Cher

Cher (born Cherilyn Sarkisian on May 20, 1946) is an American actress and singer of Armenian descent. She rose to prominence in the 1960s as a member of the duo Sonny and Cher and sold over 80 million records worldwide, then as a so

Cher (born Cherilyn Sarkisian on May 20, 1946) is an American actress and singer of Armenian descent. She rose to prominence in the 1960s as a member of the duo Sonny and Cher and sold over 80 million records worldwide, then as a solo artist when the duo ended in 1974. She has sold solo over 100 million records worldwide since the start of her career.

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.