Interview with Boney Tyler. English rock singer Bonnie Tyler (Bonnie Tyler) British rock singer Bonnie Tyler
Glory to Bonnie Tyler - the owner of a unique voice - came in the late 70s. The singer suffered a disease of the vocal cords, after which she was ready to say goodbye to the dream of musical career. But a slight defect became the highlight of the performer. Soon she recorded a ballad that is still popular today, after forty years.
Childhood and youth
Gaynor Hopkins is the name given to the rock star at birth. Future Bonnie Tyler early years spent in Skewen, a small town located in South Wales. The family was large: four sons and the same number of daughters.
In the Hopkins house, music of different directions was revered, while each of the family members regularly visited Protestant church. Gaynor showed early musical ability. The first song sung by the daughter of deeply religious parents was a religious hymn. Of course, participation in church singing was for Gaynor more of a boring obligation than a hobby. At home, the girl listened to other music: compositions in the rock and roll or blues genre.
After school Gaynor worked in grocery store. According to another version, she sang in a nightclub. At the age of 18, the girl entered the competition of vocal performers. It was an insignificant event, which was mostly amateurs. The competition was held in a provincial town. Gaynor didn't have strong competitors and easily finished in second place. A small victory inspired. Hopkins decided to become a singer.
Music
The first thing Gaynor did after participating in vocal competition- I looked through the ads in the newspaper and found a vacancy for a backing vocalist. She easily passed the audition, after which she was accepted into the youth group. She took the stage name to avoid confusion with pop singer Mary Hopkins.
There is also another version. The name "Bonnie Tyler" appeared later, in 1975, when Roger Bell drew attention to the 24-year-old vocalist. The producer invited Gaynor to London, and then helped to pick up a sonorous name.
The debut single was released in April 1976. But he had no success. Before the release of the second single, the producers decided to launch an advertising campaign. This time they were more fortunate. More Than a Lover was received favorably by critics. But only in Britain. In Europe, before 1977, few people knew about Bonnie Tyler.
In 1977, the singer was diagnosed with a disease of the vocal cords. An operation was required. After treatment, the doctors forbade Gainer to talk for a month. Once the girl could not stand it and violated medical recommendations. So in the voice, previously ringing and clear, a hoarseness appeared.
Bonnie despaired, believing that the defect would put an end to her musical career. However, the success of It's a Heartache spoke of something else. After the release of the single, Gainer Hopkins' dream came true: she became famous.
In the work of Tyler, different directions harmoniously coexist: country, pop, rock, and blues. Critics often compare the singer with. In the manner of performance of these vocalists, there are common features. It "s a Heartache is the song that became Tyler's first hit. Perhaps the singer's success is partly due to her illness, as a result of which her voice acquired an unexpected timbre.
Tyler recorded two albums in 1978. Diamond Cut has gained popularity in Sweden and Norway. On the Billboard 200, the album peaked at number 145. In 1979, the British vocalist participated in a festival held in Tokyo and won first place.
After the release of the fourth album, Bonnie Tyler wanted to change. She got new producer- David Aspden, but he failed to meet the needs of the newly minted star. The singer was looking a new style, so I tried to contact Jim Steinman. Today the producer is known as the author famous songs, performed in the early 80s by Tyler. Then he was almost inaccessible to Bonnie.
The singer still managed to meet with Steinman. He listened to the previous songs and they didn't impress him. However, the producer sensed potential in Tyler. Soon came the song Total Eclipse Of The Heart, which became a world number one hit in 1983.
Rock ballad sounded in the musical "Dance of the Vampires" and many other films. The video was directed by Russell Mulcahy. Filming took place in a building built in the 19th century and located near the village of Virginia Walter. For a long time Tyler's fans were convinced that the young man who shakes hands with the singer in the last frame is none other than Gianfranco Zola. In 2012, the football player debunked the myth, saying that he did not take part in the filming of the video.
Tyler has recorded several albums with Steinman. The song Holding Out for a Hero, created by the musician and producer, was featured in the melodrama Free. In 1988, the album Hide Your Heart was released. This ended the collaboration with Steinman.
