Pop/rock queen bee Bonnie Tyler is everything an ‘80s superstar is meant to be. The South Wales native graced the American music scene with songs like "Total Eclipse of the Heart" and "Holding Out for a Hero," a track off the Footloose soundtrack, thus capturing the passionate big hair, belted lyrical style of any stellar ‘80s band.Tyler (born Gaynor Hopkins) got her foot in the door of the music industry with the '80s Welsh outfit Mumbles, a less than stellar college goth group that nevertheless led her onward toward pop superstardom. The powerful vocalist experienced a setback when nodules on her vocal cords prevented her from singing at all, but in 1976 Tyler underwent surgery that left her with a raspy voice that became the signature quality in her music. Using her husky voice as an instrument, Tyler was soon discovered by Ronnie Scott and Steve Wolfe, who became her managers and who she has to thank for her first hit song, 1978's "It's a Heartache." A failed attempt at a country crossover left Tyler in search of a new manager, and she found great things in Meat Loaf producer Jim Steinman, who produced the singer's incredible hit song "Total Eclipse of the Heart." Recorded with E Street Band members Max Weinberg and Roy Bittan, along with Rick Derringer and Rory Dodd, "Total Eclipse of the Heart" was an instant blowout. Spending four weeks at the number one slot for Pop Singles, the song garnered far-and-wide fame for the newfound pop star. The song also helped the 1983 LP Faster Than the Speed of Night hit the Billboard charts, setting the vocalist up for her next hit song, 1984's "Holding Out for a Hero." The song appeared on the standard ‘80s film Footloose, boosting Tyler's success from superstar to megastar overnight. Continuing onward with her incredible singing career, Tyler continued to release albums throughout the ‘90s and into the ‘00s, but none would be as great as her '84 masterpiece.
