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Sonny & Cher

 
Artist: Sonny & Cher
 
Sonny & Cher

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Performed Songs By:

Formal Connection With:

  • Formed: 1964
  • Disbanded: 1974
  • Genres: Rock
  • Representative Albums: "The Beat Goes On: The Best of Sonny & Cher," "All I Ever Need: The Kapp/MCA Anthology," "Cher and Sonny & Cher Greatest Hits"
  • Representative Songs: "I Got You Babe," "The Beat Goes On," "Baby Don't Go"

Biography

Sonny & Cher proved one of the magical musical combinations of the mid '60s and one of the better rock-influenced MOR acts of the early '70s, their wisecracking repartee providing counterpoint to a series of adoring hit duets. Salvatore "Sonny" Bono (b. Feb. 16, 1935) started out at Los Angeles-based Specialty Records as a songwriter in the late '50s, responsible for "Koko Joe" by Don and Dewey and "She Said Yeah" for Larry Williams, which was later covered by the Rolling Stones and the Righteous Brothers. Bono became a protégé of Phil Spector, managing to write a handful of successful songs, most notably "Needles and Pins" in collaboration with his protégé Jack Nitzsche, which became a success for Jackie DeShannon and a huge international hit for the Searchers. In 1964, while working sessions with Phil Spector, he met an 18-year-old would-be singer named Cherilyn Lapierre (b. May 20, 1946), and the two were later married. They formed a professional duet, initially as Caesar and Cleo for Vault Records and later Reprise, but it was only after they were signed to Atlantic Records as Sonny & Cher that success came their way. The couple embarked on parallel careers, with Cher later signed to Liberty/Imperial Records as a solo act.

They were a strange duet in the sense that neither had a great voice and, indeed, their voices were so similar that Atlantic's president Ahmet Ertegun was convinced that Sonny had come close to breaking a contract by turning up singing with her on her solo hit "All I Really Want to Do" and her other Imperial hits. The latter song, however, also demonstrated their ability to spot a hit, as well as good material for themselves -- they'd heard the Byrds performing the Dylan song at a club in Los Angeles and got Cher's recording out before the Byrds' own was in stores, beating the folk-rock group at its own game of popularizing Dylan songs. She subsequently hit with "Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)" while Sonny charted with "Laugh at Me" on Atco, but their biggest success was as a duet on Atco, with "I Got You Babe" and "The Beat Goes On."

For a time, from 1965 until 1967, they were rock & roll's hottest couple, so much so that in some conservative communities they were considered almost morally subversive; parents locked up their kids when Sonny and Cher were passing through for a concert appearance. They were popular enough, and sufficiently well-known in their images that the Rolling Stones impersonated them on the British television music showcase Ready Steady Go, miming to "I Got You Babe" with Brian Jones subbing for Sonny.

And then nothing -- the hits stopped coming, and the couple made some daringly creative but unsuccessful commercial missteps, even a movie (Good Times, directed by William Friedkin in his debut) that was, like the Monkees' Head, too far ahead of its time for critics or all but the most advanced fans to appreciate. A further film effort, Chastity, a name shared by their daughter, also bombed, and the sudden confrontation of a $200,000 income tax debt forced the couple to continue working. Further, they were unable to record because of a dispute with Atlantic over Sonny's objections to the way that Cher's solo career was being handled.

They were playing supper clubs and Las Vegas nightclubs, opening for people like Pat Boone, when Johnny Musso, a friend of the couple's, was jumping from an executive position at Atlantic to run Decca Records' Kapp label subsidiary, and brought the duo with him. At around the same time, their stage act -- which had evolved into a kind of "with it" domestic comedy routine nearly as prominent as the music, with the tall, wry-witted Cher cutting up on the seemingly dim-witted Sonny -- was spotted by Fred Silverman, who was then the head of programming for CBS. They ended up with a summer replacement try-out show that did so well that Sonny & Cher were given a regular spot in the CBS lineup in January 1972 with a comedy-variety series.

The couple's recording career was revived initially by a live album cut in one night at Las Vegas, featuring new versions of their early hits as well as parts of their current repertory; the album went gold. The first couple of singles by Cher and Sonny & Cher failed, but then producer Snuff Garrett, who had been at Liberty when Cher was there but had never worked with her, was brought in, and the result was "Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves," a career-reviving number one hit. After that, "The Way of Love," "All I Ever Need Is You" (which became the theme for their TV show), "A Cowboy's Work Is Never Done," "Half Breed," and "Dark Lady" kept either Cher or the couple in the Top Ten at various times through 1974. By then, however, their marriage had fallen apart, and with it, the success of their TV show.

