Coordinates	34°03′″N118°15′″N
name	Anita Hegerland
background	solo_singer
born	March 03, 1961Sandefjord
genre	Pop
occupation	Singer
years active	1970 –present
associated acts	Mike Oldfield
notable instruments	}}

Anita Hegerland (born 3 March 1961 in Sandefjord), is a Norwegian singer famous for her childhood career in the Scandinavian and German markets and subsequent vocal contributions to amongst others Mike Oldfield's work.

Biography

Hegerland was discovered at age 8 by Fredrik Friis during a Christmas show where she was performing. Hegerland's musical career took off in 1970 with "Mitt Sommarlov" (transl: My summer holiday) in Scandinavian countries. It spent 22 weeks on Norway's singles chart, with two weeks at #1, and the song was also a #1 hit in Sweden. In 1971 she released a single with German artist Roy Black; "Schön ist es auf der Welt zu sein (It's beautiful to be in the world)" in German speaking countries. The song was recorded both with German and Norwegian vocals. It sold over 2 million copies (of which more than 1.3 million came from Germany), and spent 30 weeks on the singles chart (top peak #3) in Norway.

In total she had four different albums on the Norwegian chart as a child star. The last one in 1973 (when she was 12 years old). She also participated in the Norwegian final (for entry to the Eurovision Song Contest 1971), but did not win. She continued as a pop singer in Germany and Scandinavia for several years and then pursued an adult vocal career with greater artistic ambition (but less popular success).

Performing on her non-album single "Pictures in the Dark" in 1985, she met British musician Mike Oldfield. She also sings on two of his 1980s albums; ''Islands'' and ''Earth Moving''. She has two children with Mike Oldfield, Greta and Noah, and until recently lived on Nesøya near Oslo.

References

External links

Category:1961 births Category:Living people Category:Norwegian female singers Category:Norwegian child singers Category:Melodi Grand Prix contestants Category:People from Asker Category:People from Sandefjord

bg:Анита Хегерланд cs:Anita Hegerland de:Anita Hegerland es:Anita Hegerland fr:Anita Hegerland nl:Anita Hegerland no:Anita Hegerland pl:Anita Hegerland sv:Anita Hegerland

Coordinates	34°03′″N118°15′″N
name	Mike Oldfield
landscape	yes
background	solo_singer
birth name	Michael Gordon Oldfield
birth date	May 15, 1953
birth place	Reading, Berkshire, England
instrument	Guitar, keyboards, Percussion, vocals, Bass guitar, drums, piano, organ, glockenspiel, mandolin, banjo, tubular bells, Chapman stick
genre	Ambient, Celtic fusion, classical, Synthpop, experimental, minimalist, Honky-Tonk, Neoclassical, new age, Neofolk, pop, progressive rock, rock and roll, world
occupation	Musician, Songwriter, Producer, Game designer
years active	1967–present
label	Virgin (1972–1991)Warner Bros. (1992–2003)Mercury (2005–present)
associated acts	Maggie Reilly, Kevin Ayers, Robert Wyatt, David Bedford, Anita Hegerland, Pekka Pohjola
website	www.mikeoldfieldofficial.com }}

Michael Gordon Oldfield (born 15 May 1953, Reading, Berkshire) is an English multi-instrumentalist musician and composer, working a style that blends progressive rock, folk, ethnic or world music, classical music, electronic music, New Age, and more recently, dance. His music is often elaborate and complex in nature. He is best known for his hit 1973 album ''Tubular Bells'', which launched Virgin Records, and for his 1983 hit single "Moonlight Shadow". He is also well known for his hit rendition of the Christmas piece, "In Dulci Jubilo".

Biography

Oldfield's parents are Raymond Oldfield, a general practitioner, and his wife Maureen Liston, a nurse. His sister Sally and brother Terry are successful musicians in their own right and have appeared on several of his albums. Mike Oldfield was born in the Battle Hospital, Reading, Berkshire, and he attended St Joseph's Convent School, Highlands Junior School in Tilehurst, St Edward's Preparatory School, and Presentation College in Reading. When he was 13 he moved with his parents to Harold Wood in northeast London, where he attended Hornchurch Grammar School. He only stayed there long enough to take one GCE examination, in English, as he had already begun his music career.

