including the Ronettes' "Be My Baby" and the Righteous Brothers' "You've Lost That Loving Feeling"
- Had one child, a daughter named Chastity who often appeared in Cher's arms at the end of their variety show
- Egged on by David Letterman, the two performed "I Got You Babe" in a tearful one-off reunion on his late-night show
Awards/Honors:
Recorded work:
Pop:
"I Got You Babe" (1965)
Adult Contemporary:
"All I Ever Need Is You" (1971)
Top 10 hits:
Pop:
"Baby Don't Go" (1965)
"Laugh At Me" (1965)
"The Beat Goes On" (1967)
"All I Ever Need Is You" (1971)
"A Cowboy's Work Is Never Done" (1972)
Adult Contemporary:
"When You Say Love" (1972)
"A Cowboy's Work Is Never Done" (1972)
Top 10 albums:
Pop:
Look At Us (1965)
Other important recordings: "Just You," "Sing C'Est La Vie," "Why Don't They Let Us Fall In Love," "The Revolution Kind," "What Now, My Love?," "Have I Stayed Too Long," "Leave Me Be," "Little Man," "Living For You," "Love Don't Come," "Beautiful Story," "It's The Little Things," "My Best Friend's Girl Is Out," "Good Combination," "Hello," "Real People," "Somebody," "Crystal Clear/Muddy Waters," "United We Stand," "By Love, I Mean," "Mama Was A Rock And Roll Singer," "The Greatest Show On Earth," "Once In A Lifetime/More Today"
Cher solo
: #1 hits:Pop:
"Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves" (1971)
"Half-Breed" (1973)
"Dark Lady" (1974)
"Believe" (1998)
Adult Contemporary:
"If I Could Turn Back Time" (1989)
"After All" (1989)
Top 10 hits:
Pop:
"Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)" (1966)
"You Better Sit Down Kids" (1967)
"Take Me Home" (1979)
"If I Could Turn Back Time" (1989)
"Just Like Jesse James" (1989)
"After A Day" (1989)
Adult Contemporary:
"Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves" (1971)
"Living In A House Divided"
"The Way Of Love" (1972)
"Half-Breed" (1973)
"Dark Lady" (1974)
"I Saw A Man And He Danced With His Wife" (1974)
"The Shoop Shoop Song (It's in His Kiss)" {1990}
"Love And Understanding" (1991)
"One By One" (1996)
"Believe" (1998)
Top 10 albums:
Pop:
Heart Of Stone (1989)
Believe (1998)Living Proof (2002)
The Very Best Of Cher (2004)
Other important recordings: "Classified 1A," "I Hate To Sleep Alone," "When You Find Out Where," "The Way Of Love," "Chastity Sun," "Make The Man Love Me," "Rescue Me," "All I Really Want To Do," "Where Do You Go," "Alfie," "Don't Hide Your Love," "Train Of Thought," "Hell On Wheels," "Skin Deep," "We All Sleep Alone," "Heart Of Stone," "Save Up All Your Tears," "When Lovers Become Strangers," "Paradise Is Here," "All Or Nothing," "Dov'è l'Amore," "Strong Enough," "The Music's No Good Without You," "Song For The Lonely," "A Different Kind Of Love Song," "The Music's No Good Without You," "When The Money's Gone"
