SONNY & CHER
Sonny & Cher proved to be one of the most iconic musical combinations of the mid ‘60s and one of the better rock-influenced acts of the early ‘70s, their wisecracker repartee providing counterpoint to a series of adoring hit duets. Salvatore “Sonny” Bono (born February 16, 1935) started out at Los Angeles-based Specialty Records as a songwriter in the late ‘50s, responsible for Koko Joe by Don & 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 producer Phil Spector and managed to write a handful of successful songs, most notably Needles and Pins in collaboration with his co-writer Jack Nitzsche. In 1964, while working sessions with Phil Spector, he met an 18 year old aspiring singer named Cherilyn Sarkisian (born May 20th, 1946), and the two were later married. They formed a professional duet, initially as Caesar & 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… and the beat went on!
From 1965 to 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 & Cher were passing through for a concert appearance. The pair first achieved fame with two hit songs in 1965, Baby Don’t Go and I Got You Babe. During this time, they were so sufficiently well-known that The Rolling Stones impersonated them on the British television showcase Ready Steady Go, miming to I Got You Babe with Brian Jones subbing for Sonny.
Some years later, as they began a stint playing supper clubs and Las Vegas, their stage act had evolved into a kind of “with it” domestic comedy routine nearly as prominent as their music, with the tall, wry-witted Cher cutting up on the seemingly dim-witted Sonny. Their act 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 further enhanced by a live album cut in one night in Las Vegas, featuring new versions of their early hits as well as parts of their then-current repertory. The album went gold and producer Snuff Garrett, who had been at Liberty Records when Cher was initially signed as a solo artist there, but never worked with her, was brought in to provide new material, 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 Cher or the couple in the Top Ten at various times through 1974.
In the 1970s, they had two top ten TV shows in the US, The Sonny & Cher Show and The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour. The couple’s career as a duo ended in 1975 following their divorce, though by then they were not just icons of pop culture, but also fashion. Their iconic looks are remembered to this day as much as their music. In the decade they spent together, Sonny and Cher sold over 40 million records worldwide.