time for another golden year and joining me today ah it's lovely to see Bonnie Tyler it's great to see you again here we are back together again yeah old firm so it's been a bizal time for you because you've been writing your book and it's gone rather well hasn't it yeah my Memoirs how I got into the music business you know and living in Wales with a big family and uh yeah the people I've met over the years and um it's called Straight From the Heart yeah um it's a song actually I recorded of Brian Adams in the80s on one of the albums I did with Jim Steinman you know but uh I wrote it straight from the heart so that's why I called it straight from the heart and you know honesty is you know what you've always had as your stock in trade you're always completely honest and open with people singing as well as in life yeah and you know it's um it's it's as it is you know I can't change me you know I'm what you see is what you get absolutely and you show I think it's an inspirational story because you show how it is possible from any background to come up and be be a major International Star yeah I never thought that would happen mind this you know that was a bonus but uh yeah I all I wanted to do was sing in a band and um I was really happy when I got this residency in a nightclub you know as one of the Dixies um I went to an audition uh they were looking for three girls for Bobby Wayne and the Dixies you know Bobby Wayne was an incredible singer um like um you know very high voice like what's his name now Frankie Valley oh right really like him you know and we did back in vocals and then we'd change over and we'd do uh lead vocals and we'd back each other and stuff like that anyway I was with them for about 2 years and then I formed my own band and uh it was while I was with that band imagination in a local Club in Swansea where I got discovered by Roger Bell who was um a talent scout for Chapel Music so it's a long way since 1974 to then I had a record deal in 1976 on RCA records lost in France yeah and of course so many great songs and you mentioned Jim Steinman such a fantastic collaboration his songs and your voice just seem to be made for each other yes and that's you know when I was on RCA I I loved it for five years you know and they wanted to sign me again for another five years but I had my eyes on moving more rock you know and um when they offered me another five years I took a chance and I didn't sign uh but I luckily I was picked up by Sonny and when the head of an asked me who I want to work with you know and I told them Jim Steinman he nearly fell off the floor I actually didn't say Jim Ste and I said I want to work with the producer and the songwriter that does mlof everything that meatl does I want to do you know I want to do that kind of and they thought I was crackers he said Bonnie yeah he's never going to work with you I said what do you mean ask him you know cheing it so I said ask him oh it's a long shot he said I said look you ask me where I would to work with them telling new to ask him so they did expecting a flat no who worked with Jim Steinman with two albums after that and Mah it's great though I mean you've always kind of known what's right for you haven't you yes well you know I'm not in the charts every five minutes you know but I'm always on the road with my band know I just love music I love performing and um you know and I'm still doing it I'm 72 and you know I'm in the uh Indigo or two you know on the 25th of July and I have a fabulous band that's been with me for donkeys years you know and they are great musicians and I'm really looking forward to doing the Indigo on the 25th of July when did it all start how young were you when you first warbled a song well I I suang in church when I was 16 all things bright and beautiful but with my voice it wasn't so beautiful certainly be bright there when you were younger you probably I was 69 but but I was always you know in my bedroom singing with a hairbrush I didn't have a microphone all these days all the kids got microphones and they and Koke sets I didn't have anything like that my father used to tape the top of the pops uh or the top four on a real toore two trck tape and I used to take to my bedroom and go through the whole tape and pick out songs I really liked and write all the words down stop and pause pause pause until I got all the words to the songs I really liked and I'd be singing like Tina Turner Janice Jin um Wilson picket you know and I was like 17 then and my my auntie used to come regularly to visit you know and she said Gana that's my real name is always upstairs singing she got a great voice so I'm going to put her down for a talent competition in the local Rugby Club and I came second so you've chosen 1971 as your golden year why that year I was um already singing in a a local Club then and um I used to sing quite a lot of like Janice Joplin Tina Turner and you know and uh so I picked that year well actually I picked another year but that was already taken so sry but 1971 is still a great year and Janice jlin recorded Me and Bobby McGee what a vocal you know I mean I remember in Woodstock I didn't go to Woodstock but you know I remember seeing a on footage on the television when she was singing take another little piece of my heart now you know and my God what and you know it was like incredible this voice every nauy at ATS had so much passion in it you know and so I just love this song and Chris Kristofferson wrote it yeah apparently so what I've read she she really fancied Chris I don't think he fancied her but so I know I know your golden year 1971 Bonnie so you want a Rod Stewart song as well of course yeah who didn't like Maggie May H you know uh I never dreamt that years later I would do a duet with Rod Stewart you know I did a duet with him about four four years ago uh on the albums uh between the Earth and the stars but uh after I had um my first hits they were comparing me to Rod Stewart you know and I thought wow that's a great comparison thank you very much I'll take that but uh Maggie May what a song Maggie May by Rod Stewart of course 1971 golden year for Bonnie Tyler we've got another song from you and you've mentioned her already Tina Turner just one of the very best absolutely absolutely oh gosh another one that I mean I was devastated when I heard that she'd passed away I thought she was in Invincible you know her rendition of Proud Mary wow yeah just starts off really slow and then look out yeah well you're a comparable singer to Tina Turner you've got absolutely your own voice and style an unmistakable sound is there anybody you'd like to work with in the future while uh oh this I I hadn't really thought about that um but I'm sure there are think now be up to them to approach you and then we make sure they they make them wait I'm I'm still available I'm an old rock and roll legend uh uh fossil that still loves touring I'm I'm touring all the time you know I know and it's great CU you obviously love it that's the I do love it and and you you get something out of being on stage yeah I do yeah the traveling is another thing but there again I love it so much I'm even traveling to New Zealand and uh uh Australia next year to tour there with my wonderful band as well and and South Africa I'm in a lot of other places before then I'm back in Germany like uh tomorrow all right um I go to Cyprus um I'm everywhere there's no stopping you at all is the live album we can't you know in Berlin get out there and we'll buy that and of course the the book Straight From the Heart which is a great title because it is the autobiography of Bonnie Tyler is out now in hardback paperback coming out September Bonnie fantastic to see you thank so much thank you