Background
Canny Showman Salvatore Phillip Bono was born in Detroit, Michigan, on February 16, 1935, to Santo and Jean Bono, poor immigrants from Sicily. The family moved to Los Angeles when he was seven years old, and his parents later divorced.
(The hit singer and variety show star from the 1970s discu...)
The hit singer and variety show star from the 1970s discusses his early career, his life and work with Cher, the music scene from the 1950s to the 1970s, Cher's tragic miscarriage and the birth of Chastity, and "The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour"
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politician producer singer songwriter
Canny Showman Salvatore Phillip Bono was born in Detroit, Michigan, on February 16, 1935, to Santo and Jean Bono, poor immigrants from Sicily. The family moved to Los Angeles when he was seven years old, and his parents later divorced.
Although he was dedicated to writing songs, Bono did not have the same interest in school. He dropped out and tried to sell his tunes to recording companies. He did not have much luck with that either, although his song "Koko Joe" was somewhat successful for the Righteous Brothers. Between jobs as a waiter, butcher's assistant and truck driver, Bono occasionally worked with Little Richard and Sam Cooke, then was hired by Philles Records, where he worked with Phil Spector and got a complete education in the television and music business.
For a time, he sang background for groups such as the Ronettes and Crystals. Love and a brand new career came into Bono's life when he met an exotic-looking, dark-haired teenager and his future wife named Cherilyn La Piere Sarkisian, known as Cher, in 1963. Cher, born in El Centro, California in 1946, was trying to get into show business. Bono thought that her voice and his songs could make them stars. They dressed in outlandish outfits and sang Bono's songs in a way that delighted audiences. But underneath the affable, bumbling exterior, Bono was growing an uncanny showman with drive, talent, and ambition. He knew he could make them into top stars. In June of 1965, Sonny and Cher hit it big with the recording of "I Got You, Babe. "This was followed by "Laugh at Me, " "All I Really Want to Do, " and then the rock classic, Bono's most recorded song, "The Beat Goes On. " At one point, they had five songs in the Top 20 at the same time. The only others ever to do that were Elvis Presley and the Beatles. After a 1967 movie, Good Times, in which the couple more or less played themselves, their popularity was on the downswing. In 1969, Bono mortgaged his house to put every cent he could into a film about a runaway girl, starring Cher, called Chastity. It was a flop, but Bono promised they'd be back on top. It took three years, but he was right. Bono developed a nightclub act that featured Cher as the bored, generally superior wife who always gets the best of her husband who is a clown. Throwing in old and new tunes, many of them his, they exuded a kind of charm that intrigued audiences and led them to the weekly Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour on CBS. It lasted from 1971 until mid-1974 and propelled them into the hottest couple on television. Together, they were a hit. While critics debated the merits of the show, it consistently drew high ratings. But after their divorce, claiming surprise at his ex-wife's unhappiness, Bono dropped out of show business, with the exception of a few guest appearances on television shows.
In 1983, he opened a restaurant called "Bono" in West Hollywood. After moving to Palm Springs, Bono decided to open another restaurant. According to the New York Times, when he encountered frustrating red tape over his attempt to change the sign on the building, the consummate showman decided on another new career-politics. As unlikely as it seemed to the world outside Palm Springs, a desert resort city of about 40, 000, Bono ran for and won the mayor's election. His well-known face and affable manner may have gotten him the job, but many residents began to think he was good for the town. He donated his mayor's salary one year-$15, 000-to an anti-drug campaign, banned skimpy bikinis, and started an international film festival.
Although his time in office was not without controversy, he helped erase the city's $2. 5 million dollar deficit and successfully promoted tourism. However, there were many raised eyebrows when Bono decided to run for a seat in the U. S. Senate in 1992. He lost the Republican primary, and the seat was eventually won by Democrat Dianne Feinstein. But in 1994, swept in on a Republican tide, Bono won a seat in the U. S. House of Representatives. He beat his Democratic opponent by winning 56 percent of the vote. Bono had always taken pride in never having been taken too seriously, and according to the New York Times, he was almost proud of his lack of qualifications. He settled down to work, showed interest in protecting the environment and was according to the New York Times, "the second most popular fundraiser behind House Speaker Newt Gingrich. " He was well-liked by his colleagues as a member of the Judiciary and National Security committees. He was re-elected in 1996.
Bono, his wife, and their two children, ages nine and seven, went to South Lake Tahoe on the California-Nevada line. In the early afternoon of January 5, 1998, Bono left them to ski alone. When he failed to appear after several hours, his wife called the ski patrol. He was found later that evening, having been killed in a skiing accident. He was mourned by political colleagues, family and fans.
(The hit singer and variety show star from the 1970s discu...)
Quotations:
“I'm not a lawyer, and maybe I should have used more specific legal language. ”
“I'm a maverick. I've always been a maverick. ”
“I feel kind of like the black sheep in Congress, but here I am. ”
“Cher wanted to be an entertainer more than I've seen anybody want to be an entertainer in my life. ”
“I'm not homophobic, I'm not a bigot, I'm not pandering to hatred. ”
“Don't cling to fame. You're just borrowing it. It's like money. You're going to die, and somebody else is going to get it. ”
“You've got to give someone like Cher a lot of credit. She's worked very hard to get where she is. I can't take that away from her. ”
“Put your ego aside and play as a team. ”
“With all due respect to lawyers, it's wonderful that you have this intricate knowledge. You break down words to the nth degree. And sometimes I find it rather disgusting. And it goes on and on. ”
“What is qualified? What have I been qualified for in my life? I haven't been qualified to be a mayor. I'm not qualified to be a songwriter. I'm not qualified to be a TV producer. I'm not qualified to be a successful businessman. And so, I don't know what qualified means. ”
“People have said to me, You can't write songs. You can't play an instrument. But I've got 10 gold records. ”
“We all love the environment, but we have placed creatures above people. A rat is a rat. ”
“If anybody ever dares to compare Bob Dole to Clinton, then they're comparing a criminal to an honest man. ”
“People underestimate me, but I've always been a stretch runner. ”
Sonny and and his second wife Cher was the entertainment world's "odd couple. " According to the Detroit Free Press, "Bono was well-known for his droopy moustache, bell bottoms and playing the fall guy to his much taller and sharp-tongued wife. "Their public personas were those of two kooky flower children in the advanced stage of puppy love.
He had a happy marriage, a job he liked, and the respect of his colleagues. His relationship with ex-wife, Cher had become friendlier, and he was closer to their daughter, Chastity, a gay rights activist, than he had ever been. He was happy with what he had.
Quotes from others about the person
According to the New York Times, Bono arrived in Washington D. C. "with the image of a well-heeled but lightweight show-business celebrity. He quickly proved engaging and shrewd, a fairly dutiful legislator and an engaging speaker. "
By this time he met Cherilyn La Piere Sarkisian, known as Cher, Bono broke up with his first wife, Donna Rankin, with whom he has a daughter, Christy. They were married in Mexico in 1964 and had a daughter, Chastity, in 1969.
In 1974, Cher announced she was leaving her husband. In a blaze of headlines over their divorce, they charged each other with extramarital affairs and the parting was bitter. He also married his third wife, model Susie Coelho, in 1982. They were divorced in 1984. In West Hollywood he met a recent University of Southern California graduate, Mary Whitaker, about 25 years his junior. They were married in 1986 and had two children, Chesare and Chianna.