Cher: The Memoir: Part One

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of substance use, addiction, child abuse, child sexual abuse, physical abuse, pregnancy termination, mental illness, and suicidal ideation.

Cher recalls falling in love with music at a young age. As a girl, she felt completely enraptured by TV performances by greats like Ray Charles and Elvis. Cher fondly remembers begging her mother, Georgia, to take her to an Elvis concert in Los Angeles. Her mother was equally enthused to see the controversial singer, who was revolutionizing music with his sound and style. Cher remembers being swept up in the hysterical excitement of the concert and standing on chairs with her mother and the rest of the audience. This concert experience solidified her infatuation with Elvis and her own desire to be a singer one day.

Cher recounts some of her family history in the American South. Her mother’s side of the family survived generations of poverty. Cher’s ancestors worked at many jobs, from subsistence farming to baking and clearing land.

Cher’s grandmother Lynda gave birth to her mother, named Jackie Jean, at the age of 13. Lynda endured the Great Depression by working menial jobs with her partner, Roy, Jackie Jean’s father, and relying on government-provided food staples.