KWXY Presents ● The Music of Cher
Cher / Publicity Photo - Geffen Records / Photo by Herb Ritts / IVOX MEDIA collection
Cher is a singer, actress, television host and entrepreneur who rose to fame in the mid-1960s as half of the husband-wife singing duo, Sonny & Cher. In addition to selling more than 40 million records worldwide, the couple also starred in their own CBS-TV variety show, The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour and later in her own CBS variety show, Cher. As a solo artist, she has sold more than 100 million records and is the only artist to have a number one hit in six consecutive decades.
She was born Cherilyn Sarkisian on May 20, 1946 in El Centro, California. Her father John, a truck driver who had drug and gambling problems and her mother, retired actress and model Georgia Holt, divorced when she was an infant. Her mother married actor John Southall and the family relocated to Los Angeles, California. Georgia Holt worked as a waitress between acting jobs, procuring minor acting jobs for Cher and her half-sister, Georganne.
While in the fifth grade, Cher organized a performance of the musical Oklahoma! for her teacher and her class. Since no boys wished to participate, Cher acted and sang all the male roles. Her interest in acting came about after seeing Audrey Hepburn in the 1961 romantic comedy, Breakfast at Tiffany’s. She also cited Marlene Dietrich, Bette Davis and Katharine Hepburn as role models.
In 1962, Cher met her future husband and performing partner, singer/songwriter Salvatore Phillip “Sonny” Bono. At the time, Bono was working for record producer Phil Spector and arranged a meeting. Spector hired her as a backup singer and released her first single, “Ringo, I Love You” which she recorded under the name Bonnie Jo Mason.
On October 27, 1964, Sonny and Cher performed their own wedding ceremony in a hotel room in Tijuana, Baja California. They performed as a duo called Caesar & Cleo in order to help Cher get over stage fright, looking at him as she sang to help disguise her nervousness. They changed the name of the act to Sonny & Cher after the August 1965 release of their certified gold debut album, Look at Us. The album’s first single, “I Got You Babe,” soon began a three-week run at number one. Critic Bruce Eder called the song “one of the biggest-selling and most beloved pop/rock hits of the mid-60s.” Some solo hits followed, including “Half-Breed” in 1973 and “Dark Lady” in 1974.
Four days after her 1975 divorce from Bono, she married rocker Gregg Allman and together had a son, Elijah Blue Allman, born July 10, 1976. Some critically acclaimed acting roles in film and stage began in the 1980s and her musical comeback began in 1987 with her signing with Geffen Records. The triple-platinum album, Heart of Stone was released in 1989 featuring the single, “If I Could Turn Back Time.”
920AM Palm Springs’ Hap Trout Interviews Sonny and Cher for National Radio Program - circa 1960s / KWXY Station Photo from promotional flyer
Cher remains active as an artist and entrepreneur. She boasts an enormous list of honors and awards for her work in music, film, theater, television, print, and social causes. One more Tony Award will earn her the “grand slam” of American show business known by the acronym, “EGOT,” (EGOT—Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony). Cher has sold 100 million records worldwide (in addition to 40 million as part of the duo Sonny & Cher), making her one of the best-selling music artists of all time.
KWXY Presents ● “The Music of Cher” today at 5pm hosted by Louie Comella, on KWXY Music Radio 92.3FM ● 1340AM ● streaming at kwxy.com and ivoxradio.com