Sunday, February 16, 2014

Born Today: Sonny Bono- True Bio.com

Sonny Bono biography

Born On This Day

Sonny Bono was born on this day in 1935.

Quick Facts

NAME: Sonny Bono
OCCUPATION: Singer, U.S. Representative
BIRTH DATE: February 16, 1935
DEATH DATE: January 05, 1998
PLACE OF BIRTH: Detriot, Michigan
PLACE OF DEATH: Stateline, near South Lake Tahoe, California
Originally: Salvatore Phillip Bono
AKA: Sonny Bono
AKA: Salvatore Bono

Best Known For

Musician and politician Sonny Bono was once wed to singer Cher and in 1994 was elected to U.S. Congress as a representative from California.

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Synopsis

Born in Detriot, Michigan, in 1935, Sonny Bono started his career as a singer in the mid-1960s with then-girlfriend Cher. Their biggest hit was "I Got You Babe." Bono's singing career waned, but he stepped back into the public eye when he became mayor of Palm Springs, California in 1988. In 1994, he was elected to Congress as a representative from California's 44th Congressional District. He unexpectedly died in a skiing accident in 1998.

Quotes

The last thing in the world I thought I would be is a U.S. Congressman, given all the bobcat vests and Eskimo boots I used to wear.

– Sonny Bono

Early Life and Career

Born Salvatore Phillip Bono on February 16, 1935, in Detroit, Michigan, Sonny Bono began his music career as a songwriter and singer for Johnny Otis's Dig Records label in the early 1960s. He was the son of immigrants from Sicily. His family moved to Los Angeles when he was around seven years old.

A high school dropout, Bono took on a number of jobs while trying to make it as a songwriter. He worked as a waiter, a truck driver and a construction worker before making it in the music business. Bono's career eventually took off and he worked with the likes of Sam Cooke and Phil Spector.

Sonny and Cher

In early 1960s, Bono's life changed after meeting a young woman named Cherilyn Sarkisian, better known as Cher. The couple formed a professional and personal partnership that became part of entertainment history. They scored their greatest hit of their career in 1965 with "I Got You Babe," which went to the top of the pop charts. Sonny and Cher had married the previous year. It was Bono's second marriage.

More hits followed over the next few years with such songs as "Baby Don't Go" and "The Beat Goes On." Sonny and Cher also became a popular nightclub act. Their shows combined singing with comedy and featured Sonny as the straight man to Cher's light-hearted jibes. The duo took their entertaining stage personas to the small screen, appearing in The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour beginning during the summer of 1971. Sometimes the couple's young daughter, Chastity (now known as Chaz Bono), would appear on the show. The program enjoyed great popularity for several years before going off the air in 1974. While Sonny and Cher split up in 1975, they tried to recapture their television success with another show in 1976. This latest effort failed to generate strong ratings.

Conservative Politician

While his music and acting career faded after parting ways with Cher, Bono soon found a new vocation. The former showman had transformed himself into a conservative Republican. He entered the political arena, running for mayor of Palm Springs, California, in the late 1980s. Bono won that post, serving as the town from 1988 to 1992.

Before long, Bono set his sights on national office. He made an unsuccessful run for the Senate in 1992. Two years later, Bono was elected to Congress as a Representative from California's 44th Congressional District. He became a popular figure within the Republican Party, known for his wit and his deeply conservative views.

Tragic Death

On January 5, 1998, Bono was on holiday with his fourth wife Mary Whitaker Bono and their two children.

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