By then, it didn't matter -- they were pop culture icons, though Bono became the butt of many jokes when Cher eclipsed him with her acting career in movies like Silkwood and Mask. Bono was in the restaurant business when his outrage at the bureaucracy of the government in Palm Springs, CA, caused him to declare his candidacy for mayor -- he won the election, and subsequently was elected to Congress during the 1994 Republican sweep of the House of Representatives. He continued to represent his ex-wife's business interests, even as his subsequent remarriage (the name Sonny & Cher is trademarked), and was beginning to make a mark as a conservative Republican member of the California House delegation when he died in a skiing accident in 1998. Bono's second wife, Mary, succeeded him to the same House seat in a special election and the general election in 1998. ~ Bruce Eder, All Music Guide
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Wikipedia: Sonny & Cher
Top
Sonny & Cher
Sonny & Cher in Good Times, 1967
Sonny & Cher in Good Times, 1967
Background information
Origin United States
Genre(s) Pop Rock, Folk
Years active 1964–1977
Label(s) Reprise (1965)
Atco/Atlantic (1965–1967)
MCA/Kapp (1971–1974)
Associated acts Cher (solo career)
Former members
Sonny Bono
Cher

Sonny & Cher were an American pop music duo, actors, singers and entertainers made up of husband-and-wife team Sonny and Cher Bono in the 1960s and 1970s. The couple started their career in the mid-1960s as R&B backing singers for record producer Phil Spector.

The pair first achieved fame with two hit songs in 1965, "Baby Don't Go" and "I Got You Babe". Signing with Atco/Atlantic Records, they released three studio albums in the late 1960s, as well as the soundtrack recording for an unsuccessful movie, Good Times. In 1972, after four years of silence, the couple returned to the studio and released two other albums under the MCA/Kapp Records label.

In the 1970s, they also positioned themselves as media personalities with two top ten TV shows in the US, The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour and The Sonny & Cher Show. The couple's career as a duo ended in 1975 following their divorce. In the decade they spent together, Sonny and Cher sold 80 million records worldwide.[1]

Performing under her first name, Cher went on to a highly successful career as a solo singer and actress, while Sonny Bono was eventually elected to Congress as a U.S. Representative from California. The duo were inducted to the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1998.

Contents

Career

1962–1964: The origin

Cherilyn Sarkisian first met Sonny Bono in a Los Angeles coffee shop in November 1962,[2] when she was sixteen. The older Bono (11 years her senior) was working for record producer Phil Spector at Gold Star Studios in Hollywood.[3] The two became fast friends, eventual lovers, and later married. Through Bono, Cher started as a session singer, and sang backup on several of Spector’s classic recordings, including "Be My Baby" by the Ronettes, "You've Lost That Loving Feeling" by The Righteous Brothers and Darlene Love's "A Fine, Fine Boy". In the composition by Darlene Love, the listener can clearly hear Cher and Sonny close to the mic (along with Love, who recorded her own backing vocals).[3]

1965–1966: Career development

With Bono continuing to write, arrange and produce the songs, the couple's first incarnation was as the duo "Caesar and Cleo".[2][4][5] They received little attention, despite releasing some singles in 1964: "The Letter", with Vault Records, and "The Letter", "Do You Wanna Dance" and "Love Is Strange", with Reprise Records.[6]

In September 1964, they released "Baby Don't Go"[5] under the name of Sonny & Cher, which became their first top ten US hit. The song was later included on the 1965 Reprise compilation Baby Don't Go, which also included songs from artists such as Bill Medley, The Lettermen and The Blendells.

The duo released their first album Look at Us in the summer of 1965.[7] The album contained the smash hit and eventual number-one single "I Got You Babe".[8] Look at Us sold briskly, peaking at number two on the Billboard chart for eight weeks in the later part of 1965.[5]

The couple soon appeared on many of the top television shows of the era including The Ed Sullivan Show, American Bandstand, Hollywood A Go-Go, Hollywood Palace, Hullabaloo, Beat Club, Shindig!, Ready Steady Go! and Top of the Pops.[7] They also appeared as themselves in the film Wild on the Beach, singing "It's Gonna Rain". Bono in their first album displayed also his political interest long before running for Congress, in the lyrics of "The Revolution Kind" song.

