Since her days on The Sonny and Cher Show and then the Cher Comedy Hour, Cher released more than twenty studio albums, headlined for three years at the Colosseum at Caesars, and had a residency in Las Vegas. The latter stint brought in $300 thousand per week. Her earlier gig at Caesars grossed at least $180 million for the series.
In a career spanning several decades, the quick answer would be to state what Cher has not done. This multi-talented superstar has done it all. From her early days in the entertainment world with her former husband, the late Sonny Bono, on the Sonny and Cher Show to her present-day business ventures. Plus, Cher owns properties. There is very little that this illustrious lady has not accomplished. Let’s now take a closer look at the life and career of Cher.
Who is Cher?
Because she is so popular, no last name is required when speaking of Cher. This professional American actress is an American-born and bred woman who has had a music career, been a singer, a television mega-star, an actress, and a film director. Cher has sold more than 100 million records worldwide and will go down in history as one of the industry’s best-selling musical artists.
Over her long career, Cher has won three Golden Globe Awards, an Academy Award, an Emmy Award, and at least one Grammy Award. Although recently Cher began performances on her farewell tour, you can bet we have not seen the last of her. Despite her retirement from show business, this timeless celebrity will likely not totally disappear from public view.
Personal Life Cher
Cherilyn Sarkisian, best known to scores of fans as simply Cher, was born in El Centro, California, in the United States of America, on May 20, 1946. Her dad was John Sarkisian, and her mom was Georgia Holt, born Jackie Jean Crouch. Georgia Holt was a former model whose ancestry included the Cherokee Native American nation people.
Future cultural icon Cher cited actress Audrey Hepburn as her role model and inspiration for her inevitable career as an entertainer. That inspiration began as early as the fifth grade for Cher. Meanwhile, her mom went on to marry actor John Southall and have another daughter. Cher’s half-sister is Georganne LaPierre. Cher was very fond of Southall and considered him her father, even after that union broke up.
By the time 1975 rolled around, Cher and Sonny divorced. She then married southern rock musician Gregg Allman. She realized that was not a good union and divorced him in 1979. Cher has two children. Her union with Sonny produced a daughter, Chastity Bono, who now is known to all as Chaz Bono. Then she had a son with Gregg Allman named Elijah Blue Allman. Both of her offspring are alive and flourishing in their lives.
Early days in the Career of Cher
In the early 1960s, Cher met her future husband Sonny Bono. He worked for an infamous record producer known to the world as Phil Spector. Sonny introduced Cher to record producer Phil Spector who immediately recognized her distinctive contralto singing voice. Then was the inspiration when Cher embarked on her solo career.
Spector hired Cher as a backup singer for artists such as the Ronettes and the Righteous Brothers. Cher had a distinctive and easily recognizable voice. The relationship between Sonny and Cher blossomed, and they eventually married. She was determined to become an American singer.
Initially, Sonny wanted Cher to launch a career as a solo artist. At the time, she suffered immensely from stage fright. So, she convinced Sonny to perform with her. They released an initial studio album called Look at Us in 1965, which spent eight weeks on the charts in the number two slot behind only the Beatles Help. The couple was destined to become a television personality duo and achieve the kind of fame that Elvis Presley had.
