Tall, strong-featured, smart-mouthed singer and actress born Cherilyn Sarkisian, Cher ran away from home as a teenager and met Sonny Bono (her husband from 1964-75) when he was general assistant to record producer Phil Spector. Work as a backup singer for Spector groups like the Ronettes and the Crystals led to the recording of her first single for the producer, “Ringo, I Love You” (1964), under the name Bonnie Jo Mason. Cher and Bono then joined forces as Caesar & Cleo, but it wasn’t long before they changed their name to Sonny and Cher, the handle by which they would come to prominence singing the hit singles “Baby, Don’t Go”, “I Got You Babe” (both 1965) and “The Beat Goes On” (1967), among others. Even while married to Sonny, Cher began recording solo, enjoying success throughout her career for songs like “Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves”, “Take Me Home”, “Half Breed”, “If I Could Turn Back Time” and “One By One”.