Early career

Oldfield's career began fairly early, playing acoustic guitar in local folk clubs. At this time, he already had two fifteen-minute instrumental pieces in which he would "go through all sorts of moods", a precursor to his landmark 1970s compositions. In his early teens, Oldfield was involved in a 'beat group' playing Shadows-style music (he has often cited Hank Marvin as a major influence, and would later cover The Shadows' song "Wonderful Land"). In 1967 he and his sister Sally formed the folk duo The Sallyangie and were signed to Transatlantic Records after exposure in the local folk scene. An album, ''Children of the Sun'', was issued in 1968. After Sallyangie disbanded, he formed another duo with his brother Terry, called Barefoot, which took him back to rock music.

In 1970 he joined The Whole World - backing group to vocalist Kevin Ayers, formerly of the Soft Machine - playing bass guitar and occasionally lead guitar. The band also included keyboardist and composer David Bedford, who quickly befriended Oldfield, and encouraged him in his composition of an early version of ''Tubular Bells''. Bedford would later arrange and conduct an orchestral version of that album. Oldfield is featured on two Ayers albums, ''Whatevershebringswesing'' and ''Shooting at the Moon''.

Having recorded a demo version of ''Tubular Bells'', Oldfield attempted to persuade record labels to take the project on. In 1972 he met the young Richard Branson who was setting up his own record label, Virgin Records, and after playing the demo to engineers Tom Newman and Simon Heyworth, he began recording the 1973 version of the album.

Virgin years (1973–1991)

''Tubular Bells'' became Oldfield's most famous work. The instrumental composition was recorded in 1972 and launched on 25 May 1973 as the inaugural album of Richard Branson's Virgin Records label. The album was groundbreaking, as Oldfield played more than twenty different instruments in the multi-layered recording made in Branson's Manor studios, and its style moved through many diverse musical genres. Its 2,630,000 UK sales put it at No.34 on the list of the best selling albums in the UK. In the US, it received attention with the opening theme appearing in the soundtrack to ''The Exorcist''. The title track subsequently became a Top 10 hit single in the US as well and is today considered to be a forerunner of the New Age movement. In 1974, Oldfield played guitar on the critically acclaimed album ''Rock Bottom'' by Robert Wyatt. In the autumn of 1974, the follow-up LP, ''Hergest Ridge'', was No.1 in the UK for three weeks before being dethroned by ''Tubular Bells''. Although ''Hergest Ridge'' was released over a year after ''Tubular Bells'', it reached No.1 first. ''Tubular Bells'' spent 11 weeks (10 of them consecutive) at No.2 before its one week at the top. In 1979, Oldfield's music was used as the musical score for ''The Space Movie'', a Virgin movie that celebrated the 10th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission.

Like ''Tubular Bells'', ''Hergest Ridge'' is a two-movement instrumental piece, this time evoking scenes from Oldfield's Herefordshire country retreat. It was followed in 1975 by the pioneering world music piece ''Ommadawn'', and 1978's ''Incantations'' which introduced more diverse choral performances from Sally Oldfield, Maddy Prior, and the Queen's College Girls Choir. In 1975 Oldfield recorded a version of the Christmas piece "In Dulci Jubilo" which charted at number four in the UK. Oldfield's 1976 rendition of "Portsmouth" remains his highest charting single on the UK Singles Chart, reaching number three.

In 1976 Oldfield and his sister Sally joined his friend and band member Pekka Pohjola to play on his album ''Mathematician's Air Display'', which was released in 1977. The album was recorded and edited at Oldfield's Througham Slad Manor in Gloucestershire by Oldfield and Paul Lindsay.

Around the time of ''Incantations'', Oldfield underwent a controversial self-assertiveness therapy course known as Exegesis. Possibly as a result, the formerly reclusive musician staged a major European tour to promote the album, chronicled in his live album ''Exposed'', much of which was recorded at the National Exhibition Centre near Birmingham, the first-ever concert there.

In 1975, Oldfield received a Grammy award for Best Instrumental Composition in "Tubular Bells – Theme from ''The Exorcist''". In 1979, he recorded a version of the signature tune of the popular British Children's Television programme, ''Blue Peter'', which was used by the show for 10 years.