As the followup to the success of Look at Us, they released their second studio album in April 1966, The Wondrous World of Sonny & Cher, which peaked at number 34. The couple also traveled and performed around the world, and tickets were some of the hottest at the time. Fans lined up to buy Sonny and Cher tickets for their first tour, the Wondrous World Tour.[9] The two became a quick sensation, dressed in animal skins with Bono wearing knee high caveman boots and Cher going barefoot.

During the 1965, five of their songs were in US Billboard Top 20, a record passed only by Elvis Presley and behind famous artists like The Beatles, The Rolling Stone and others. Periodic solo releases By Cher continued during this period, including major successes with "Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)", and Burt Bacharach & Hal David's "Theme From Alfie" (as heard in the motion picture Alfie, as well as a single release), both in 1966. They did become briefly controversial in Los Angeles for siding with the young people being harassed on the Sunset Strip; as a result, they were removed from their promised position of honor in the Tournament of Roses Parade in January of 1967.[10]

1967–1970: Career woes

In 1967 Sonny and Cher released their third album, In Case You're In Love. It peaked at number 46 in the U.S. charts. It contained two hit singles, both written by Bono, "The Beat Goes On" (#6 on the Billboard Hot 100) and "Little Man" (#21 on the Billboard Hot 100), that peaked at the number one in five European countries.

In an attempt to capitalize on the duo’s initial success, Bono speedily arranged a film project for the duo to star in. But the 1967 feature, Good Times, was a major bomb, despite the efforts of fledgling director William Friedkin and co-star George Sanders.[11] After Good Times flopped in 1968, Columbia Pictures immediately sold rights to their intended follow-up film Speedway to MGM.[12] The couple were replaced by Elvis Presley and Nancy Sinatra.

Sonny and Cher's career had stalled by 1968 as album sales quickly dried up. Their gentle, easy-listening pop sound and drug-free life had become unpopular in an era increasingly consumed with the psychedelic rock of the evolving landscape of American pop culture during the late 1960s.

Bono decided to forge ahead, carving a new career for the duo in Las Vegas resorts, where they sharpened their public persona with Cher as the wise-cracking singer, and Bono as the good-natured recipient of her insults. In reality, Bono controlled every aspect of their act, from the musical arrangements to the joke-writing. While success was slow to come, their luck improved when network TV talent scouts attended a show, noting their potential appeal for a variety series.

Sonny and Cher also welcomed their first child, Chastity Bono, born on March 4, 1969.[13]

1971–1977: TV success and divorce

In 1971 Sonny and Cher starred in their first television special, The Nitty Gritty Hour.[14] 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.[14]

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,[16] throughout its initial four seasons on CBS. The duo also revived their recording career, releasing the album All I Ever Need Is You, and charting two more top ten hits: "All I Ever Need Is You", and "A Cowboy's Work Is Never Done" in 1972.[17]

Sonny and Cher's dialogues were patterned after the successful nightclub routines of Louis Prima and Keely Smith: the happy-go-lucky husband squelched by a tart remark from the unamused wife. The show featured a stock company of zany comedians, including Freeman King, Ted Ziegler, and Murray Langston (later The Unknown Comic on The Gong Show). One sketch satirizing CBS's detective show Cannon and its portly star William Conrad was so successful that Sonny and Cher staged several follow-ups, with Tony Curtis as "Detective Fat." Everybody in these sketches wore wide-waisted "fat suits" (similar to hoop skirts), so Detective Fat and his clients and his suspects would spend most of the time bumping each other and bouncing across the crowded room.

By the third season of the Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour, the marriage of Sonny and Cher was falling apart; the duo separated later that year.[15] The show imploded, while still in the top 10 of the ratings.[18] What followed was a nasty, very public divorce (finalized on June 27, 1975[19]). Cher won a Golden Globe Award for Best Performance By an Actress in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy for The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour in 1974.[20]

Bono launched his own show, The Sonny Comedy Revue, in the fall of 1974,[21][22] retaining the "Sonny and Cher" troupe of comedians and writers. Cher also announced plans to star in a new variety series of her own. Critics, surprisingly, predicted that Bono would be the big winner with a solo comedy vehicle, and didn't hold much hope for Cher's more musical showcase. After only six weeks, however, Bono's show was abruptly canceled.[15]

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. The first season ranked in the Top 25 of the year-end ratings.

