Does Bonnie have the Rex Factor?
Sexy Rexy, as he's known in this parish, is our sixtysomething music expert, who eschews current fads and trends in favour of the classic sounds of yesteryear.
This week, I've been listening to Bonnie Tyler's It's A Heartache (watch it here on You Tube).
It's a lovely tune by a beautiful blonde singer with a voice as strong as an ox.
I've always been quite fond of Bonnie, though I think she had a crush on coronary specialists.
She seemed to write a lot of things about hearts.
Total Eclipse of the Heart was another.
I'm surprised she didn't join Queen to duet on their album Sheer Heart Attack.
I like to listen to Bonnie while blowing bubbles on my clay pipe. It's that sort of music.
Rex Factor Facts: Bonnie Tyler's real name was Gaynor Hopkins. She's now 57.
Bonnie was born in Skewen, Neath.
She gained her distinctive husky voice by applying sandpaper to her vocal chords. (Obviously, we're only joking with that one).
Bonnie had three sisters and two brothers, her father worked in a coal mine and her mother, was an opera lover who shared her enthusiasm for Motown music and female artists like Janis Joplin and Tina Turner with her daughter.
Bonnie first found fame at the age of 19 when she entered a talent contest, singing Mary Hopkin's hit "Those Were the Days," but only came in second place.
