Bonnie Tyler. Image courtesy Albin Olsson (Wikimedia commons).
Having released a succession of classic songs in the 1970s and 1980s, the Welsh singer last performed in the country 20 years ago, and has continued to occupy a special place in the hearts of many South Africans.
She was born Gaynor Hopkins in South Wales and grew up surrounded by a large family. She was exposed to Motown music at an early age and was particularly struck by the raw vocal power of two singers who would later have a huge influence on her singing style; Janis Joplin and Tina Turner.
Tyler entered a talent contest at the age of 17 (coming second to a professional singer and winning the princely sum of £1) and went on to join the group Bobby Wayne and the Dixies for two years before forming her own band, Imagination, and becoming a regular performer on the Welsh pub and club circuit.
“I decided I would change my name for the stage,” she says. “I put together a list of surnames and Christian names from a newspaper. I thought Bonnie Tyler sounded better than Hopkins. Now I like Gaynor and wish that I hadn’t changed my name.”
After a few years she was spotted signed to a record deal, but it was only after she had surgery to remove throat nodules in 1976 that her voice developed its trademark huskiness, earning her the moniker “the female Rod Stewart”. Her breakthrough hit in the UK and Europe, ‘Lost in France’, was followed by the mega-success of ‘It’s a Heartache’, which climbed into the top five in the USA as well.
Tyler seized control of her career in the early 1980, making a fateful choice that would propel her to superstardom by partnering with ‘Bat Out of Hell’ producer and songwriter Jim Steinman. Steinman instantly recognised the value of Tyler’s raw, passionate, powerful vocal style, and harnessed it to perfection on the album ‘Faster Than the Speed of Light’.
It would prove to be creative alchemy. Within four weeks of the release of ‘Total Eclipse of the Heart’, the epic single had knocked Michael Jackson’s ‘Billie Jean’ off the top of the UK charts.
It went on to sell over five million records and earned Tyler two Grammy nominations. The album shot straight into the UK album charts at number one, making her the first female artist ever to achieve this feat, and went on to achieve platinum status in several countries, including South Africa.
Subsequent albums yielded standout songs, such as ‘A Rockin’ Good Way’ with Shakin’ Stevens and ‘Loving You’s a Dirty Job, But Somebody’s Got to Do It’ with Todd Rundgren. Tyler has continued to enjoy success, particularly in Europe, where she has embarked on successful collaborations and duets, exploring other genres such as soft-pop and folk, and making regular television appearances on charity drives and reality shows.
Tyler has been working on a new album, titled ‘Rocks and Honey’, which is enjoying chart success in Britain and Europe and features 2013 Eurovision hit song, ‘Believe in me’.
Bonnie Tyler will perform at Emperors Palace on Thursday and Friday, 29-30 August, and on Sunday, 1 September, before heading to Cape Town for performances at the Convention Centre on Friday, 6 and Saturday, 7 September.
–TEAMtalk Media
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