In the early 90s, the British singer worked with. One day, a German producer called Tyler and offered to collaborate. The singer did not immediately accept the offer. Nevertheless, in 1991 the album Bitterblue was released, to which critics reacted differently.
In 2013, Tyler performed at Eurovision. In anticipation of the release of the new album, the singer sent the compositions to the BBC. She was asked to represent her country in the competition with the third song. Initially, she did not want to participate. I agreed because I thought it was a good advertisement. The British singer took 15th place. The public approved the new album. But Tyler is still associated by music lovers with rock music of the 80s.
Personal life
In 1972, Gaynor Hopkins married sportsman and real estate agent Robert Sullivan. Marriage famous singer and a successful businessman is not accompanied by intrigues and scandals, which is a rare case for show business.
In 1988, the couple purchased a house in Albufeira. Here, in the 70s, the future rock star worked on her first album. In 2005, the singer agreed to shoot in a Polish show dedicated to the luxurious villas of show business stars. TV people had something to demonstrate. However, possessions in Albufeira are a small part of the real estate of a famous married couple.
Photos of happy spouses have been regularly appearing in the press for more than forty years. The singer met her future husband even before climbing the musical Olympus.
There is a version that Tyler managed to become famous solely thanks to Sullivan, who played the role of a sponsor in his wife's career. Gaynor met the businessman in the early 70s. Then she moonlighted as a backing vocalist in a nightclub. Sullivan drew attention to the young singer, helped her find a talented producer, and then married.
Since 1999, the couple has owned farmland in New Zealand and Portugal, 22 houses in London and Berkshire. However, the biography of Gaynor Hopkins includes not only rosy events. The main dream of Tyler and Sullivan never came true. The singer has been trying to get pregnant for many years.
In 1990, she succeeded, but in the third month she had a miscarriage. Still, children's laughter is often heard in Tyler's house. The singer maintains a warm relationship with her brothers and sisters. Relatives often visit with their children.
Bonnie Tyler willingly participates in charity events. At the beginning of her career, she recorded a single for a project to combat drug addiction. In the 2000s, she participated in a concert, the proceeds of which went to support cancer research.
Bonnie Tyler now
In 2015, Tyler took part in the German television show"Best Disney Songs". The British singer performed Circle of Life from the cartoon "The Lion King". In 2016, she organized a tour of Germany. The program included the most famous songs.
In 2017, it became known about the upcoming release of Love "S Holding On. Tyler recorded a single with a guitarist. In the same year, the singer participated in an unusual concert aboard a cruise ship. The event was scheduled for the day of the eclipse. The singer performed a hit of the 80s. Now the British star does not record new compositions.When the next album of the legend of the 80s will be released and whether it will be released is unknown.
Discography
- 1977 – The World Starts Tonight
- 1978 - Natural Force
- 1979 - Diamond Cut
- 1981 – Goodbye to the Island
- 1988 - Hide Your Heart
- 1991 – Bitter blue
- 1992 - Angel Heart
- 1995 – Free Spirit
- 1998 - All in One Voice
- 2013 – Rocks and Honey
Biography
Born in the town of Skyuen ( Skewen) in South Wales. In addition to her, the family had five more children. She was fond of music since childhood and, after she won the competition for young performers, she became a member of youth group Bobby Wayne and the Dexies. Soon she created her own group and, taking the pseudonym "Bonnie Tyler", began to perform in various clubs in her native Wales.
In 1976, Ronnie Scott and Steve Wolfe became the singer's managers, songwriters and producers. The first single with new producers "Lost In France" by November 1976 in the UK charts went to 9th place. The next single "More Than A Lover" in the spring of 1977 took 27th place. In 1977, in connection with the nodular thickening, Bonnie underwent an operation on the larynx, after which the doctors strictly advised her not to talk for a month and a half. However, one day, in a fit of desperation, Bonnie allowed herself to scream, as a result of which her voice acquired a slight hoarseness. At first, the singer decided that this would lead to the end of her vocal career, but unexpectedly for her, the single "It's A Heartache" in June 1978 reached the third place in the USA and the fourth in England, and the album of the same name brought Tyler the first "gold disc".
