Cher consists of Cherilyn Sarkisian.
Cherilyn Sarkisian (born May 20, 1946), better known as simply Cher is a Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter, Academy Award-winning actress, director and all-around entertainer.
She was born in El Centro, California to parents Georgia Holt (a one time aspiring bit-part actress and occassional model) and John Sarkisian (an Armenian refugee). She rose to prominence in the mid- 1960s as one half of the pop duo Sonny and Cher, later emerging as a successful solo artist, television star, and later, film actress. In a career that has now surpassed 40 years, Cher has emerged a legendary pop icon who continues to charm audiences around the globe, constantly on the public forefront.
From sequined spectacle to luminous Oscar-winner; TV vamp to Billboard's longest running chart-topper, Cher's success in music, film, television, and on stage qualifies her as one of the most enduring entertainers of our time. In a career defined, and redefined as much by dramatic missteps and spectacular recoveries, the chief constant has been her seemingly limitless determination.
Cherilyn first met Sonny Bono in a Los Angeles coffee shop in November 1962, when she was just 16. The much older Sonny (he was already 27) was working for record producer Phil Spector at Gold Star Studios in Hollywood. The two became fast friends, eventual lovers, and then married. Through Sonny, Cher (as she was called early on for short) eventually got to sing back-up on several of Spector’s classic recordings.
Her first solo recording was the novelty single "Ringo, I Love You", released under the pseudonym of Bonnie-Jo Mason and produced by Phil Spector. It went nowhere. Her second attempt was the more popular single "Dream Baby", released under the name Cherilyn, written and produced by Sonny. Both were released in 1964.
