Cher (23 page)

Sonny & Cher not only made million-selling music together, they also made fashion statements wherever they went. Occasionally it got them thrown out of the posh hotels in which they were staying. December 7, 1965, Cher and Sonny boarding a plane for Hawaii for a scheduled concert date. (
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At first Cher was painfully shy. The first time she was to record a solo song, she insisted that Sonny be in the studio singing along with her. And so was born the duo of Sonny & Cher. (
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Eleven years older than Cher, Sonny Bono was not only her songwriter, singing partner, producer, and boyfriend, he was also her mentor and the father figure she felt had been missing in her life. (AP/
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Sonny & Cher were known in the 1960s as the rock and roll world’s hip and hot married couple—or so the public thought. Although they claimed to be husband and wife, in reality they were not married until the end of the decade. (
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The very first Cher albums found her cast as a folksinger, covering the songs of Bob Dylan, Jackie DeShannon, the Byrds, and Pete Seeger. (
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Cher and Sonny singing from a balcony on a 1966 Danny Thomas TV special. (
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Sonny & Cher made a high-profile appearance at a Sunset Strip protest demonstration in Los Angeles on December 11, 1966. As part of a crowd of 500, they protested an enforced curfew. (
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Cher loved designing her own bell-bottomed pants outfits, which were sewn together by a pair of seamstress friends. Sonny often sported a matching ensemble. (
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Although she had an innocent look about her, young Cher admits that she swore like a truck driver as a teenager. According to her, “I was Sadie Thompson on the outside. But still a secret, heavenly star on the inside.” (
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Sightseeing during a promotional tour in Hamburg, Germany. Sonny & Cher were as big in Europe as they were in America. (
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With hit songs like “Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)” in 1966 and “You Better Sit Down Kids” in 1967, Cher’s solo recording career was established alongside that of Sonny & Cher. (
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