The early 1980s saw Oldfield make a transition to mainstream pop music, beginning with the inclusion of shorter instrumental tracks and contemporary cover versions on ''Platinum'' and ''QE2'' (the latter named after the ocean liner). Soon afterwards he turned to songwriting, with a string of collaborations featuring various lead vocalists alongside his characteristic searing guitar solos. The best known of these is "Moonlight Shadow", his 1983 hit with Maggie Reilly. The most successful Oldfield composition on the US pop charts during this period was actually a cover version — Hall & Oates's remake of Oldfield's "Family Man" for their 1982 album ''H₂O''. Released as the album's third single, it hit the Top 10 during the spring of 1983 and was a hugely popular MTV music video.

Oldfield later turned to film and video, writing the score for Roland Joffé's acclaimed film ''The Killing Fields'' and producing substantial video footage for his album ''Islands''. ''Islands'' continued what Oldfield had been doing on the past couple of albums, with an instrumental piece on one side and rock/pop singles on the other. Of these, "Islands", sung by Bonnie Tyler and "Magic Touch", with vocals by Max Bacon (in the U.S. version) and Glasgow vocalist Southside Jimmy (in other versions), were the major hits. In the U.S., the Virgin America airline promoted the song "Magic Touch" to a large extent, making it a success, reaching the top 10 on the Billboard album rock charts. During the 1980s, Oldfield's then-wife, Norwegian singer Anita Hegerland, contributed vocals to many songs including "Pictures in the Dark".

''Earth Moving'' was released in July 1989, and was a moderate success. The album was the first to exclusively feature rock/pop songs, several of which were released: "Innocent" and "Holy" in Europe, and "Hostage" in the USA for album rock stations. This was, however, a time of much friction with his record label. Virgin Records reportedly insisted that any future instrumental album should be billed as ''Tubular Bells 2''. Oldfield's rebellious response was ''Amarok'', an hour-long work featuring rapidly changing themes (supposedly devised to make cutting a single from the album impossible), unpredictable bursts of noise, and a very cleverly hidden Morse code insult directed at Richard Branson. Although regarded by many fans as his greatest work, it was not a commercial success. His parting shot from the Virgin label was ''Heaven's Open'', which continued the veiled attacks on Branson but was notable for being the first time Oldfield had contributed all the lead vocals himself. It was the only album he released under the name 'Michael Oldfield'.

Warner years (1992–2003)

The very first thing Oldfield did when arriving at his new label, Warner Bros., was to write and release ''Tubular Bells II'', the sequel to his first record on Virgin, as his final insult to his former label. It was premiered at a live concert at Edinburgh Castle. He then continued to embrace new musical styles, with ''The Songs of Distant Earth'' (based on Arthur C. Clarke's novel of the same name) exhibiting a softer "New Age" sound. In 1994 he also had an asteroid named after him, 5656 Oldfield.

In 1995 Oldfield further continued to embrace new musical styles by producing a Celtic-themed album, ''Voyager''. In 1992 Oldfield met Luar na Lubre, a Galician Celtic-folk band (from A Coruña, Spain). The band's popularity grew after Oldfield covered their song "O son do ar" ("The sound of the air") on his ''Voyager'' album.

In 1998 he produced the third ''Tubular Bells'' album (also premiered at a concert, this time in Horse Guards Parade, London), drawing from the dance music scene at his then new home on the island of Ibiza. This album was still inspired by themes from ''Tubular Bells'', but differed in lacking a clear two-part layout.

During 1999 Oldfield released two albums. The first, ''Guitars'', used guitars as the source for all the sounds on the album, including percussion. The second, ''The Millennium Bell'', consisted of pastiches of a number of styles of music that represented various historical periods over the past millennium. The work was performed live in Berlin for the city's millennium celebrations in 1999–2000.

He added to his repertoire the MusicVR project, combining his music with a virtual reality-based computer game. His first work on this project is ''Tr3s Lunas'' launched in 2002, a virtual game where the player can interact with a world full of new music. This project appeared as a double CD, one with the music, and the other with the game.