As a result of the divorce, Sonny and Cher went their separate ways until Cher attended the opening of one of Bono's restaurants in something of a reconciliation. The Sonny & Cher Show returned in 1976, even though they were no longer married (the duo "reunited" with a humorous handshake). After struggling with low ratings through 1977, Sonny and Cher finally parted ways for good. In 1976, Mego Toys also released a line of toys and dolls, in the likeness of Sonny & Cher.[23] The release of these fashion dolls coincided with the popularity of The Sonny & Cher Show.[24]

1978–1987: After Sonny and Cher

Bono went on to an acting career and later entered politics, eventually becoming a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, Cher continued a successful career.

The couple made two surprise impromptu reunion performances: the first on The Mike Douglas Show in the spring of 1979, singing a medley of "United We Stand" and "Without You",[25] and the second on Nov. 13, 1987[26][27] on Late Night with David Letterman where they performed their hit song "I Got You Babe".

Bono's Death and Records Copyright

Sonny and Cher's star on Hollywood Walk of Fame.

On January 5, 1998 Bono died of injuries from hitting a tree at Heavenly Ski Resort in Lake Tahoe. He was 62 years old. [28][29] Bono's death came just days after Michael Kennedy died in a similar accident. Bono's widow, Mary, was elected to fill the remainder Congressional term. She has since been re-elected in her own right. She continues to champion many of her late husband's causes, including the ongoing fight as how to best save the Salton Sea.

The funeral, unbeknown to Cher, was broadcast live on CNN. Cher gave a tearful eulogy at Bono's funeral, after which the attendees sang the song "The Beat Goes On". In front of millions, Cher tearfully and effusively praised Bono, calling him "the most unforgettable character I've ever met".[30] His final resting place is Desert Memorial Park in nearby Cathedral City, California, the same cemetery in which Frank Sinatra was laid to rest later that same year. The epitaph on Bono's headstone reads: "And The Beat Goes On".[31]

In 1998, Sonny and 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. Cher paid tribute to Bono in the CBS special Sonny and Me: Cher Remembers, calling her grief "something I never plan to get over".[32] During this year, Cher also released her twenty-third album "Believe" that was highly influenced by Bono's death, and in the booklet Cher wrote "IN MEMORY OF SON".[33]

When Cher and Bono divorced, they agreed to split revenue from the songs recorded together. When Bono died, one-third of his interest passed to wife Mary Bono-Mack, and one-sixth interests were split amongst his kids. Bono-Mack, as well as Cher's daughter with Bono, Chastity Bono, are plaintiffs in the case, as well as Bono children Christy Bono, Chianna Bono and son Chesare Bono.[34]

Filmography

Film
1965 Wild on the Beach Themselves
1967 Good Times Various characters
Television
Year Title Role Notes
1967 The Man from U.N.C.L.E. Jerry and Ramona Cameo, in the third series' episode "The Hot Number Affair"
1970 The Sonny & Cher Nitty Gritty Hour Themselves Special Television, one episode
1971-1974 The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour Themselves/Various characters Three Seasons; Nominated - Emmy Award, four times
1972 The New Scooby-Doo Movies Themselves/Dubbing Voice in the episode "The Secret of Shark Island"
1974 The Sonny Comedy Revue Herself
1976-1977 The Sonny & Cher Show Themselves Two Seasons
1998 Sonny and Me: Cher Remembers Herself Special Television, one episode; Tribute to Bono

