After a childhood marked by difficult economic circumstance, Cherilyn Sarkisian dropped out of school at the age of 16 and moved to Los Angeles.

While supporting herself with odd jobs and taking acting classes, she met Sonny Bono, an employee for record producer Phil Spector. She became his housekeeper, and he introduced her to Spector, who asked her to sing backup.

In 1964, she recorded her first single under the name Bobbie Jo Mason, and unofficially married Bono in a hotel room in Tijuana.

Cher's debut album, a collection of folk-pop covers titled All I Really Want to Do, reached No. 16 on the charts.

Her husband/producer wanted Cher to be a solo act, but she insisted on performing with Sonny to alleviate her stage fright. Their 1965 single I Got You Babe was a No. 1 hit.

As the duo of "Sonny & Cher" released popular singles one after another, Cher continued to release albums of her solo performances.

These casual, unguarded photos capture the 19-year-old entertainer at Gold Star Studio in Los Angeles, recording tracks for her eponymous third album, Chér.