Musicians Turned Politicians: The Bono Legacy

One of the true Renaissance men of the Baby Boomer generation, the late Sonny Bono, would have celebrated his 76th birthday on February 16. Not only was he a well-respected record producer, he also had a successful singing career whie married to Cher.

After retiring from the music industry, Bono achieved what few musicians have done. He went from making records to making laws.

Bono was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from California's 44th District, whom he served from 1995 until his death in 1988.Prior to that Sonny Bono had served as the 16th Mayor of Palm Springs from 1988 to 1992.

Here are some of the other recording artists who ventured successfully into the realm of politics.

John Hall: After recording the huge hits "Dance with Me" and "Still the One" with the band Orleans, Hall was elected as the U.S. Representative for New York's 19th congressional district. The Democrat served his district from 2007 to 2011.

Helen Reddy: The Australian-born singer scored pop chart success with the anthem, "I Am Woman." She also recorded other well-known singles, such as "Angie Baby" and "Delta Dawn." Reddy later became the California Parks and Recreation Commisioner, where she served for three years.

Peter Garrett: The vocalist for the Australian band Midnight Oil can be heard on hits such as "Power and the Passion" and "Beds Are Burning." Garrett left music to become an Australian Labor Party member of the House of Representatives.

Dave Rowntree: Blur's drummer kept the rhythm on great albums like Parklife and Modern Life Is Rubbish before embarking on a career in politics. Though he lost a bid to be elected to Westminster City Council, Rowntree still chairs London's West End branch of the Labor Party.

Martha Reeves: Famous for fronting the soul group The Vandellas on hits like "Heat Wave" and "Jimmy Mack," Reeves in 2002 was elected to serve for the Detroit City Council. Some fans of Motown music were taking her group's call for "Dancing in the Street" literally when council woman Reeves helped get the city to name a street after Barry Gordy,Jr.

Sources:

www.johnhall.com
www.helenreddy.com
www.britannica.com