In 2003 he released ''Tubular Bells 2003'', a re-recording of the original ''Tubular Bells'', on CD, and DVD-Audio. This was done to "fix" many "imperfections" in the original due to the recording technologies of the early 1970s and limitations in time that he could spend in the recording studio. It celebrated the 30th anniversary of ''Tubular Bells'', Oldfield's 50th birthday and his marriage to Fanny in the same year. At around the same time Virgin released an SACD version containing both the original stereo album and the 1975 quadraphonic mix by Phil Newell. In the 2003 version, the original voice of the 'Master of Ceremonies' (Viv Stanshall) was replaced by the voice of John Cleese, Stanshall having died in the interim.

Mercury years (since 2004)

On 12 April 2004 Oldfield launched his next virtual reality project, ''Maestro'', which contains music from the ''Tubular Bells 2003'' album and also some new chillout melodies. The games have since been made available free of charge on Tubular.net. A double album, ''Light + Shade'', was released on Mercury Records in 2005, with whom Mike had recently signed a three-album deal. The two discs contain music of contrasting moods, one relaxed (''Light'') and the other more edgy and moody (''Shade''). Oldfield headlined the German Night of the Proms tour, consisting of 18 concerts in December 2006.

His autobiography ''Changeling'' was published in May 2007 by Virgin Books. In March 2008 Oldfield released his first classical album, ''Music of the Spheres''; Karl Jenkins assisted with the orchestration. In the first week of release the album topped the UK Classical chart and reached number 9 on the main UK Album Chart. A single, "Spheres", featuring a demo version of pieces from the album was released digitally. The album was nominated for a Classical Brit Award, the NS&I; Best Album of 2009.

In 2008 Oldfield contributed an exclusive song ("Song for Survival") to a charity album called ''Songs for Survival'', in support of the Survival International. Oldfield's daughter, Molly, played a large part in the project.

In 2008 when Oldfield's original 35-year deal with Virgin Records ended, the rights to ''Tubular Bells'' and his other Virgin releases were returned to him, and then they were transferred to Mercury Records. Mercury issued a press release on 15 April 2009, noting that Oldfield's Virgin albums would be re-released, starting 8 June 2009. These releases include special features from the archives. On 6 June 2009, an International Bell Ringing day took place, to promote the reissue of his first album, ''Tubular Bells''. The next two albums were reissued in June 2010 along with the launch of a new official web site. ''Incantations'' was reissued in July 2011.

In March 2010 ''Music Week'' reported that publishing company Stage Three Music (now a part of BMG) had acquired a 50% stake in the songs of Oldfield's entire recorded output in a seven-figure deal. In 2010 lyricist Don Black said in an interview with ''Music Week'' that he had been working with Oldfield. In early 2011 Mike Oldfield was in a studio with German producer Torsten Stenzel, collaborating on a chill-out track for a forthcoming album by Torsten Stenzel's York project.

Personal life

Oldfield and his siblings were raised Roman Catholic, the faith of their Irish mother. In the late 1970s, Oldfield briefly married Diana D'Aubigny (the sister of the Exegesis group leader), but this lasted just a few weeks.

Mike Oldfield has seven children. In the early 1980s, he had three children with Sally Cooper (Molly, Dougal and Luke). In the late 1980s, he had two children (Greta and Noah) with Norwegian singer Anita Hegerland. In the 2000s, he married Fanny Vandekerckhove (born 1977), whom he met during his time in Ibiza; they have two sons together (Jake and Eugene).

Oldfield is a motorcycle fan and has five bikes. These include a BMW R1200GS, a Suzuki GSX-R750, a Suzuki GSX-R1000, and a Yamaha R1. He also says that some of his inspiration for composing comes from riding them. Throughout his life Oldfield has also had a passion for aircraft and building model aircraft. Since 1980 he has also been a licensed pilot and has flown fixed wing aircraft, the first of which was a Beechcraft Sierra and helicopters including the Agusta Bell 47G which featured on the sleeve of his cover version of the ABBA song "Arrival" as a parody of their album artwork. He is also interested in cars and has owned a Ferrari and a Bentley which was a gift from Richard Branson as an incentive for him to give his first live performance of ''Tubular Bells''. He has endorsed the Mercedes-Benz S-Class in the Mercedes UK magazine. Oldfield also considers himself to be a Trekkie (fan of the popular science fiction television series ''Star Trek''). He also noted in an interview in 2008 that he had two boats.

