Cher
Throughout the course of her decades-spanning career, Cher enjoyed one of the more remarkable public lives of her era -- a star of music, television and film, she reinvented herself endlessly, in the process emerging as a pop icon whose often outrageous behavior was the subject of endless tabloid headlines. Born Cherilyn Sarkasian LaPier in El Centro, California on May 20, 1946, she quit school and left home at age 16, relocating to Hollywood to pursue a career as an actress; by 1963, she was singing back-up on sessions for the legendary producer Phil Spector, there meeting songwriter Sonny Bono. A year later she and Bono married, and as the husband-and-wife duo Sonny and Cher they topped the charts in 1965 with the million-selling single "I Got You;" hits including "Baby Don't Go" and "The Beat Goes On" followed, and the couple even made a pair of feature films, 1967's Good Times and 1969's Chastity (the latter named in honor of their daughter).
When Sonny and Cher's pop hits began to dry up as the Sixties drew to a close, the duo turned their focus to the Las Vegas nightclub circuit; they also made numerous appearances on television variety shows, and in 1971 were offered their own series, The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour. The program was a major hit, and combined with the couple's return to the pop charts via Top Ten singles including "All I Ever Need Is You" and "A Cowboy's Work Is Never Done" -- as well as concurrent Cher solo smashes like "Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves," "Half-Breed" and "Dark Lady" -- their career was riding at an all-time high. Behind the scenes, however, Sonny and Cher's marriage was disintegrating, and soon after the 1974 cancellation of their variety show they went their separate ways, announcing their divorce in June of 1975. (A short-lived reunion series, The Sonny and Cher Show, followed in 1976.)
Just five days after her divorce from Bono was finalized, Cher made headlines when she married rocker Gregg Allman; the couple soon had a son, Elijah Blue, and also collaborated on an album, 1977's Allman and Woman: Two the Hard Way. Following their 1979 divorce, Cher began dating Kiss' Gene Simmons, another in a long line of high-profile relationships which kept her name in the tabloids for years to follow; that same year, she returned to the pop charts with the disco-flavored "Take Me Home," and in 1980 formed the hard-rock band Black Rose with new boyfriend Les Dudek. The group disbanded after releasing their self-titled debut LP, and after issuing I Paralyze in 1982 Cher turned away from recording to again pursue a career as an actress, making her Broadway debut in the Robert Altman-directed Come Back to the 5 and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean. She reprised her performance in Altman's film adaptation later that same year.
In 1983, Cher astounded critics with her Academy Award-nominated turn in the drama Silkwood, finally winning consideration as a serious actress; her starring role in 1985's Mask was also acclaimed, and two years later she won a Best Actress Oscar for her work in the celebrated romantic comedy Moonstruck. Also in 1987, she returned to music with a self-titled LP for Geffen, scoring a pair of hits with the singles "I Found Someone" and "We All Sleep Alone;" combined with her penchant for scandalously-revealing dress, Cher was now the focus of more media attention than ever before, and her fame soon translated into a series of exercise videos and diet guides, later followed by a designer perfume and a line of skin-care products all bearing her name and endorsement. In 1989, she also issued Heart of Stone, launching the Top Ten smashes "If I Could Turn Back Time" and "Just Like Jesse James." "After All," a duet with Peter Cetera, was a hit that year as well.
After a three-year hiatus away from the screen, in 1990 Cher returned with Mermaids, its soundtrack featuring her hit cover of the Betty Everett classic "The Shoop Shoop Song (It's in His Kiss)." A year later she issued the LP Love Hurts, reaching the charts with the singles "Love and Understanding" and "Save Up All Your Tears." With the exception of cameo appearances in the Altman films The Player and Pret-a-Porter, Cher then spent the middle of the decade in relative seclusion, virtually disappearing from the limelight for the first time in three decades; she returned to show business with a vengeance in 1996, however, making her directorial debut with the HBO telefilm If These Walls Could Talk. That same year, she starred in the feature comedy Faithful, and also released the album It's a Man's World. Believe followed in 1998.
A poll for Cher fans is coming soon!
LINKS
The Official Cher Homepage
Paradise Is Here
Listen and Buy Albums from CHER!
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