Cheryl Sarkisian LaPiere, better known to the world as Cher, was born part Cherokee and French on May 20, 1946 in El Centro, California. At the young age of only 16, she dropped out of school and began taking acting lessons in Los Angeles to pursue her dreams. Cher then met, 11 years her senior, Sonny Bono at a popular celebrity café and began her journey to become one of the most popular and best-selling artists in the history of contemporary music. Sonny was working for record producer Phil Sector at Gold Star Studios in Hollywood and landed Cher a job as a session singer, where she recorded backup vocals for classic hit songs such as, 'You've Lost That Lovin Feeling' and 'Be My Baby'. Sonny and Cher married on October 27, 1964.
With Sonny writing and producing her songs, they attempted to launch Cher's solo singing career with no success. Their next step was a duo calling themselves Caesar and Cleo, still with no success. The following year in 1965 they released their first album 'Look at Us Now' as Sonny and Cher and became a huge hit. Also that year Cher released a solo album entitled 'All I Really Want to Do' that reached #16 on the Billboard 200 Album Chart and the song with the same name peaked at #15 on the Billboard Hot 100. She released her second solo album, 'The Sonny Side of Cher' in 1966 which reached #26 on the US charts and at #11 on the UK charts. CBS offered the dynamic duo starring roles in their own variety show in 1971 called 'The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour', which reached Top 10 and received 15 Emmy Award nominations.
The fame and exposure from their hit show helped launch Cher's solo career in a higher direction for the next four years. Cher's first solo number-one hit was 'Gypsies, Tramps & Thieves' in '71 with the album of the same name peaking at #16 on the Billboard 200 and remaining on the charts for an amazing 45 weeks. 'Half-Breed' was her second number-one solo hit which was released in 1973 and the next year was followed with yet another number-one hit single 'Dark Lady'. Finding tickets to Cher was on every fans mind; with her dark beauty and exotic fashionista style she is a pop culture icon. Between the years 1965 and 1972 Sonny and Cher had a total of six Top 10 hits and eleven Billboard Top 40 hits. Cher's album 'Believe' sold over 10 million copies worldwide and reached #1 in 23 different countries.
Cher has sold over 100 million records worldwide and holds the Hot 100 record for the longest hit-making career span with over 33 years under her belt. Any fan lucky enough to be apart of a Cher tour is sure to be wowed by her ageless beauty, insatiable talent and remarkably outrageous costumes. Her 'Farewell Tour' ended in 2005 in LA claiming to be the last of Cher; however, she signed a new deal in 2008 with Caesars Palace in Las Vegas for the Cher at the Colosseum. No one knows what the future will hold for Cher, but one thing is for sure, if she continues to sing and perform, fans will continue to seek out her concerts.
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