Requiem for a ‘Consummate Survivor’

Sonny Bono could make a listener wince with his singing. He was not a great comedian. Cher, his partner on and off stage, peppered him relentlessly with insults. His film career was undistinguished at best. He was regarded by many as a show business joke.

But to several television and music executives shaken by his death in a ski accident Monday, Bono was anything but a joke. They praised him as a major, savvy and influential force who was determined to make it in show business even though he started with nothing and had no formal training. He positioned himself as the comedic fall guy, but he was actually in control and, at the height of his popularity, had an innate sense of what worked and what didn’t, they said.

Even though Bono had long ago abandoned the bright lights for the gray corridors of government, his former colleagues said it was in Hollywood that Bono really made his mark.

Television producer Ken Erlich called Bono a “brilliant music producer.” Ahmet M. Ertegun, co-chairman of the Atlantic Records Group, said Bono’s song “I Got You Babe,” recorded with Cher, became “an international anthem.” Academy Award-winning director William Friedkin, who was given his first feature film directing job by Bono, described him as a tremendous collaborator and innovator who was often ahead of his time. And TV producer Chris Bearde, who worked with Bono and Cher on the “Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour,” said Bono hid his instincts and savvy behind his goofy onstage demeanor.

“It seemed all the time that Sonny was taking all these cheap shots on camera, but he was totally in control,” Bearde said. “He was Cher’s mentor totally. He just allowed himself to be the butt of every joke. That really prepared him to deal with Washington. Going to Congress was like a piece of cake after that. He was the consummate survivor.”

Although he was still one of the most visible Republicans in Congress, Bono was preparing to dip his toes back into the show business stream. He recently contacted Bearde and others from his television days to help him launch a stage musical based on the life of Sonny and Cher. Renewed interest in the duo has been sparked by reruns of their 1970s comedy show on the TV Land cable network.

Erlich recalled working with Bono about four years ago on an NBC special saluting the 1970s. The program, taped at the Wiltern Theatre, featured such ‘70s icons as the Bee Gees and Donna Summer. But it was Bono, he said, who received the loudest reception from the audience.

“He read the lyrics of some songs like ‘Play That Funky Music, White Boy’ and ‘I Am Woman,’ ” Erlich said. “The crowd responded because it was like he was one of us. He was the guy who scored with the great-looking girl. Working with him was like being with someone who was very real. With all he had done in his life, he had every reason to be above it all. But he just seemed to have so much fun with it.”

Bono first entered show business during the 1960s while working with legendary record producer Phil Spector, singing backup for groups such as the Righteous Brothers and the Ronettes. He met another singer, Cher, during that period, and they married in 1964.

Atlantic Records’ Ertegun said Sonny and Cher had already recorded under the name Caesar & Cleo when they joined Atlantic’s Atco label in 1966 and recorded “I Got You Babe.” They were among Atlantic’s first major pop artists and continued recording for the label for several years.

“Using a recording technique inspired by Phil Spector’s ‘Wall of Sound,’ Sonny had a keen gift for creating music tracks which provided the perfect foundation for the duo’s voices,” Ertegun said.

Despite the popularity of Sonny and Cher, Bearde said he and his partner, producer Allan Blye, were skeptical when CBS programming chief Fred Silverman first summoned them to produce a variety show with the singers. They weren’t sure if Sonny and Cher had any comedic sense.

But they changed their minds after seeing the duo perform in Dallas. “There were the same sort of put-downs in their act,” Bearde recalled. “We all got together after the show, and we clicked.”

“The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour” premiered in August 1971, and by the 1973-74 season was tied with “Kojak” as the seventh-most popular show on television.

Bearde said he was surprised and pleased when Bono contacted him last year about doing a musical on Sonny and Cher.

“His death is so ironic,” Bearde said. “We’re all finding out how much everyone loved this little guy. He had to die for us to discover this.”