Famous as much for her acting and her outrageous Bob Mackey outfits as for her singing, Cher has nonetheless had a long and varied career as a musician. Born in California in 1946, Cherilyn Sarkisian LaPiere was 17 when she met Salvatore "Sonny" Bono, her future husband and assistant to Phil Spector. After a brief stint as a backup singer, she and Bono teamed up as Caesar and Cleo. The duo released several singles before Cherilyn signed to Imperial in 1964, with Bono as producer. A couple of singles later, the pair renamed themselves Sonny and Cher, moved to Atco Records and released "Just You" in 1965, which rose to No. 20 on the charts. Cher pursued a two-prong career for the next two years, releasing solo recordings and duets with Sonny. Their song "I Got You Babe" became the pair’s signature hit and one of the most popular songs of the 1960s. Cher’s debut solo album charted in the Top 20 and stayed there for six months, and her single "You Better Sit Down Kids," which was about divorce, hit the Top 10 in 1967. By the end of the 1960s, following several cinematic flops and a run-in with the IRS, the couple found themselves unable to drum up the sales they were used to. However, they signed with Decca Records in 1971 and launched the television variety program The Sonny and Cher Show on CBS. Cher continued to produce folk and pop singles under Bono’s guidance, however, in 1974 their marriage fell apart. She went on to pursue an acting career, eventually winning a Best Actress Oscar for her performance in the 1987 Norman Jewison film Moonstruck. Cher stayed active in music during this time, recording singles for Columbia and other labels, and in 1998 she hit the charts again with the techno-pop "Believe" and "Strong Enough."

Reviews

• The Very Best of Cher
• Living Proof