When Cher and Sonny Bono met, it would prove to be the most important meeting of their lives. Their professional career as Sonny and Cher brought them international recognition and their romance led to marriage. After starting out as backing vocalists on hit records by legendary producer, Phil Spector, they formed a singing duo as Caesar and Cleo. This act failed to achieve commercial success however.
A change of name brought a change of fortune and the duo’s first album, titled Look at Us and recorded under the name of Sonny and Cher in 1965, included the number one single, I Got You Babe. This single remained their signature tune throughout their career. As with many of their subsequent records, it was written by Bono. He also fulfilled the role of producer in the studio.
More success followed with the singles, Baby Don’t Go and The Beat Goes On. The pair toured all over the world and was instantly recognizable in their hippie clothing. They were the acceptable faces of the 1960′s counter culture in America. Bono wrote another hit record, this time for Cher as a solo release in 1966, titled Bang Bang. Their private life was made more joyful by the arrival of their daughter, Chastity Bono in 1969. She inherited her parents’ genes and went on to become a musician and actress.
The duo branched out into other forms of entertainment, bringing the Sonny and Cher act to a wider audience. They played themselves in the 1967 movie, Good Times, a comedy that spoofed other films. It also starred George Sanders and Norman Alden, and was directed by William Friedkin, who later directed The French Connection and The Exorcist.
More comedy followed when a 1971 television special, The Sonny and Cher Nitty Gritty Hour hit the screens. Audiences liked the mix of live music and funny sketches. The same year brought their own variety show series. Called The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour, it was also very popular and guest stars included Tony Curtis.
1972 was the year for two more Top 10 hits, namely All I Ever Need is You and A Cowboy’s Work Is Never Done. Sadly, the professional and romantic relationship for the two artists was near its end and the TV show finished in 1974 and they were divorced in 1975.
Fans were left with many happy memories and were able to follow the singing and acting career of Cher as a solo artist. Two of her most famous solo efforts are Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves and Walking in Memphis. Sonny Bono too made a career from acting and then surprised his fans by entering politics and becoming a Republican Congressman. Tragically, Sonny died as the result of a skiing accident in 1998, aged 62. After his death, Sonny and Cher were honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for TV.
