Cher (entertainer)
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Cher (born Cherilyn Sarkisian on May 20, 1946) is an American actress and singer.
Cher first achieved success as one of the pop music duo Sonny and Cher with her first husband, Sonny Bono (whom she met while working as a backup singer for producer Phil Spector). Together, Sonny and Cher had number one singles with I Got You Babe in 1965 and The Beat Goes On in 1967 both in the U.K. and The U.S.A. Also those two years, Cher had her first charting songs as a solo artist: All I Really Want to Do and Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down). After Sonny and Cher's career stalled (their easy-listening pop and anti-drug policy soon became unpopular in an era of edgier tunes and edgier consumption), CBS head of programming Fred Silverman (after seeing them perform in Las Vegas) gave the duo their own show, The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour, in 1971. It was a surprise hit and ran for four seasons before the duo decided to end its run; Cher announced her intent to separate from Sonny. She later hosted and performed in her own variety TV series, which ran for two seasons and concluded in 1977.
During the early Seventies, Cher began to establish herself as a solo recording artist with producer Snuff Garrett, and she scored three U.S. #1 hits with the songs Gypsies, Tramps & Thieves (1971), Half-Breed (1973), and Dark Lady (1974). Cher and Bono divorced in 1974, and she later married rock musician Gregg Allman, a member of the Allman Brothers Band. She has two children, Chastity Bono and Elijah Blue Allman. In 1978, Cher was romantically linked with Gene Simmons of KISS. Cher and Allman divorced in 1979 and she later had a relationship with guitarist Les Dudek.
Cher had demonstrated her considerable comedic talents in the various skits she performed on The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour, and while she was highly regarded in this arena, her ambition to develop a movie career was at first not taken seriously. For several years she worked at trying to secure a role to prove herself, until she was cast in a stage production of Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean. The reviews she received were glowing and she was cast in the film version, directed by Robert Altman. Once again the critics praised her work and she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award.
This finally allowed her to make the transition into a successful acting career, starring in films including Silkwood (nomination for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress), Mask (for which she won the Cannes Film Festival Best Actress Award in 1985), Suspect, Moonstruck (for which she won the Academy Award for Best Actress in 1988), Mermaids and Tea With Mussolini. In 1989 she scored another million-selling #1 hit with the song If I Could Turn Back Time.
Following the devastating earthquake that hit Armenia in December of 1988, Cher travelled to the country to participate in the relief activities. Cher is of Armenian descent.
Her ability to reinvent herself has allowed her to continue performing and creating successful recordings for more than 35 years. One exception was her alternative-rock album entitled Not.Commercial (pronounced "not-dot-com-mercial"). The album was written after a retreat to a poetry class in France; it was rejected by record labels and Cher chose to sell it on her Web site, with limited success.
In 1998 she had one of the biggest successes of her recording career with the number one hit Believe and the million selling album of the same name which won her a Grammy Award. With the success of Believe, Cher became the oldest woman in the rock era to have a Number One hit. In the United Kingdom, "Believe" stayed at No. 1 in the charts for seven weeks and is the all-time biggest-selling single by a solo female artist.
In 2004 she was nominated for a Grammy for "Best Dance Recording" for her song "Love One Another" but she lost to Kylie Minogue. She was at the time in the throes of her last-ever world-wide tour (the Farewell Tour), her most spectacular and best-received tour ever. It began in June 2002 and was still going strong after more than two years, having appeared throughout the continental U.S. and major centers in Canada, as well as a sweep of about two dozen cities across Europe (May and June 2004). In February and March 2005, the tour went to Australia and New Zealand and then returned to North America. By this time, Cher was starting to refer to it as the "Never Can Say Goodbye" tour. But late in April, with appearances at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, California, on the last two days of the month, it finally made its swan song. In all, it amassed a spectacular total of 325 shows over a period just 45 days short of three years. Within days, there were reports in the media that Cher was "in the studio" working on her next album/CD.
Other Farewell Tour statistics: concerts in the U.S. - 256; Europe - 28; Canada - 24; Australia - 12; Mexico - 3; New Zealand - 2. Two performances on November 8, 2002 at the American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida, were taped by NBC for a special program, aired April 2003; it won an Emmy.
