# Solo career breakthrough

By [herber8848](https://paragraph.com/@herber8848) · 2021-10-29

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At age 16, Cher dropped out of school, left her mother's house, and moved to Los Angeles with a friend. She took acting classes and worked to support herself, dancing in small [clubs](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nightclub) along Hollywood's [Sunset Strip](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunset_Strip) and introducing herself to performers, managers, and agents.[\[14\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cher#cite_note-FOOTNOTEBerman200123-14) According to Berman, "\[Cher\] did not hesitate to approach anyone she thought could help her get a break, make a new contact, or get an audition."[\[15\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cher#cite_note-FOOTNOTEBerman200124-15) Cher met performer [Sonny Bono](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonny_Bono) in November 1962 when he was working for record producer [Phil Spector](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phil_Spector).[\[15\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cher#cite_note-FOOTNOTEBerman200124-15) Cher's friend moved out, and Cher accepted Sonny's offer to be his [housekeeper](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Housekeeper_\(domestic_worker\)).[\[16\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cher#cite_note-FOOTNOTEBerman200127-16) Sonny introduced Cher to Spector, who used her as a backup singer on many recordings, including [the Ronettes](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ronettes)' "[Be My Baby](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Be_My_Baby)" and [the Righteous Brothers](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Righteous_Brothers)' "[You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/You%27ve_Lost_That_Lovin%27_Feelin%27)".[\[17\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cher#cite_note-FOOTNOTEBerman200128-17) Spector produced her first single, "[Ringo, I Love You](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ringo,_I_Love_You)", which Cher recorded under the name Bonnie Jo Mason.[\[18\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cher#cite_note-Eder2009-18) The song was rejected by many radio stations programmers as they thought Cher's deep [contralto](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contralto) vocals were a man's vocals; therefore, they believed it was a male homosexual singing a love song dedicated to [the Beatles](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beatles) drummer [Ringo Starr](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ringo_Starr).[\[19\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cher#cite_note-FOOTNOTECherCoplon199892-19)

Cher and Sonny became close friends, eventual lovers, and performed their own unofficial wedding ceremony in a hotel room in Tijuana, Mexico, on October 27, 1964.[\[17\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cher#cite_note-FOOTNOTEBerman200128-17)[\[20\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cher#cite_note-20) Although Sonny had wanted to launch Cher as a solo artist, she encouraged him to perform with her because she suffered from [stage fright](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stage_fright), and he began joining her onstage, singing the harmonies. Cher disguised her nervousness by looking at Sonny; she later commented that she sang to the people through him.[\[21\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cher#cite_note-FOOTNOTECherCoplon199894-21) In late 1964, they emerged as a duo called Caesar & Cleo, releasing the poorly received singles "[Do You Wanna Dance?](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Do_You_Wanna_Dance%3F#Other_versions)", "[Love Is Strange](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love_Is_Strange)", and "[Let the Good Times Roll](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Let_the_Good_Times_Roll_\(Shirley_and_Lee_song\))".[\[22\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cher#cite_note-FOOTNOTEBego200129%E2%80%9330-22)

Cher signed with [Liberty Records](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberty_Records)' [Imperial](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperial_Records) imprint in the end of 1964, and Sonny became her producer. The single "Dream Baby", released under the name "Cherilyn", received airplay in Los Angeles.[\[18\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cher#cite_note-Eder2009-18) Imperial encouraged Cher to work with Sonny on her second solo single for the label, a cover version of [Bob Dylan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Dylan)'s "[All I Really Want to Do](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_I_Really_Want_to_Do)".[\[18\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cher#cite_note-Eder2009-18) It peaked at number 15 on the US [_Billboard_ Hot 100](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billboard_Hot_100) in 1965.[\[23\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cher#cite_note-BiggestBBHits-23) Meanwhile, [the Byrds](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Byrds) had released their own version of the same song. When competition on the singles charts started between Cher and the Byrds, the group's record label began to promote the [B-side](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I%27ll_Feel_a_Whole_Lot_Better) of the Byrds' single. [Roger McGuinn](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_McGuinn) of the Byrds commented, "We loved the Cher version ... We didn't want to hassle. So we just turned our record over."[\[24\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cher#cite_note-FOOTNOTEBego200140-24) Cher's debut album, [_All I Really Want to Do_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_I_Really_Want_to_Do_\(album\)) (1965), reached number 16 on the [_Billboard_ 200](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billboard_200);[\[25\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cher#cite_note-25) it was later described by [AllMusic](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AllMusic)'s Tim Sendra as "one of the stronger folk-pop records of the era".

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*Originally published on [herber8848](https://paragraph.com/@herber8848/solo-career-breakthrough)*