Bonnie Tyler facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Bonnie Tyler
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Tyler in 2016
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Gaynor Hopkins |
| Born | 8 June 1951 Skewen, Neath, Wales |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) | Singer |
| Years active | 1969–present |
| Labels | |
Gaynor Sullivan (born 8 June 1951), known as Bonnie Tyler, is a famous Welsh singer. She is known for her unique, husky voice. Bonnie became well-known in 1977 with her album The World Starts Tonight and popular songs like "Lost in France". Her song "It's a Heartache" was a big hit, reaching number four in the UK and number three in the US.
In the 1980s, Bonnie Tyler started singing rock music. She worked with songwriter Jim Steinman. He wrote her biggest hit, "Total Eclipse of the Heart", which was from her 1983 album Faster Than the Speed of Night. This album went to number one in the UK. Jim Steinman also wrote another of her major hits, "Holding Out for a Hero".
During the 1990s, Bonnie had success in Europe with Dieter Bohlen. He wrote and produced her hit song "Bitterblue". In 2003, she re-recorded "Total Eclipse of the Heart" with singer Kareen Antonn. Their duet, "Si demain... (Turn Around)", became a number one hit in France.
Her album Rocks and Honey came out in 2013. It included the song "Believe in Me", which she sang for the United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest 2013 in Sweden. Later, she worked again with producer David Mackay. She released Between the Earth and the Stars in 2019 and The Best Is Yet to Come in 2021.
Bonnie Tyler has been nominated for three Grammy Awards and three Brit Awards. In 2022, she received an MBE from the Queen for her contributions to music.
Contents
Early Life
Bonnie Tyler was born Gaynor Hopkins on 8 June 1951 in Skewen, Wales. Her father was a coal miner and served in the Second World War. Her mother was a homemaker. She grew up with three sisters and two brothers in a council house.
Her siblings listened to many different kinds of music. This introduced her to artists like Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, and the Beatles. Bonnie went to Rhydhir Comprehensive School in Neath, Wales. She left school at 16 and started working in a grocery shop. Her family was very religious. Her first public performance was singing a hymn called "All Things Bright and Beautiful" in a chapel when she was a child.
In April 1969, Bonnie's aunt entered her in a local talent show. She came in second place. This inspired her to become a singer. She first worked as a backing singer for Bobby Wayne & the Dixies. Then, she formed her own band called Imagination. Around this time, she changed her name to Sherene Davis. She did this to avoid being confused with another Welsh singer, Mary Hopkin.
Career Highlights
1975–1978: Early Success
In 1975, a talent scout named Roger Bell saw Sherene Davis singing in Swansea. He invited her to London to record a demo. After several months, RCA Records offered her a recording contract. They also suggested she change her name again. She chose "Bonnie Tyler" from a list of names in a newspaper.
Ronnie Scott and Steve Wolfe became her managers and songwriters. Her first song, "My! My! Honeycomb", was released in April 1976 but did not become a hit. In September 1976, her next song, "Lost in France", was released. This song reached number 9 in the UK and led to her first appearance on Top of the Pops.
Bonnie's first album, The World Starts Tonight, came out in February 1977. She toured the UK with Gene Pitney to promote it. The album did not chart in the UK but reached number 2 in Sweden. In 1977, Bonnie had an operation on her vocal cord nodules. She was told to rest her voice for six weeks. One day, she screamed in frustration, which gave her voice a permanent raspy sound.
In July 1977, Bonnie released "Heaven". It reached number 24 in Germany. Her song "It's a Heartache" followed in November 1977. This became one of her most successful songs, reaching number 4 in the UK and number 3 in the US. In 1978, Bonnie toured the United States for the first time, supporting Tom Jones.
Her second album, Natural Force, was released in May 1978. It sold over half a million copies in the United States.