Discography

See also

References

Books

Notes

  1. ^ "Sonny & Cher". Geocities.com. http://www.geocities.com/liverockconcertsfans/Cher.htm. Retrieved on 2009-04-22. 
  2. ^ a b "Early Bio". home.att.net. http://home.att.net/~movie.stars.1950/sonny_cher.html. Retrieved on 2009-04-19. 
  3. ^ a b "Cher Biography". Yahoo! Movies. http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/contributor/1800023318/bio. Retrieved on 2009-04-19. 
  4. ^ "CHER: Back To The Dance Floor!". About.com. http://dancemusic.about.com/cs/features/a/CherBackDean.htm. Retrieved on 2009-04-20. 
  5. ^ a b c Lamb, Ward (1999-10-13). "Sonny & Cher". Rhino Handmade. http://www.fortunecity.com/greenfield/wilderness/468/ward.htm. Retrieved on 2007-01-28. 
  6. ^ "Sonny and Cher". classicbands.com. http://www.classicbands.com/sonnycher.html. Retrieved on 2009-04-19. 
  7. ^ a b "Cher Tickets". ticketluck.com. http://www.ticketluck.com/concert-tickets/Cher/index.php. Retrieved on 2009-04-24. 
  8. ^ "The Billboard Hot 100: "I Got You Babe"". Billboard.com. http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/esearch/chart_display.jsp?cfi=379&cfgn=Singles&cfn=The+Billboard+Hot+100&ci=3070324&cdi=8813828&cid=07%2F31%2F1965. Retrieved on 2009-04-23. 
  9. ^ "Sonny and Cher History". onlinetickets.com. https://www.onlinetickets.com/info/concert_tour/cher/sonny_cher_history.html. Retrieved on 2009-04-23. 
  10. ^ "Looking Down on Ghosts". justabovesunset.com. http://www.justabovesunset.com/2006/id186.html. Retrieved on 2009-04-19. 
  11. ^ Ladd, M.E.. "Cher Sounds". Cher Scholar. http://www.cherscholar.com/recordreview.htm. Retrieved on 2007-01-28. 
  12. ^ "Cher biography". IMdB. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000333/bio. Retrieved on 2009-06-03. 
  13. ^ "Sonny and Cher Biography". musicianguide.com. http://www.musicianguide.com/biographies/1608002274/Sonny-and-Cher.html. Retrieved on 2009-04-19. 
  14. ^ a b "Queen of Gay Glamour". mondostars.com. http://www.mondostars.com/entertainment/cher.html. Retrieved on 2009-03-16. 
  15. ^ a b c d e f g "Sonny and Cher shows". TVParty.com. http://www.tvparty.com/sonnycher.html. Retrieved on 2007-01-28. 
  16. ^ "Cher Artist Information". tickco.com. http://www.tickco.com/cher_concert_tickets.htm. Retrieved on 2009-03-16. 
  17. ^ "The Sonny & Cher All I ever need is you album (A new producer)". cherscholar.net. http://www.cherscholar.com/all-i-ever.htm. Retrieved on 2009-03-21. 
  18. ^ "Sonny and Cher". tvclassics.com. http://www.tvclassics.com/sc.htm. Retrieved on 2009-05-09. 
  19. ^ "Sonny and Cher divorce". history.com. http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history.do?action=Article&id=3403. Retrieved on 2009-05-09. 
  20. ^ "Cher Awards". IMDb.com. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000333/awards. Retrieved on 2009-05-09. 
  21. ^ "Sunday Evening". tvobscurities.com. http://www.tvobscurities.com/articles/fall74.php. Retrieved on 2009-05-09. 
  22. ^ "Cher". TV.com. http://www.tv.com/cher/show/2946/summary.html. Retrieved on 2009-01-28. 
  23. ^ "Mego Catalog Library: 1976 Cher". megomuseum.com. http://megomuseum.com/catalog/1976/cher1.shtml. Retrieved on 2009-04-26. 
  24. ^ "Cher Dolls Fan Site". hieroglyph.net. http://www.hieroglyph.net/frameset4.html. Retrieved on 2009-04-12. 
  25. ^ Bianco, Robert (2006-08-13). "Mike Douglas, former TV show host, dies". USA Today. http://www.usatoday.com/life/people/2006-08-11-douglas-obit_x.htm. Retrieved on 2007-01-28. 
  26. ^ The New Mexican, Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA, Nov. 29, 1987, p. 35, accessed through NewspaperARCHIVE.com on March 13, 2009
  27. ^ Aiken Standard, Aiken, South Carolina, USA, Nov. 15, 1987, p. 3, accessed through NewspaperARCHIVE.com on March 13, 2009
  28. ^ "Sonny Bono, 62, Dies in Skiing Accident". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/1998/01/07/us/sonny-bono-62-dies-in-skiing-accident.html. Retrieved on 2009-06-03. 
  29. ^ "Sonny Bono killed in skiing accident". CNN. http://www.cnn.com/US/9801/06/bono.obit/. Retrieved on 2009-06-03. 
  30. ^ "Cher's Eulogy for Sonny". About.com. http://dying.about.com/od/famousmemorableeulogies/a/sonny_euolgy.htm. Retrieved on 2009-04-24. 
  31. ^ "Sonny Bono". findagrave.com. http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=2312. Retrieved on 2009-04-20. 
  32. ^ "Cher biography". Superior Pics.com. http://www.superiorpics.com/cher/. Retrieved on 2009-04-24. 
  33. ^ Liner notes, Cher: Believe, Warner Bros. Records, 1998
  34. ^ "Cher sues UMG over royalties". hollywoodreporter.com. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3i8ec34ef6f7ad9c747d69d52f0e4946e6. Retrieved on 2009-06-04. 

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