Among her many achievements, Cher is the only recording artist in history to score #1 hits in four successive decades and she also holds the Billboard record for the longest time span --34 years-- between her first #1 hit in 1965 and her most recent #1 in 1999. Her longevity is the inspiration for the famous quote "After a nuclear holocaust, all that will be left are cockroaches and Cher".
Cher is managed by expatriate Australian impresario Roger Davies. The former manager of successful '70s Australian pop band Sherbet, Davies' company also manages Tina Turner, Sade, Pink, Joe Cocker and Tony Joe White.
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Albums
With Sonny
- 1965 - Look at us UK #7 US#2
- 1966 - The wonderous world of Sonny and cher UK #15 US#6
Solo
- 1965 - All I Really Want To Do #9 UK (Gold) #6 US (Gold) (ww sales 1,940,000)
- 1965 - Look At Us with Sonny Bono
- 1966 - The Sonny Side of Cher #11 UK (Platinum) #1US (Gold) (ww sales 2,900,000)
- 1966 - Cher (ww sales 100,000)
- 1966 - The Wonderous World of Sonny and Cher with Sonny Bono
- 1967 - In Case You're in Love with Sonny Bono
- 1967 - Backstage (ww sales 1,000,000)
- 1967 - Good Times with Sonny Bono
- 1968 - With Love, Cher
- 1969 - 3614 Jackson Highway
- 1971 - Sonny & Cher Live with Sonny Bono
- 1971 - Gypsys, Tramps and ThievesUS#8 (Platinum) (ww sales 3,500,000)
- 1972 - All I Ever Need Is You with Sonny Bono
- 1972 - Foxy Lady (ww sales 700,000)
- 1973 - Mama Was A Rock & Roll Singer... with Sonny Bono
- 1973 - Bittersweet White Light
- 1973 - Half Breed US#16 (Gold) (ww sales 2,900,000)
- 1974 - Live In Las Vegas Vol. 2 with Sonny Bono
- 1974 - Dark Lady US#26 (Gold) (ww sales 2,000,000)
- 1975 - Stars US#54 (ww sales 1,000,000)
- 1976 - I'd Rather Believe in YouUS#77 (ww sales 800,000)
- 1977 - Cherished US#123 (ww sales 500,000)
- 1977 - Two The Hard Way with Gregg Allman US#194 (ww sales 550,000)
- 1979 - Take Me Home US#4 (Platinum) (ww sales 4,500,000)
- 1979 - Prisoner US#28 (Gold) (ww sales 1,800,000)
- 1980 - Black Rose with Black Rose
- 1982 - I ParalyzeUS #53 (ww sales 880,000)
- 1987 - Cher #26 UK (Gold) #11US (2x Platinum) (ww sales 6,950,000)
- 1989 - Heart of Stone #7 UK (Platinum) #10 US (4x Platinum) (ww sales 10,800,000)
- 1991 - Love Hurts #1 UK (5x Platinum) #48 US (Platinum) (ww sales 11,000,000)
- 1992 - Greatest Hits 1965 - 1992 #1 UK (ww sales 7,000,000)
- 1995 - It's a Man's World#10 UK (2x Platinum) #19US (Gold) (ww sales 3,400,000)
- 1998 - Believe #7 UK (5x Platinum) #1 US (8x Platinum) (ww sales 19,000,000)
- 2000 - Not Commercial
- 2001 - Living Proof #6 UK (2x Platinum) #4 US (3x Platinum) (ww sales 8,400,000)
- 2003 - The Very Best Of Cher #17 UK (Gold) #2US (4x Platinum) (ww sales 8,500,000)
- 2003 - Live: The Farewell TourUS#12 (Platinum)
Singles
With Sonny
- 1965 - I Got You Babe UK #1 US #1 (3 weeks)
- 1965 - Baby Don't Go UK #11 US #7
- 1965 - But Your Mine UK #17
- 1966 - Have I Stayed Too Long UK #42
- 1966 - Little Man UK #4
- 1966 - Living For You UK #44
- 1967 - The Beat Goes On UK #29 US#13
