Decades Before ‘Kellyoke,’ Cher Covered a Dazzling Range of Songs on Her Weekly TV Show

“Kellyoke” has been one of the most popular segments on The Kelly Clarkson Show since the show premiered in 2019. Clarkson has covered more than 800 songs in the segment, demonstrating on a daily basis that she can just sing about any kind of song. 2024 Grammy host Trevor Noah alluded to Clarkson’s prowess when he joked that if winners went too long in their acceptance speeches, “We’re going to get Kelly Clarkson to cover one of your songs better than you ever could.”

This isn’t the first time a popular singer has tackled an astonishingly wide range of material on a TV show. Cher also showed her range in musical performances on her 1970s variety shows, The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour and Cher. She sang everything from torch standards to pop, rock, R&B, country, blues and children’s music.

Both singers’ early careers help explain their openness to a wide range of genres. Clarkson rose to fame on American Idol, where she was called on to shine during such diverse theme weeks as Motown, big band and Burt Bacharach love songs. Cher was a backup singer behind such acts as The Ronettes and The Righteous Brothers before her obvious star quality pushed her to the front.

Cher also sang duets on her TV shows with a wide range of guest stars. And she did a lot of medleys. Our focus here is on her solo performances of individual songs, which is most analogous to what Clarkson does every day on her show.

As you will see, Cher had a fondness for opening a song performance as a torchy ballad and then kicking it into high gear (while shedding some clothes) about one minute in. It was a formula, but it worked every time. If you ever see Cher striding onstage wearing a big cape, you can bet that thing will on the floor within a minute.

Cher has won a Grammy, an Oscar and a Primetime Emmy. Clarkson has won eight Daytime Emmys and three Grammys. Cher will finally be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on Oct. 19, an accolade that could also be in Clarkson’s future now that the Rock Hall has expanded the definition of rock to encompass pretty much any contemporary music star, especially one with the talent to sustain across the decades.

Let’s revisit 10 musical performances from Cher’s solo TV show that demonstrate her range. The title is followed in parentheses by the original artist and year that recording was released.