1979–1981: New Directions
Ronnie Scott and Steve Wolfe produced Bonnie's third album, Diamond Cut, released in February 1979. It was a Top 20 album in Finland, Norway, and Sweden. Bonnie felt that RCA wanted her to record more country music, which she didn't like. The album had one hit, "My Guns Are Loaded".
In 1979, Bonnie had another UK Top 40 hit with "(The World Is Full of) Married Men". She recorded it for a film. In November 1979, Bonnie represented the UK at the Yamaha World Popular Song Festival in Japan. She won an award for her song "Sitting on the Edge of the Ocean". Her fourth album, Goodbye to the Island, came out in 1981. It only charted in Norway. RCA wanted Bonnie to sign a new contract, but she said no. She was not happy with her music style and felt she wasn't getting enough chances to perform.
1982–1989: The CBS Years and Global Hits
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After leaving RCA, Bonnie Tyler signed with CBS/Columbia. She wanted Jim Steinman to be her new producer. Jim Steinman first said no, but changed his mind after Bonnie sent him some rock songs she wanted to record.
Bonnie recorded her fifth album, Faster Than the Speed of Night, in New York. "Total Eclipse of the Heart" was released in the UK on 11 February 1983. It became one of the best-selling songs of all time, selling over six million copies. Her album debuted at number 1 in the UK and sold over one million copies in the US. Bonnie's success led to many award nominations, including two Grammys and two AMAs.
Bonnie also had success with songs from movie soundtracks in the mid-1980s. In 1984, she released "Holding Out for a Hero" from the Footloose soundtrack. The next year, her song "Here She Comes" for the film Metropolis earned her a Grammy nomination.
In 1986, Bonnie released her sixth album, Secret Dreams and Forbidden Fire. This album also featured songs by Jim Steinman, Desmond Child, and Bryan Adams. "If You Were a Woman (And I Was a Man)" was the most popular song from the album. In 1987, Bonnie worked with Mike Oldfield on his album Islands. The next year, she sang in George Martin's album Under Milk Wood, which was a radio play.
Bonnie asked Desmond Child to produce her seventh album, Hide Your Heart, released in May 1988. This album included songs written with Michael Bolton, Albert Hammond, and Diane Warren. Some of the album's songs, like "Hide Your Heart" and "The Best", became big hits for other artists.
1990–2000: Success in Europe
In 1990, Bonnie Tyler signed with Hansa/BMG Ariola. She worked with different producers for her eighth album, including Dieter Bohlen and Giorgio Moroder. They wanted to create different sounds for different countries.
Her album Bitterblue was released on 11 November 1991. The album's main song, "Bitterblue", became a top 40 hit in several European countries. It was named 'Catchy Song of the Year' at the RSH-Gold Awards. Even though Bitterblue was not released in the UK or US, it was very popular in Europe. It reached number one in Austria and Norway.
Bonnie's next albums, Angel Heart (1992) and Silhouette in Red (1993), were also successful in Europe. These albums had more songs written and produced by Dieter Bohlen. Bonnie was named Best International Singer at the Goldene Europa Awards in 1993.
In 1995, Bonnie moved to EastWest Records and released Free Spirit. This album featured collaborations with Humberto Gatica, David Foster, and Jim Steinman. A song from the album, "Limelight", was used as a theme for the German team at the 1996 Summer Olympics.
Bonnie's twelfth album, All in One Voice, was released in 1998. In the same year, she sang on Rick Wakeman's album Return to the Centre of the Earth.
2001–2003: Greatest Hits and Heart Strings
On 14 September 2001, Bonnie Tyler released Greatest Hits, a collection of seventeen songs. The album reached number 18 in the UK and was certified silver for selling over 60,000 copies. It also reached the Top 10 in five other European countries.
In 2002, Bonnie started working on her thirteenth album, Heart Strings. EMI suggested she record a cover album with an orchestra. She chose thirteen songs by artists like U2 and The Beatles. These songs were arranged by Nick Ingman and Karl Jenkins and performed by the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra.
