Is there a boomer out there who doesn’t love Cher? We’ve watched her evolve from a skinny teenager in the sixties singing I Got You Babe alongside her then-husband Sonny Bono, to become a skinny senior citizen who can teach all of us a thing or two about how to shoulder life’s ups and downs and still end up on top. The lady knows how to live and she describes her colourful life wonderfully in the first installment of her newly-published memoir, Cher.

Last year I started reading Barbara Streisand’s memoir, My Name Is Barbra, but unlike Cher, I found Streisand’s memoir to be tedious and at times boring. While Cher gives us plenty of information to chew on, Streisand’s level of detail became onerous when she insisted on providing far too much information about the technical side of her movies and recordings. I lost interest in every nuance of the lighting, the sound, and the costumes of every movie and recording she made.

Cher’s early life was not exactly conventional. Her maternal grandmother gave birth to Cher’s mother at age thirteen. The family history is complicated, and if you have ever seen Cher’s mother, (the late) Georgia Holt interviewed on television (which I did many years ago), it is evident where Cher got her slim beauty and distinctive voice. Each of Georgia’s eight marriages had a direct influence on the person Cher would eventually become, which is a testament to the idea that what doesn’t kill you will make you stronger.

She was only sixteen years old and had already left home when she allied herself to Sonny Bono by moving into his one-bedroom apartment. After hanging around his workplace, Gold Star Records, which was run by Phil Spector, she was in the right place at the right time in 1963  to fill in for Darlene Love at the last minute when Love’s car broke down and she couldn’t make a recording session. Soon, she was getting more attention than Sonny. He started writing songs that featured Cher’s unique voice, and a legend was born.

For many years, Cher allowed Sonny to control their lives. The combination of her youth and trusting nature made her vulnerable to his nefarious ways, but they were a side-by-side act that had attracted attention and breaking up the duo was never a consideration. Until Cher found out about his infidelities and could no longer look the other way.

By the time she met producer David Geffen, Cher had a daughter, was broke, and was facing a solo career. Geffen was instrumental in educating her about how Sonny had manipulated her into signing over 95% of her contract earnings to him and his lawyer. Through many ups and downs, she managed to gain a degree of emotional and financial independence, but the manipulation never stopped.

The highly successful Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour on CBS was eventually superseded by The Cher Show, which confirmed her star status. Her fabulous Bob Mackie costumes didn’t hurt and was able to show off her acting chops in the comedy arena. Longing to be taken as a serious dramatic actress, she logged years of experience in the entertainment business, accumulating a string of boyfriends while growing her professional network.

Never a user or fan of drug-taking or excessive drinking, Cher somehow found herself married again, but this time to Greg Allman, a musician and known heroin addict. That experience left her disillusioned and with another child, a son, Elijah. She was also financially supporting her sister and mother during all her years of ups and downs in the entertainment business, so she needed to keep working.

At the age of seventy-eight, Cher, who is one year older than I am, has lived more lives than most of us could ever imagine. I must say, that in my personal opinion, her old, pre-surgery face was far more beautiful than the later versions. This book is dense, fascinating, and easy to read. I look forward to Part II when it’s available.

If you are unable to obtain a copy of Cher by Cher at your local bookstore or library, click on this link to have it delivered directly to your door.