Editing Cher (section)

=== 1967–1970: From counterculture icon to lounge act ===
[[File:Sonny and Cher David McCallum Man From Uncle 1967 Cropped.JPG|thumb|right|alt=Cher smiles with her arm raised, wearing large hoop earrings and a patterned outfit, surrounded by bold geometric-patterned hanging garments.|Cher on the set of the TV series ''[[The Man from U.N.C.L.E.]]'', 1967]]

By the late 1960s, Sonny and Cher's music stopped charting. Berman observed that the "heavy, loud sound" of bands such as [[Jefferson Airplane]] and [[Cream (band)|Cream]] made their folk-rock feel "too bland".{{sfn|Berman|2001|p=31}} Cher later said she "loved" the new [[Electric guitar|electric-guitar]]-driven sound of [[Led Zeppelin]] and [[Eric Clapton]] and wanted to adapt, but Sonny refused.{{sfn|Cher|Coplon|1998|p=134}} Their monogamous lifestyle during the [[Sexual revolution in 1960s United States|sexual revolution]]<ref name=Brush-1988>{{cite news|last=Brush|first=Stephanie|title=Cher: Yes? No? (Check Only One)|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=March 20, 1988|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/03/20/arts/cher-yes-no-check-only-one.html |access-date=January 16, 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160207022506/http://www.nytimes.com/1988/03/20/arts/cher-yes-no-check-only-one.html |archive-date=February 7, 2016}}</ref> and anti-drug stance at the height of widespread drug use alienated American youths.{{sfn|Bego|2001|pp=55–56}} According to Bego, "in spite of their revolutionary [[Unisex clothing|unisex clothes]], Sonny and Cher were quite 'square' when it came to sex and drugs."{{sfn|Bego|2001|pp=55–56}} In an attempt to recapture their young audience, the duo produced and starred in [[William Friedkin]]'s [[musical film]] ''[[Good Times (film)|Good Times]]'' (1967), which was commercially unsuccessful.{{sfn|Berman|2001|p=31}}

Cher's album ''[[Backstage (album)|Backstage]]'' (1968), in which she explores diverse musical genres including [[bossa nova]] and anti-war protest settings, was not a commercial success.{{sfn|Bego|2001|p=54}} In 1969, she was dropped by Imperial Records, and Sonny & Cher were dropped by Atco, who offered Cher a solo recording deal.{{sfn|Bego|2001|pp=58–59}} Her 1969 album ''[[3614 Jackson Highway]]'', recorded at [[Muscle Shoals Sound Studio]] without Sonny's involvement, marked a shift toward [[R&B]] and [[soul music]] experimentation. AllMusic called it "the finest album of her career" and "a revelation" decades later.<ref>{{cite web |last=Deming |first=Mark |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/3614-jackson-highway-mw0000694186 |title=''3614 Jackson Highway'' – Cher |work=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=January 16, 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160128015526/http://www.allmusic.com/album/3614-jackson-highway-mw0000694186 |archive-date=January 28, 2016}}</ref> Displeased with the album, Sonny prevented Cher from releasing more recordings for Atco.{{sfn|Bego|2001|pp=58–59}}

Meanwhile, Sonny dated others and by the end of the 1960s their relationship had begun to unravel. According to ''[[People (magazine)|People]]'', "[Sonny] tried desperately to win her back, telling her he wanted to marry and start a family."<ref name=Green-1991>{{cite magazine|last=Green|first=Michelle|url=http://people.com/archive/sonny-on-cher-vol-36-no-4/|title=Sonny on Cher|date=August 5, 1991|magazine=[[People (magazine)|People]]|access-date=January 16, 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161226221914/http://people.com/archive/sonny-on-cher-vol-36-no-4/|archive-date=December 26, 2016}}</ref> They officially married after she gave birth to [[Chaz Bono]] on March 4, 1969.<ref name=Green-1991/> The duo spent $500,000 and mortgaged their home to make the film ''[[Chastity (1969 film)|Chastity]]'' (1969). Written and produced by Sonny, it tells the story of a young woman, played by Cher, searching for the meaning of life.{{sfn|Berman|2001|pp=31–32}} The art film failed commercially, putting the couple $190,000 in debt with back taxes. Some critics noted that Cher showed acting potential;{{sfn|Parish|Pitts|2003|p=149}} ''[[Cue (magazine)|Cue]]'' magazine wrote, "Cher has a marvelous quality that often makes you forget the lines you are hearing."{{sfn|Berman|2001|p=31}}

At the lowest point of their career, the duo put together a nightclub routine that relied on a more adult approach to sound and style.<ref name=Johnson-2002>{{cite web |last=Johnson |first=Anne Janette |url=https://www.encyclopedia.com/people/literature-and-arts/music-popular-and-jazz-biographies/cher#3495300016 |website=[[Encyclopedia.com]] |title=Cher |date=May 21, 2018 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240625085139/https://www.encyclopedia.com/people/literature-and-arts/music-popular-and-jazz-biographies/cher |archive-date=June 25, 2024}}</ref> According to writer Cintra Wilson, "Their lounge act was so depressing, people started heckling them. Then Cher started heckling back. Sonny&nbsp;... reprimanded her; then she'd heckle Sonny".<ref name=Wilson-2000/> The heckling became a highlight of the act and attracted viewers.<ref name=Wilson-2000/> TV executives took note and the couple began making guest appearances on prime-time shows, in which they presented a "new, sophisticated and mature" image.{{sfn|Berman|2001|pp=32–33}} Cher adopted alluring, low-cut gowns that became her signature outfits.{{sfn|Berman|2001|pp=32–33}}