The International First Lady of Rock

The talented singer came into this world on June 8, 1951, as Gaynor Sullivan. She became known for her distinctive husky voice. She is one of my all-time favorite singers. Bonnie Tyler is a Welsh singer, songwriter, businesswoman, and active philanthropist. She started out her career as a local singer in Swansea and got famous when her album The World Starts Tonight was released in 1977 with the singles “Lost in France” and ‘More Than a Lover”. She made it on the charts with her popular single “It’s a Heartache” in 1978 reaching number one in several European countries. Bonnie Tyler won the 10th World Popular Song Festival with her 1979 single “Sitting on the Edge of the Ocean”.

Tyler's debut album The World Starts Tonight came out in 1977. It included both country and pop songs. Two singles from the album were “Lost in France” which was certified Silver and “More Than a Lover”.

Her second album Natural Force was released in 1978. In the US the album was titled It's a Heartache. This album included cover songs by American artists like Carole King and Stevie Wonder. The second single released was “It's a Heartache” which became one of her very best-selling singles of all time. The song was certified Gold in the US by the RIAA.

Diamond Cut the third album came out in 1979 but did not have the success of the second one. The best songs of the album included "The Eyes of a Fool", "What a Way to Treat My Heart" and "Louisiana Rain".

This was followed by Goodbye to the Island the fourth album in 1981. The lead single was “I Believe in Your Sweet Love”. This was followed by “I'm Just a Woman”. Tyler won the Grand Prix International prize at the World Popular Song Festival for her performance of the third single from this album “Sitting on the Edge of the Ocean”.

Her fifth album Faster Than the Speed of Night in 1983 brought Tyler great success with the single “Total Eclipse of the Heart”. The album went to number one on the UK Albums chart and was certified Silver in the UK, Platinum in the US, and Double Platinum in Canada. The album also included covers of “Straight From the Heart” by Bryan Adams and “Have You Ever Seen the Rain?” by Creedence Clearwater Revival among others.

Secret Dreams and Forbidden Fire the sixth album came out three years later in 1986. It included seven singles with “Holding Out for a Hero” released two years in advance for the soundtrack of the movie “Footloose”. Among the other singles was “Loving You's a Dirty Job but Somebody's Gotta Do It” which was released as a collaborative single with Todd Rundgren.

The seventh album Hide Your Heart was released in 1988 while Tyler was on tour to promote the album touring the UK. She performed at the Reading Festival and then took off on a six-week tour of the Soviet Union between November and December 1988. The lead single from the album was “The Best” followed by “Hide Your Heart” and a live version of “Save Up All Your Tears”.

Bitterblue the eighth album came out in 1991. It was a pop-rock album. From this album three singles were released “Bitterblue”, “Against the Wind”, and “Where Were You”. It was certified 3x Platinum in Norway.

Her ninth album Angel Heart released in 1992 included two successful hits “Fools Lullaby” and “Call Me”. However, as a true Tyler fan, I consider the title song “Angel Heart” above these. She also sang a duet with Frankie Miller on this album “Save Your Love”.

Her tenth album Silhouette in Red was a commercial success and certified Gold in Norway. Among the singles released were “Sally Comes Around”, “From the Bottom of My Lonely Heart, and “You Are So Beautiful”. Tyler went on a 47-date tour to promote the album starting in Regensburg, Germany, and concluding the tour in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Free Spirit the eleventh album was released in 1995. It included four singles “Making Love (Out of Nothing at All)”, “Your the One”, “Two Out of Three Ain't Bad” , and “Limelight”.

After some hits and misses in 2013, Tyler released Rocks and Honey which included the single “Believe in Me” which was used as the U.K.’s entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2013. After the contest, Tyler won two Eurovision Song Contest Radio Awards for Best Song and Best Singer. Her most recent singles “This is Gonna Hurt” and “Love is the Knife” were just released in August and September of 2013. She went on a South Africa Tour in 2013.

This was followed by the album Earth and Stars in 2019 and finally, The Best is Yet to Come in 2021.

The second single from this last album “Dreams Are Not Enough” received a worldwide release. She wanted to set out on a tour to promote the album and commemorate her 70th birthday but due to the COVIC pandemic. she has put this off until late 2023.

Bonnie Tyler has won three Golden Europa Awards and an Echo Award. She has been recognized as the “International First Lady of Rock”. She is and has been an amazing talent with a voice that just makes your heart beat and feel along with every song she sings.