Cher: The Memoir: Part One

The “British Invasion” refers to the sudden popularity of British musical bands in America in the 1960s. Acts such as The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Gerry and the Pacemakers, Herman’s Hermits, and the Kinks toured America and were embraced by young American audiences. Though Sonny and Cher were both American and initially tried to launch their music careers in the US, their brief trip to Britain was highly successful since British audiences were more receptive to their style and music. Their trip to England was so central to their fame that some Americans thought that Sonny and Cher were British and part of the “British Invasion.”

Gold Star Recording Studios was a renowned music recording studio in Los Angeles, California. The studio’s echo-chamber-like interior gave its recordings a “wall of sound” effect, changing the standards of how music was recorded. In her memoir, Cher explains that music producer Phil Spector, owner of the label Philles Records, operated out of Gold Star and helped launch her and Sonny’s careers. As Sonny’s boss, Phil gave him and Cher the opportunity to sing backup vocals on other artists’ songs, and they used Gold Star to record their own first singles.