Heart Strings was released on 18 March 2003. It was followed by a tour in Germany. The album charted in Europe, reaching the Top 50 in five countries.
2004–2005: French Success
In 2003, singer Kareen Antonn asked Bonnie Tyler to re-record "Total Eclipse of the Heart" as a duet. The new version, called "Si demain... (Turn Around)", was in both French and English. It was released in December 2003 and went to number one in Belgium and France. It stayed at the top for ten weeks and sold over 500,000 copies. This song was seen as Bonnie's big comeback in France.
Bonnie's fourteenth album, Simply Believe, was released in April 2004. It had seven new songs and some re-recorded ones. Bonnie and Kareen Antonn also recorded "Si tout s'arrête (It's a Heartache)" as another duet. It reached number 12 in France. Bonnie co-wrote the album's title song and two others. Simply Believe stayed on the French Album Charts for 23 weeks and reached number 18.
Bonnie released her fifteenth album, Wings, in spring 2005. It was recorded in Paris and had twelve new songs. Bonnie promoted the album with a big tour in Europe. She performed at the Sopot International Song Festival in Poland. Footage from her concerts appeared on her live DVD Bonnie on Tour in 2006. Wings was released in the UK in 2006 as Celebrate. Bonnie also received the Lifetime Achievement Steiger Award in 2005.
2006–2011: Compilations and Appearances
In 2006, Bonnie Tyler appeared on US television for the first time in years. She sang "Total Eclipse of the Heart" with actress Lucy Lawless on Celebrity Duets. The next year, she recorded a new version of "Total Eclipse of the Heart" with the band BabyPinkStar. She also released From the Heart: Greatest Hits, which reached number 2 in Ireland and number 31 in the UK.
In April 2009, Bonnie joined the Welsh choir Only Men Aloud! on their UK tour to sing "Total Eclipse of the Heart". They recorded the song for their album Band of Brothers. She also sang the title song for a new musical called Cappuccino Girls. Bonnie made a small appearance on the TV show Hollyoaks Later, singing "Holding Out for a Hero".
In 2010, Bonnie appeared in a MasterCard TV advertisement, singing a funny version of "Total Eclipse of the Heart". She also toured Australia and New Zealand with Robin Gibb.
In 2011, Bonnie appeared on a Swedish TV show, singing "Total Eclipse of the Heart" and "It's a Heartache". She also appeared in a music video parody for the BBC's Comic Relief charity. In 2011, Bonnie won an award for "It's a Heartache", which had been played over 3 million times on US television and radio since 1977. She also appeared on the Ukrainian version of X Factor. In December 2011, a painting of Bonnie by Rolf Harris was valued at £50,000 on BBC's Antiques Roadshow.
In September 2011, Bonnie released a new collection called Best of 3 CD, which charted at number 36 in France. The album included a cover of "Eternal Flame" by The Bangles, which she sang as a duet with Laura Zen.
2012–2018: Rocks and Honey and Eurovision
In early 2012, Bonnie started working on her sixteenth album, Rocks and Honey. She traveled to Nashville, Tennessee to find songs for the album. It was recorded there and produced by David Huff. Bonnie sent the album to the BBC for their thoughts. After hearing the song "Believe in Me", they asked her to represent the United Kingdom with it at the Eurovision Song Contest 2013. She agreed, seeing it as great publicity for her album.
Bonnie was announced as the UK's entry on 7 March 2013. "Believe in Me" was released on 13 March and reached number 93 in the UK. The UK automatically qualified for the Eurovision Grand Final on 18 May. Bonnie finished in 19th place. She said she did her best and was happy with the experience.
After Eurovision, Bonnie became the first UK representative to receive a Eurovision Song Contest Radio Award. She won awards for Best Song and Best Female Singer.
Rocks and Honey was released on 6 May 2013 in the UK and reached number 52 on the UK Albums Chart. The album's title refers to the difference between Bonnie's voice and Vince Gill's voice on their duet "What You Need from Me".