The next seven singles were not as successful. In 1983, the singer's contract with RCA Records ended, and the company did not renew the agreement. In 1990, Tyler moved to Europe and settled in Germany, signing a contract with Hansa. Her producer and author of many songs was the famous German composer and performer Dieter Bohlen. With his help, Bonnie Tyler, having released the album "Bitterblue", which sold out in huge circulation, again gained immense worldwide popularity. After leaving Dieter Bohlen, Bonnie decided to continue her career without his help, releasing new album. To record it, Bonnie spent a very large amount of money, inviting, among other things, a huge orchestra. The album was a failure - about two thousand copies were sold.
Group
Concert line-up of Bonnie Tyler:
Discography
| Year | Album |
|---|---|
| The World Starts Tonight | |
| natural force | |
| 1978 | It's A Heartache |
| Diamond Cut | |
| Goodbye to the Island | |
| Faster Than the Speed of Night | |
| Secret Dreams And Forbidden Fire | |
| hide your heart | |
| Bitter blue | |
| Angel Heart | |
| Silhouette in Red | |
| free spirit | |
| All in One Voice | |
| Heart & Soul - 13 Rock Classics / Heartstrings | |
| Simply Believe | |
| Wings | |
| LIVE | |
| From the Heart - Greatest Hits | |
| Best Of 3 CD | |
| Live in Germany 1993 CD, DVD, CD+DVD Deluxe | |
| Live & Lost in France CD+DVD | |
| Rocks and Honey |
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An excerpt characterizing Bonnie Tyler
- Oh, it's important! That's so guardian! oh… ho ho ho! “Well, do you still want to eat?”- Give him some porridge; after all, it will not soon eat up from hunger.
Again he was given porridge; and Morel, chuckling, set to work on the third bowler hat. Joyful smiles stood on all the faces of the young soldiers who looked at Morel. The old soldiers, who considered it indecent to engage in such trifles, lay on the other side of the fire, but occasionally, rising on their elbows, looked at Morel with a smile.
“People too,” said one of them, dodging in his overcoat. - And the wormwood grows on its root.
– Oo! Lord, Lord! How stellar, passion! To frost ... - And everything calmed down.
The stars, as if knowing that now no one would see them, played out in the black sky. Now flashing, now fading, now shuddering, they busily whispered among themselves about something joyful, but mysterious.
X
The French troops were gradually melting away in a mathematically correct progression. And that crossing over the Berezina, about which so much has been written, was only one of the intermediate steps in the destruction of the French army, and not at all the decisive episode of the campaign. If so much has been written and written about the Berezina, then on the part of the French this happened only because on the Berezinsky broken bridge, the disasters that the French army had previously suffered evenly, suddenly grouped here at one moment and into one tragic spectacle, which everyone remembered. On the part of the Russians, they talked and wrote so much about the Berezina only because far from the theater of war, in St. Petersburg, a plan was drawn up (by Pfuel) to capture Napoleon in a strategic trap on the Berezina River. Everyone was convinced that everything would actually be exactly as planned, and therefore they insisted that it was the Berezinsky crossing that killed the French. In essence, the results of the Berezinsky crossing were much less disastrous for the French in the loss of guns and prisoners than the Red, as the figures show.
The only significance of the Berezinsky crossing lies in the fact that this crossing obviously and undoubtedly proved the falsity of all plans for cutting off and the validity of the only possible course of action required by both Kutuzov and all the troops (mass) - only following the enemy. The crowd of Frenchmen ran with an ever-increasing force of speed, with all their energy directed towards the goal. She ran like a wounded animal, and it was impossible for her to stand on the road. This was proved not so much by the arrangement of the crossing as by the movement on the bridges. When the bridges were broken through, unarmed soldiers, Muscovites, women with children, who were in the French convoy - everything, under the influence of inertia, did not give up, but ran forward into the boats, into the frozen water.
