Golden Hits Radio and GHR-2's Everything Oldies.......new week, new Oldies news!
- A Queen assures her subjects she'll be OK
- Sir Paul receives yet another honor
- An incredibly eclectic cover of "Let It Be" is out.....featuring an A-list of "Where Are They Now?" celebrities
- Alice Cooper debunks some longstanding rumors about him
- Which member of a musical royal family is no longer allowed to drive, and why?
- A music legend is in the holiday spirit, and is offering his latest Christmas tune for free!
Oldies on TV
- John Mellencamp - Late Show with David Letterman - CBS
Where In The World Is.....Bonnie Tyler?
Sometimes success comes in spite of everything an artist might do to sabotage it. Such is the case with Bonnie Tyler. After several years of relative obscurity and mediocrity, a primal scream against the wishes of her doctor changed both her voice.....and her career for the better.
Born Gaynor Hopkins on June 6, 1951 in Skewen, Neath, Wales, she grew up on the sounds of Motown and also developed an appreciation for opera (a favorite of her mother). In 1970, she entered a talent contest and took second prize. Upon joining a group called Bobby Wayne & The Dixies, she adopted the stage name Sherene Davies. Several years, and bands, later, she signed with RCA Records in 1975. At the request of her new record label, her stage name became Bonnie Tyler.
Her first single ("Lost In France") and album ("The World Starts Tonight") were big in the UK, but Bonnie Tyler was still unknown in the U.S. Before she recorded her second album, she was diagnosed with nodules on her vocal cords so severe that they would have to be surgically removed. Following the surgery, her doctor instructed her not to use her voice for six weeks. A few days later, a scream of frustration would leave her with a gravelly voice permanently. What she originally thought would end her career only served to make her unique, and would quickly bring stardom in America and worldwide.
Her first single featuring her "new voice" was a global phemonenon. "It's A Heartache" hit #3 in the U.S., #4 in Britain, #2 in Germany, and topped the French and Australian singles charts. While further chart success would be hit or miss for the next few years, Bonnie Tyler's voice was now an asset and not a liability.
Her contract with RCA expired in 1982, and she made the move to Columbia Records. She also changed management, and sought to work with master songwriter and producer Jim Steinman, who had become a household name thanks to his collaboration with Meat Loaf. The single he contributed to her album "Faster Than The Speed of Night" became another worldwide smash, and has become a timeless classic and a staple on karaoke night. "Total Eclipse of the Heart" topped the charts in four countries including the U.S. and UK in 1983. Bonnie Tyler was once again a global phenomenon.
She had a few more minor hits in America before falling off the charts for good, but she remains a huge star in Europe. She has worked with Jim Steinman on several more collaborations, and her most recent activity includes a rendition of "Total Eclipse of the Heart" with actress Lucy Lawless (Xena: Warrior Princess) on the American TV reality contest Celebrity Duets and a 2010 appearance in a British TV commercial for Mastercard singing a parody of "Total Eclipse".
Let's travel back to where it all began. From a 1977 European television appearance......
Golden Hits Radio and GHR-2's Burning Question of the Day
Who initially rejected a song that later became a #1 hit for her because she said the guitar tracks "sounded too much like a Beatles song"?
Check back tomorrow @ Everything Oldies for the answer, and leave a Comment here with your best guess!
Yesterday's Burning Question (and Answer) of the Day
A while back, we mentioned that Billy Joel's album 52nd Street was the first to be released commercially on CD, but it was NOT the first to actually be dubbed to CD. Which album holds that distinction?
Answer: Abba's "Super Trouper"
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