In 2014, Bonnie sang on Rhydian Roberts's album One Day like This and Spike's album 100% Pure Frankie Miller.
In June 2015, Bonnie appeared on a German TV show celebrating Disney songs. She performed "Circle of Life" from The Lion King. In September 2015, Bonnie sang "Total Eclipse of the Heart" and "Holding Out for a Hero" on Best Time Ever with Neil Patrick Harris.
In 2016, Bonnie was featured on Frankie Miller's album Double Take. In March 2017, she released a new song called "Love's Holding On" with the German metal band Axel Rudi Pell.
In August 2017, Bonnie performed "Total Eclipse of the Heart" on a cruise ship with the band DNCE. This was to celebrate the solar eclipse of 21 August 2017. The song's online downloads increased a lot after this performance. In November, she released a new collection called Remixes and Rarities. In March 2018, Bonnie toured Germany and Austria to celebrate the 40th anniversary of "It's a Heartache".
2019–Present: Recent Albums
In February 2019, Bonnie Tyler released "Hold On" as the first song from her seventeenth album, Between the Earth and the Stars. The album followed in March 2019 and reached number 34 on the UK Albums Chart. It was recorded with David Mackay, who produced her first two albums. Between the Earth and the Stars includes three duets with Rod Stewart, Francis Rossi, and Cliff Richard. Bonnie toured Europe in April 2019 to support the album.
In August 2019, Cherry Red Records released a box set of Bonnie's first four albums. In November 2019, Bonnie sang "It's a Heartache" with Ben Zucker at his concert in Berlin. Their duet is on his live album.
In December 2019, Bonnie released a new version of her 2005 song "Streets of Stone" for The World's Big Sleep Out, a charity event for homeless people. On 14 December 2019, she performed at the Vatican's annual Christmas concert.
In May 2020, Bonnie released "Through Thick and Thin (I'll Stand by You)" with Lorraine Crosby as a charity song for the Teenage Cancer Trust. It reached number 64 on the UK Downloads Chart. Her latest album, The Best Is Yet to Come, came out in February 2021.
On 2 September 2022, Bonnie and Mike Batt released their duet "Into the Sunset". In October 2022, Bonnie performed "Total Eclipse of the Heart" live with the cast of Tanz der Vampire in Germany.
In November 2022, Bonnie toured South America for the first time. She hopes to release another album in 2023. Her book about her life, Straight from the Heart, was published on 28 September 2023.
On 19 April 2024, Bonnie released her third live album, In Berlin. It was recorded during her 2019 tour. The album's first song, "Faster Than the Speed of Night", was released on 22 March 2024.
In September 2024, Bonnie performed at a fashion event in Milan. On 31 December 2024, Bonnie will perform a brand new song, "Yes I Can", on a German TV show.
Artistry
Influences
Bonnie Tyler grew up in a musical family and listened to many different types of music. One of her first music memories was hearing her mother sing opera. She went to church until she was sixteen and first sang "All Things Bright and Beautiful" there. Her siblings' music tastes introduced her to Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, and The Beatles. Frankie Miller was the first live performer she saw, and she later recorded songs with him.
Bonnie's two biggest influences from a young age were Janis Joplin and Tina Turner. She says "River Deep – Mountain High" is her favorite song of all time. Other artists who influenced her include Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett, Meat Loaf, and Joe Cocker. She also likes modern artists like Guns N' Roses, Anastacia, and Adele.
Vocal Style
Bonnie Tyler's music mixes country, rock, pop, blues, and Celtic styles. Her voice became raspy after a vocal cord nodule operation in the 1970s. People have compared her voice to Rod Stewart and Kim Carnes. Some call her "the female Rod Stewart" or "the female Meat Loaf" after she worked with Jim Steinman.
Reviewers have described Bonnie's voice as "unique" and "wonderfully gritty". Jim Steinman said he wrote "Total Eclipse of the Heart" to showcase her voice. Even today, her voice is still powerful and impressive.
