In 1980, Cher started the band Black Rose to revive her career, as most of her songs then weren’t making the charts or trending. The music icon and her then-artiste boyfriend, Les Dudek, started the rock band and were joined by other talented musicians.
However, Black Rose did not last long, releasing only one album that blended rock with the new wave—the newest genre in that period, which artists like Blondie made popular. Although the band quickly dissolved, it was a transformative move for Cher’s music career.
Black Rose refused to use Cher’s fame
Even though Cher’s popularity at the time could have helped boost the album’s ratings, Black Rose members refused to market the songs on Cher’s fame. This led to Black Rose’s promotion as new music from some new band rather than Cher’s side project, and this decision did not favor the band.
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None of the songs from the album did well, and in hopes of getting some traction, the band joined Hall & Oates on a small, six-date East Coast tour of the United States, but this was equally a flop. They had no audience, and even Cher’s outfits which the legendary Bob Mackie designed, did not draw any attention either. This series of failures on the album, after much effort, caused the band to get demotivated, and soon enough, they split.
Cher’s career picked up after Black Rose ended
Moving forward from the abrupt end of Black Rose, Cher took some inspiration from their rock style and returned solo under a new label. The new rock style redefined her music, giving her a stronger comeback as a pop star-turned-rocker. She made songs like “I Found Someone,” “After All” featuring Peter Cetera, and her classic “If I Could Turn Back Time,” which turned out to be successful hits.
Initially, critics questioned her ability to pull off pop-rock when she was in Black Rose. However, her comeback proved that she had mastery of it. Although her former band was a notorious flop, her fans have that low experience to thank for her big comeback and unique tunes.