Happy Birthday Cher!

Happy Birthday Cher, one of the great musician-actor-celebrities of American pop culture. Born May 20, 1946 as Cherilyn Sarkisian, Cher sang her way into millions of hearts with hits like “I Got You Babe” as one half of Sonny & Cher. Later, her solo career yielded hits like ‘Gypsies, Tramps & Thieves” and “If I Could Turn Back Time.” She’s had a Number-One single each decade from the 1960s to the 2010s and has sold more than 100 million records, earning a Grammy Award, an Emmy Award and an Academy Award along the way. Rolling Stone magazine called her “the one-woman embodiment of the whole gaudy story of pop music.”

But in the early 1960s she was just an ambitious high school dropout living with a friend in Los Angeles when she met Sonny Bono, a songwriter and record producer. Cher sang backup on a few Phil Spector recordings, and by 1964 her friendship with Bono flowered into love and they performed their own unofficial wedding ceremony.

They began performing as Sonny & Cher in 1965, with hits including “The Beat Goes On” and “Baby Don’t Go.” These and many others are collected onThe Best of Sonny & Cher: The Beat Goes On. In addition to releasing top hits, the couple set fashion trends including bell-bottoms, vests and other Mod elements. They appeared in their first film, singing together in Wild on the Beach (1965).

In 1966 Cher sang the theme song for the movie Alfie, starring Michael Caine. Sonny & Cher starred in a zany movie, Good Times (1967) when their pop fame was at its hottest. But fame is fickle, and by the late 1960s the couple was slipping. Cher recorded a solo album in 1969, 3614 Jackson Highway, but it wasn’t a hit.

In 1970 the couple tried television withThe Sonny & Cher Nitty Gritty Hour, and it was so successful that they were offered their own weekly series. The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour ran from 1971 to 1974 and brought the couple new stardom. The humor, the songs and the guest stars clicked, and more than 30 million viewers watched the weekly antics. Cher’s revealing costumes, designed by Bob Mackie, probably drew as many viewers as any other element of the show. But the grueling demands of the show, plus continuing to make records and touring, took their toll on the couple, and they divorced in 1974, the same year the show was cancelled.

Tchaikovsky: Celebrating a Life through Books & Media

May 7^th marks the birthday of one of the most famous composers of classical music, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.  He lived from 1840 to 1893.  Like most composers, he studied piano at a young age and quickly developed into a competent musician.  Wishing to ensure his financial stability, Tchaikovsky’s parents urged him to study for a career as a civil servant.  Music was not far behind, however, and Tchaikovsky eventually entered the Saint Petersburg Conservatory where he studied music theory and composition.  Tchaikovsky learned a traditional style of composing music that was popular throughout Europe.  This allowed him to combine his formal musical training with traditional Russian musical elements to develop his own unique voice. 

Tchaikovsky was one of the foremost Russian composers of the Romantic period.  This was a highly creative time in the arts, with an emphasis on the emotional side of music.  The Romantic period gave birth to the virtuoso and the idea of the lush, symphonic orchestra that we know today.  Additionally, there was the development of program music or music inspired by art and literature.  Often this music would have inventive titles rather than simply “Sonata” or “Symphony.” 

Tchaikovsky’s music is most familiar to us through his ballets, the most famous of which is “Nutcracker.”  Below are some resources you can use to get to know Tchaikovsky.  If you enjoy exploring his life and music, use the library to check out another great composer!