This endeavor was reasonable. The position of both the fleeing and the pursuing was equally bad. Staying with his own, each in distress hoped for the help of a comrade, for a certain place he occupied among his own. Having given himself over to the Russians, he was in the same position of distress, but he was placed on a lower level in the section of satisfying the needs of life. The French did not need to have correct information that half of the prisoners, with whom they did not know what to do, despite all the desire of the Russians to save them, were dying of cold and hunger; they felt that it could not be otherwise. The most compassionate Russian commanders and hunters of the French, the French in the Russian service could not do anything for the prisoners. The French were ruined by the disaster in which the Russian army was. It was impossible to take away bread and clothes from hungry, necessary soldiers, in order to give them not to harmful, not hated, not guilty, but simply unnecessary Frenchmen. Some did; but that was the only exception.
Behind was certain death; there was hope ahead. The ships were burned; there was no other salvation but a collective flight, and all the forces of the French were directed to this collective flight.
The farther the French fled, the more miserable were their remnants, especially after the Berezina, on which, as a result of the St. Petersburg plan, special hopes were placed, the more the passions of the Russian commanders flared up, blaming each other and especially Kutuzov. Believing that the failure of the Berezinsky Petersburg plan would be attributed to him, dissatisfaction with him, contempt for him and teasing him were expressed more and more strongly. Joking and contempt, of course, was expressed in a respectful form, in a form in which Kutuzov could not even ask what and for what he was accused. He was not spoken seriously; reporting to him and asking his permission, they pretended to perform a sad ceremony, and behind his back they winked and tried to deceive him at every step.
Gaynor Hopkins was born on June 8, 1951 in one of the large families of South Wales. As a child, she listened to Motown records, and her favorite singers were Tina Turner and Janis Joplin. Then the girl sang herself, and in 1970 she performed at a local talent competition, earning second place and her first pound sterling with the song "Those Were The Days". In addition, she got the opportunity to pass a professional audition and thus ended up in the group "Bobby Wayne & The Dixies". After singing in it for two years, Hopkins organized her own team "Imagination" and took the pseudonym Sheren Davis. For a long time, the girl performed in pubs and clubs in South Wales, and only in 1975 her talent was discovered by Roger Bell, who organized a contract with RCA Records. One of the terms of the deal was the selection of a more sonorous stage name, and since then Hopkins has become Bonnie Tyler. Her first single, "My! My! Honeycomb", was a flop, although it did get some radio play. The second attempt turned out to be much more successful, and the song "Lost In France" took 9th place in the British charts. Shortly before its release, Tyler underwent surgery on her vocal cords and for several weeks she could not even talk, let alone sing.
She was already thinking of putting an end to her career, when it suddenly turned out that her voice had acquired a charming hoarseness. It was this fact that served Bonnie. Starting point on the way to success. If Tyler's first album was in moderate demand, then the record "Natural Force" (in the USA "It's A Heartache") lifted her to the top of the charts around the world. The composition "It" s A Heartache ", which became the most the singer's biggest hit of all time. Unfortunately, the popularity eluded Bonnie later on, and her songs were a regional success.
Managers Ronnie Scott and Steve Wolf continued to promote their ward as a country pop star, but Tyler herself remained dissatisfied with their activities and, having waited for the contract to expire, did not renew it. At first, Tyler wanted to choose Jeff Lynn or Phil Collins as a producer, but then she settled on the candidacy of Jim Steinman, who brought Meat Loaf to the people. A new contract was signed with "CBS Records", and in 1983 the disc "Faster Than The Speed Of Night" was released on this company. In addition to the duet "Tears" with Frankie Miller, covers of "Blue Oyster Cult", Bryan Adams and "Creedence Clearwater Revival", the disc contained Steinman's signature compositions, including the transatlantic hit "Total Eclipse Of The Heart". Thanks to this ballad, Bonnie Tyler got into the Guinness Book of Records, becoming the first female singer whose album debuted in the British charts at number one. For "Faster Than The Speed Of Night", the singer received a Grammy in two categories: "Best Female Pop Vocal Performance" and "Best Female Rock Vocal Performance".
