Sonny Bono decided early in life to become part of the music business, and began writing songs as a teenager. “Koko Joe”, a song he wrote at age 16, was recorded by Don and Dewey in 1958, and later covered by several other artists including The Righteous Brothers. He dropped out of High School so he could begin to pursue a career as a songwriter and performer. He worked at a variety of jobs while trying to break into the music business, including waiter, truck driver, construction laborer, and b

On this day in Music History Jan 5, 1998 62-year-old Sonny Bono of Sonny And Cher was killed when he hit a tree while skiing on the Nevada side of Heavenly Ski Resort near South Lake Tahoe, California. The duo placed eleven songs on the Billboard Top 40 between 1965 and 1972 before divorcing in 1975. After leaving show business, Sonny was voted in as Mayor of Palm Springs, California in 1988 and in 1994 was elected to the US congress, and re-elected in 1996. *"Laugh At Me" by Sonny Bono is a ref