Songwriting
Bonnie Tyler has not written many songs herself, but she has co-written a few. She co-wrote "Gonna Get Better" with her brother, Paul Hopkins. In 2001, she co-wrote four songs for Gary Pickford-Hopkins' album and sang with him on one track. Bonnie also helped write several songs for her 2005 album Wings, including "Louise" and "Celebrate".
Helping Others (Philanthropy)
Bonnie Tyler has been part of three charity supergroups. In 1987, she sang in "Let It Be" with Ferry Aid. The money raised went to help victims of the Zeebrugge ferry disaster. In 1990, she joined Rock Against Repatriation to record "Sailing" to protest against sending Vietnamese refugees back to Hong Kong.
Since the 1990s, Bonnie has supported the Bobath Children's Therapy Centre in Cardiff, Wales. This center helps children with cerebral palsy. In 2013, she campaigned for Bobath to be recognized at the Pride of Britain Awards. Bonnie is also an ambassador for the Noah's Ark Children's Hospital for Wales.
In January 2005, Bonnie performed at a concert in Germany to raise money for victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami. In 2007, she recorded "I Don't Know How to Love Him" for Over the Rainbow, a charity album for children's hospices.
On 1 November 2009, Bonnie was the main performer at the Pinktober Women in Rock concert in London. In 2012, Bonnie became a patron of the AAG animal charity in Portugal. She re-recorded "Holding Out for a Hero" for the 2013 Children in Need appeal. In 2014, she supported a campaign to make it mandatory for animals in testing laboratories to be re-homed. In 2020, Bonnie helped record a cover song to raise money for Bergamo, an Italian city badly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Personal Life
In July 1973, Bonnie Tyler married Robert Sullivan. He is a property developer and was an Olympic judo competitor in 1972. They do not have children. Bonnie and her family are Protestant.
Since 1988, Bonnie and her husband have owned a home in Albufeira, Portugal. They spend much of the year there. They have invested in property, including farmland and other properties.
Discography
Studio albums
- The World Starts Tonight (1977)
- Natural Force (1978)
- Diamond Cut (1979)
- Goodbye to the Island (1981)
- Faster Than the Speed of Night (1983)
- Secret Dreams and Forbidden Fire (1986)
- Hide Your Heart (1988) also known as Notes From America
- Bitterblue (1991)
- Angel Heart (1992)
- Silhouette in Red (1993)
- Free Spirit (1995)
- All in One Voice (1998)
- Heart Strings (2003) also known as Heart & Soul
- Simply Believe (2004)
- Wings (2005) also known as Celebrate
- Rocks and Honey (2013)
- Between the Earth and the Stars (2019)
- The Best Is Yet to Come (2021)
Honours, Awards and Recognition
Bonnie Tyler's songs "Total Eclipse of the Heart" and "It's a Heartache" have each sold over 6 million copies. They are among the best-selling songs of all time.
In 1977, Bonnie was nominated for Best British Female Newcomer at the Brit Awards. In the 1980s, she received two more Brit Award nominations and three Grammy Awards nominations. In 2013, she was given the Gold Badge award by the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors (BASCA).
In 1979, Bonnie won the 10th World Popular Song Festival with "Sitting on the Edge of the Ocean". In 2013, she became the first and only UK representative to receive a Eurovision Song Contest Radio award. She was also one of the first Western artists to tour the Soviet Union.
Bonnie has also received local honors in Wales. She was named a freeman of Neath Port Talbot in 2011. In 2013, she received an honorary degree from Swansea University. She is also an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama. In 2016, she was honored by the Lord Mayor of Swansea for her contributions to music.
In 2022, Bonnie Tyler was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for her services to music.
Images for kids
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Tyler during a sound check for her concert in Dolina Charlotty, Poland, 1 May 2011.
See also
In Spanish: Bonnie Tyler para niños
- List of artists who reached number one on the UK Singles Chart
- List of artists who reached number one in the United States