The success of the album, which sold out in millions of copies, was so great that it turned out to be an extremely difficult task to repeat it. Discs "Secret Dreams And Forbidden Fire" and "Hide Your Heart" brought fame not to Tyler herself, but to those performers who covered songs from these albums (Tina Turner did it best of all with "The Best"). Bonnie's products were in demand in France, Switzerland, Scandinavia, South Africa and Australia, but even the participation of Steinman and Desmond Child, who joined the case, could not strengthen the singer's position in the Anglo-American market.
Having staked on continental Europe, Tyler renegotiated the contract with the German company Hansa. Dieter Bohlen became her new producer and therefore her work acquired a more pop character. With him, she recorded three albums, but if the first "Bitterblue" really blew up the European market, then "Angel Heart" and "Silhouette In Red" were marked by a decrease in demand. In an attempt to regain transatlantic success in 1995, Tyler went under the wing of "Warner Music" and invited a whole galaxy of venerable producers, including Jeff Lynn and the same Steinman, to record the "Free Spirit" disc. However, the trick did not work, and the program enjoyed very moderate popularity. The pop-folk album "All In One Voice" received even less attention, and part of its failure was due to the lack of promotion from the bankrupt release label "EastWest". After its release, there was a long pause, but in 2003, manager David Aspen advised Bonnie to record a selection of covers to her taste with an invitation from the Philharmonic Orchestra.
The record "Heart Strings" returned the singer to the charts (although not too high places), and soon Tyler's luck smiled again when she, along with Karin Antonn, recorded the duet "Si Demain (Turn Around)". This French-language version of "Total Eclipse Of The Heart" topped the lists in France, Belgium and Poland, and the corresponding single sold two million. Less successful was the reworking of "Si Tout S" arrete (It "s A Heartache)" (also with Antonne), but both this thing and "Si Demain" were included on the "Simply Believe" album. On the next disc, for the first time, the singer became a co-author of most of the songs, but for greater attractiveness, "Wings" included new versions of her two main hits, "It" A Heartache "and" Total Eclipse Of The Heart ". In the future, only collections were released on behalf of Tyler, and work on a numbered album began only in 2012. "Rocks And Honey" was recorded in Nashville and marked the return of the Welsh to the country style.
Last update 16.03.13Famous British singer Bonnie Tyler, whose real name is Gaynor Hopkins, will celebrate her 67th birthday in early June. More than 40 years have passed since she became famous almost all over the world. the site decided to show a popular rock singer.
Bonnie Tyler after 40 years
Gaynor was born in South Wales in a large family with 6 children. Love for music future star showed with early childhood. After she became the winner of youth competitions, she got into a group, and after a while she founded her own.
The most commercially successful single is "Total Eclipse of the Heart", which topped the US charts for 4 weeks.
The singer achieved great success in the second half of the 1970s and in the first half of the 1980s. It was then that such hits as "Holding out for a Hero", "It" s a Heartache", "Total Eclipse of the Heart" and "If You Were A Woman (And I Was A Man)" saw the light.
After her career slowed down a bit. The artist returned to the stage in 2003, re-released some of her hits on French with Karin Antonn.
In August 2005, her 15th studio album"Wings", which included 12 songs, including the songs "Louise" and "Celebrate". And in 2013, she released her last album to date, 16th album, "Rocks and Honey".
In the same year, the star performed at the Eurovision Song Contest from the UK, taking 9th place in the final.
Recall that 38 years have passed since the founding of the popular in the 80s. Earlier, the editors of JoInfoMedia showed what ex-participants and former lovers Dave Stewart and Annie Lennox.
Photo: Instagram rockingbonnietyler and bonnietylerofficial
One pound of happiness
A well-known British singer paid a semi-official visit to Moscow last weekend Boney Tyler known for hits Holding Out For A Hero, Total Eclipse Of The Heart and many others. The now forgotten star of the eighties, today Tyler continues to be active creative life with which she is quite satisfied. The singer told our correspondent Alexander Belyaev about this, as well as about the Tatu duet, actress Catherine Zeta-Jones and the fashion for the eighties.
