Salvatore Bono
| Sonny Bono | |
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| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California's 44th district |
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In office January 3, 1995 – January 5, 1998 |
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| Preceded by | Al McCandless |
| Succeeded by | Mary Bono |
| 16th Mayor of Palm Springs | |
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In office April 1988 – April 1992 |
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| Preceded by | Frank Bogert |
| Succeeded by | Lloyd Maryanov |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Salvatore Phillip Bono February 16, 1935 Detroit, Michigan, U.S. |
| Died | January 5, 1998 (aged 62) Stateline, Nevada, U.S. |
| Resting place |
Desert Memorial Park, Cathedral City, California |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) |
Donna Rankin (m. 1954; div. 1962) Cher (m. 1969; div. 1975) Susie Coelho (m. 1983; div. 1984) Mary Whitaker (m. 1986; wid. 1998) |
| Children | 4; including Chaz Bono |
| Education | Inglewood High School |
| Musical career | |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, musician, songwriter, producer, actor |
| Instruments | vocals |
| Years active | 1963–1995 |
| Associated acts | |
Salvatore Phillip "Sonny" Bono (/ˈboʊnoʊ/; February 16, 1935 – January 5, 1998) was an American singer, producer, and politician who came to fame in partnership with his second wife Cher, as the popular singing duo Sonny & Cher. He was mayor of Palm Springs, California from 1988 to 1992, and congressman for California's 44th district from 1995 until his death in 1998.
The United States Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act of 1998, which extended the term of copyright by 20 years, was named in honor of Bono when it was passed by Congress nine months after his death. Bono had been one of the original sponsors of the legislation, commonly known as the Bono Act.
Bono was born in Detroit, to Santo Bono (born in Montelepre, Palermo, Italy) and Zena "Jean" (née La Valle). His mother gave him the nickname "Sonny", which lasted his lifetime. Sonny was the youngest of three siblings; he had two older sisters, Fran and Betty. The family moved to Inglewood, California when he was seven. He attended Inglewood High School but did not graduate.
Bono began his music career as a songwriter at Specialty Records, where his song "Things You Do to Me" was recorded by Sam Cooke, and went on to work for record producer Phil Spector in the early 1960s as a promotion man, percussionist and "gofer". One of his earliest songwriting efforts, "Needles and Pins" was co-written with Jack Nitzsche, another member of Spector's production team. Later in the same decade, he achieved commercial success with his then-wife Cher in the singing duo Sonny and Cher. Bono wrote, arranged, and produced a number of hit records including the singles "I Got You Babe" and "The Beat Goes On", although Cher received more attention as a performer. He played a major part in Cher's solo recording career, writing and producing singles including "Bang Bang" and "You Better Sit Down Kids".
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