"Cher. Say one word and evoke three separate careers. In the 1960s, Cher was one-half of the duo (and marriage) Sonny & Cher that released popular singles like ""I Got You Babe"" and ""The Beat Goes On."" The couple hosted a popular variety show in the ‘70s, and once they divorced Cher continued as a successful solo star (both musically and in film) during the ‘80s and beyond.Before she was the one-named superstar Cher, she was Cherilyn Sarkisian, the California native who met Salvatore ""Sonny"" Bono, protégé of Phil Spector, when she was just 17. Spector used the fledgling singer as a backup singer on the novelty Beatles tribute record Ringo I Love You under the name Bonnie Jo Mason, but it wasn't until Bono and Sarkisian emerged as the duo initially called Caesar & Cleo that her career started to take flight. Cher (then known as Cherilyn) signed with Liberty Records with Bono on board as producer, and then the pair signed with Reprise Records as Sonny & Cher and issued their first single, ""Baby Don't Go."" For the next few years, Cher had a solo career with performing with Sonny, but when ""I Got You Babe"" became one of the biggest pop/rock songs of the mid-'60s the couple's work at Sonny & Cher eclipsed her solo songs. Cher continued to churn out solo singles, though some of them dealing with taboo subjects like divorce (""You Better Sit Down Kids"") and unwanted pregnancy (""I Fell Something's in the Air""). The duo's popularity began to wane toward the end of the ‘60s, but by then Cher was entering into a second phase in her career.With the release of ""The Way of Love,"" Cher emerged as a more confident singer, and around the same time she and Sonny debuted in a CBS variety series. In 1974, the couple announced the end of their marriage. It certainly wasn't the end of Cher's musical career, however, and it signaled a string of acting roles for the star as well, culminating in an Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in the 1987 romantic comedy Moonstruck. While the spotlight has remained largely on Cher's acting, she has released numerous albums and her single ""Believe"" topped the charts in 1998."