I have been in Moscow six times already, and this time I came to perform at closed concert dedicated to the International women's day. Unfortunately, I had absolutely no time to walk around your city, which is clearly changing for the better, and go shopping. Yesterday - a concert, today - interviews and filming on TV. I was at your Star Academy (“Star Factory.” - Ed.).
- What is your attitude to competitions of this kind?
For young artists, this is not superfluous. I myself took part in a competition for young performers in 1969. But she did not win - she took second place. The bonus then was £1 and did not involve a record deal as it is now. I sang the song Those Were The Days.
- By the way, this is a Russian song - "We rode on a troika with bells."
Yes, what are you saying? I didn't know! I thought Paul McCartney wrote it.
- English text McCartney actually wrote it for his then girlfriend Mary Hopkin...
Hopkin is from Wales, just like me.
But the melody is a pre-war Russian romance with a Russian text. Do you know any other Russian songs or artists?
- "Tatu" is now so popular that many of us dream of banning them, supposedly it is "for pedophiles." Don't misunderstand me: I personally hate pedophiles, I would strangle them with my own hands, but it's all just music! And a very good one, at least the song that we play all the time. Yes, and this clip with a truck (“They won’t catch us” / Not Gonna Get Us. - Ed.) I love. Then, many are unnerved that they are lesbians, they live together, well, and everything that they usually talk about there. Well, maybe it is so - but if they were both heterosexual, would this somehow have a positive effect on their image? And, besides, these girls are no longer children!
At one time, immoral content was also imposed on rock music, using the triad of "sex, drugs and rock and roll."
Well, I've never done drugs! I never even drink... before going on stage. After the concert, I sometimes miss a glass. In general, I drink little, and mostly red wine. And in Russia more vodka, like yesterday (covering his face with his hand) ... My husband and I got to the room only at five in the morning.
- What do you think about the "return of the eighties" in music and fashion?
Fashion in the eighties was completely tasteless. I, for one, looked wild with my bouffant curly hair, oversized ear rings, and padded-shouldered jacket. And the music was very good, and now most European clubs play it again.
- And there is no longing for that time, the time when you were world famous?
The eighties are really the peak of my career. But even now everything suits me - both life and creativity. The recording of my last album Heart Strings brought me a rare pleasure in such a way - I have never recorded a single album with such a pull! I worked with a very cool orchestra, the Prague Philharmonic, and my rock band, and I also love and respect these guys. Secondly, I sang my favorite songs, "covers" from the Beatles to R.E.M., and a lot of songs from the 80s, Richard Marx and U2. The oldest of these songs I sang a long time ago, when I didn't have a record deal yet and I was playing with our local bands.
- You contributed to famous songs something of your own...
Certainly. The fact is that the mood of some songs does not correspond to my character. For example, Everybody Hurts (here - “Everyone suffers sometimes”) of the R.E.M. group, sad and depressive - I don’t even have to rehash such songs, but “replay” like an actor, imagining someone else in his place. I'm not a sad or depressed person, I'm very energetic and optimistic. Yes, to be honest, I just happy man. “Everyone suffers sometimes...” - of course, I know this, but life does not consist of suffering alone. As we say in Britain, "every cloud has a silver lining".
Well, Bruce Springsteen liked how I made it ... I'm in good relations with him and with the musicians of his E-Street Band. By the way, I myself once worked with these guys - they are the ones who play in my song Total Eclipse Of The Heart.
In Moscow, you sang at a private event. Would you agree to sing at a very private party, say, at a wedding? And what fee would you request?
To sing at weddings?.. But what, I once sang at a wedding. And relatively recently. We have one Welsh actress, Catherine Zeta-Jones, married Michael Douglas - you know. Katherine - cousin my husband. Well, they invited me and my husband, and so I sang something to them there. But I didn’t take money from them (laughs)!
