Bonnie Tyler (born June 8; 1951 in Skewen; Neath; South Wales; United Kingdom) is a Welsh rock singer. Born Gaynor Hopkins; she is recognizable by her highly distinctive; husky voice.Born to a family that included three sisters and two brothers; her father worked in a coal mine and her mother (an opera lover) shared her love for music with her children. She grew up listening to Motown music and female artists like Janis Joplin and Tina Turner.In 1970; at age 18; she entered a talent contest; singing Mary Hopkinss hit Those Were the Days; but only came in second place. She then was chosen to sing in a band called Bobby Wayne and the Dixies. Two years later; she formed her own band called Imagination and performed with them in pubs and clubs all over south Wales. "Total Eclipse of the Heart" is a song written by Jim Steinman. It was originally released on an album by Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler in 1983, produced by Steinman. It has been covered several times, and rewritten (with Michael Kunze) for the musical Tanz der Vampire as "Totale Finsternis".Bonnie Tyler (born June 8; 1951 in Skewen; Neath; South Wales; United Kingdom) is a Welsh rock singer. Born.