- 1972 - All I Ever Need Is You UK #8 US#3
- 1993 - I Got You Babe (re-issue) UK #66
Solo
- 1965 - All I Really Wanna Do UK #9 US#5 (Gold)
- 1966 - Bang Bang (My Baby Shoot Me Down) UK #3 US #2 (Gold)
- 1966 - I Feel Something Good In the Air UK #43 US#16
- 1966 - Sunny UK #32
- 1966 - Behind the Door US #48
- 1967 - Hay Joe US #47
- 1967 - You Better Sit Down Kids US #6 (Gold)
- 1971 - Gypsys, Tramps, and Thieves UK #4 (Gold) US #1 (5 weeks)(Platinum)
- 1972 - The Way Of Love US #2 (Gold)
- 1972 - Living In A House Divided US #11
- 1972 - Don't Hide Your Love US #28
- 1973 - Half-Breed US #1 (4 weeks)(Platinum)
- 1974 - Dark Lady UK #36 US #1 (3 week)(Gold)
- 1974 - Train Of Thought US #13 (Gold)
- 1974 - I Saw A Man US #26
- 1974 - Danced With His Wife US #20
- 1977 - Pirate US #41
- 1979 - Take Me Home US #1 (5 weeks)(Platinum)
- 1979 - Wasn't It Good US #9 (Gold)
- 1979 - Hell On Wheels US #13
- 1987 - I Found Someone UK #5 (Gold) US #7 (Gold)
- 1988 - We All Sleep Alone UK #47 US #11
- 1988 - Skin Deep US #38
- 1989 - After All US #5 (Gold)
- 1989 - If I Could Turn Back Time UK #6 (Gold) US #1 (2 weeks)(Platinum)
- 1989 - Just Like Jesse James UK #11 US #7 (Gold)
- 1990 - Heart Of Stone UK #21 US #12
- 1990 - You Wouldn't Know Love UK #27 (Gold)
- 1990 - The Shoop Shoop Song UK #1 US #2 (Gold)
- 1991 - Love And Understanding UK #8 (Gold) US #11
- 1991 - Save Up All Your Tears UK #11 US #21
- 1991 - Love Hurts UK #43 US #12
- 1992 - Could've Been You UK #31
- 1992 - Oh Not Not My Baby UK #12
- 1993 - Many Rivers to Cross Uk #11
- 1993 - Whenever You're Near UK #9
- 1994 - I Got You Babe (re-issue) UK #8
- 1995 - Love Can Build a Bridge UK #1
- 1995 - Walking In Memphis Uk #11 US#3
- 1996 - One By One UK #7 US #27
- 1996 - Not Enough Love In the World UK #31 US#43
- 1996 - The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore UK #22
- 1999 - Believe UK #1(million seller) US #1 (6 weeks)(2x Platinum)
- 1999 - Strong Enough UK #1 (Platinum) US #12 (Gold)
- 1999 - All or Nothing UK #12 US#27
- 1999 - Dove L'Amore UK #21 US#93
- 2001 - The Music's No Good Without You UK #2 (Platinum) US#14 (Gold)
- 2002 - Alive AgainUS#16
- 2002 - Song For The Lonely US #12 (Gold)
- 2002 - A Different Kind of Love Song/The Music's No Good Without You US #2
- 2003 - When The Money's Gone/Love One Another US #19
Filmography
- Wild on the Beach (cameo) (1965)
- Good Times (1967)
- Chastity (1969)
- Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean (1982)
- Silkwood (1983)
- Mask (1985)
- The Witches of Eastwick (1987)
- Suspect (1987)
- Moonstruck (1987)
- Mermaids (1990)
- The Player (cameo) (1992)
- Ready to Wear (cameo) (1994)
- If These Walls Could Talk (1996)
- Faithful (1996)
- Tea with Mussolini (1999)
- Mayor of the Sunset Strip (documentary) (2003)
- Stuck On You (2003)
External links
- Official website (http://cher.com/)
- Template:Imdb name
- Cher-Fanplace (http://www.cher-fanplace.de/) German Site
- Everything Cher (http://www.everythingcher.com/)
- Just Plain Cher (http://www.justplaincher.net/)