Cher

About

Also known as: Cherilyn LaPiere, Cherilyn Sarkisian, Cherilyn Sarkisian LaPierre, Chér, シェール

Few artists can claim a number one single in seven consecutive decades, but Cher pulls it off with ease. Rising to fame as half of Sonny & Cher in the mid 1960s with the folk rock hit "I Got You Babe", she quickly branched out as a solo artist, scoring a string of US chart toppers including "Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves" and "Dark Lady". Then at 52, she essentially reinvented pop production with "Believe", the 1998 dance pop track that introduced the world to the vocoder style Auto Tune technique now known as the Cher effect. That song became the UK's best selling single ever by a female artist. She is just as formidable on screen, with an Academy Award for Best Actress for Moonstruck and a Cannes Best Actress award for Mask. Her 2002 to 2005 Farewell Tour pulled in $250 million, at the time the highest grossing concert run by a female artist. Albums like Closer to the Truth and Dancing Queen both debuted at number three on the Billboard 200, proving her commercial pull never really faded. Over 100 million records sold and a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction round out a career that genuinely defies categorisation.