Singer and Songwriter, Sonny Bono, died yesterday (1/5/1998) in a sking accident near Lake Tahoe, Nevada. Born Salvatore Bono on Feb 16, 1935, in Detroit, he started writing songs at age 7, eventually appearing when he was 12, on "Peter Potter's Hit Parade", television show. In 1957 Sonny had one of his original songs, "High School Dance" recorded by Larry Williams on the B side of Williams' "Bony Maronie" single. His first hit song was recorded in 1964 by the Searches, titled, "Needles and Pins". The same year Sonny married Cher whom he met while both were working as backup singers on many of Phil Spector's legendary recordings. In 1965 the singing duo struck gold with another Sonny original, "I Got You Babe" and the rest became history. It's my personal opinion that Sonny Bono never received all the credit he deserved as a songwriter. Certainly, as a songwriter he has earned an enduring respect and affection from the fans of Vanilla Fudge for such classics as "Bang Bang" and "The Beat Goes On". Sonny in later life started a career in California politics which eventually culminated in his election to the US House of Representatives in 1994. God bless Mr. Bono and may he rest in lasting peace. RIPENING By Wendell Berry The longer we are together the larger death grows around us How many we know by now who are dead! We, who were young, now count the cost of having been. And yet as we know the dead we grow familiar with the world. We, who were young and loved each other ignorantly, now come to know each other in love, married by what we have done, as much as by what we intend. Our hair turns white with our ripening as though to fly away in some coming wind, bearing the seed of what we know. It was bitter to learn that we come to death as we come to love, bitter to face the just and solving welcome that death prepares. But that is bitter only to the ignorant, who pray it will not happen. Having come the bitter way to prayer, we have the sweetness of ripening. How sweet to know you by the signs of the world! ["The Collected Poems of Wendell Berry, North Point Press] Peace +