In November 2006, musician Noel Gallagher won a Spanish court case against Oldfield. Gallagher had bought an Ibiza villa for £2.5 million from Oldfield in 1999, but quickly discovered that part of the cliff-top property was falling into the sea. According to ''The Sun'', the resulting court case awarded Gallagher a six-figure sum in compensation. Suspicion abounds in the music industry that the law-suit was initiated because of embarrassment that Gallagher brought on himself by not having a proper survey done on the property before buying it. This included making an immediate and noisy complaint about someone's yacht tied up at the villa's jetty before it was pointed out that the yacht came with the villa and was, in fact, his.

In 2007 Oldfield caused a minor stir in the British press by criticizing Britain for being too controlling and protective, specifically concentrating on the smoking ban which England and Wales had introduced that year. Oldfield then moved from his Gloucestershire home to Palma de Mallorca, Spain. He has lived outside the UK in the past, including living in Los Angeles and Ibiza in the 1990s, and Switzerland in the mid-1980s, for tax reasons. He also currently has a home in Monaco. In 2009 he decided to move to the Bahamas, and put his home in Mallorca up for sale; the asking price was around €3.5 million, but has since been lowered, and as of August 2011 is still listed as available for sale by a major international real estate agency.

Instruments

Oldfield is a multi-instrumentalist; however he considers himself to be predominantly a guitarist.

Guitars

Over the years Oldfield has used a various selection of guitars, some of the most noted being:

A 1963 (also quoted as 1961 and 1962) salmon pink (fiesta red) Fender Stratocaster serial no.L08044 – used by Oldfield from 1984 (''Discovery'' album) until 2006 (Night of the Proms, rehearsals in Antwerp) – Sold for £30,000 at Chandler Guitars.

A 1989 amber PRS Artist Custom 24 – used by Oldfield from the late 1980s to the present day.

A 1966 blonde Fender Telecaster serial no. 180728 – the only electric guitar used on ''Tubular Bells'' and also previously owned by Marc Bolan – went up for auction at Bonhams in June 2007, with the money going to the SANE charity.

Various Gibson Les Paul and SGs – used by Oldfield extensively in the 1970s and 80s.

Oldfield used a modified Roland GP8 effects processor in conjunction with his PRS Artist to get many of his heavily overdriven guitar sounds from the ''Earth Moving'' album onwards. Oldfield has also been using Guitar synthesizers since the mid-1980s, using a 1980s Roland GR-300/G-808 type system, then a 1990s Roland GK2 equipped red PRS Custom 24 (sold in 2006) with a Roland VG8, and most recently a Line 6 Variax.

Oldfield has an unusual playing style, using both fingers and fingernails and several ways of creating vibrato: a "very fast side-to-side vibrato" or "violinist's vibrato". Oldfield has also stated that his playing style originates from his musical roots playing folk music and the bass guitar.

Recording

Oldfield has self-recorded and produced many of his albums, and played the majority of the instruments that feature on them, largely at his home studios. In the 1990s and 2000s he has been mainly using DAWs such as Apple Logic, Avid Pro Tools and Steinberg Nuendo as recording suites. For composing classical music Oldfield has been quoted as using the software notation program, Sibelius, combined with Apple Macintoshes. He also used the FL Studio DAW on his 2005 double album ''Light + Shade''. Among the mixing consoles Oldfield has owned are an AMS Neve Capricorn 33238, a Harrison Series X, and a Euphonix System 5-MC.

Keyboards

Over the years Oldfield has owned and used a vast number of synthesizers and other keyboard instruments. In the 1980s he composed the score for the film ''The Killing Fields'' on a Fairlight CMI. Some examples of keyboard and synthesized instruments which Oldfield has made use of includes Sequential Circuits Prophets (notably on ''Platinum''), Roland JV-1080/JV-2080 units (in the 1990s), a Korg M1 (as seen in the "Innocent" video), a Clavia Nord Lead, and Steinway pianos among an almost endless list of others. In recent years Oldfield has also made use of software synthesis, such as Native Instruments products, notably on his ''Light + Shade'' album.

Discography

Oldfield has had more than 30 charting albums and 25 charting singles on the British charts, and many more around the world.

Main albums

{| style="width:100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" |- valign="top" |style="width:50%"|

''Tubular Bells'' (1973)

''Hergest Ridge'' (1974)

''The Orchestral Tubular Bells'' (1975)

''Ommadawn'' (1975)

''Incantations'' (1978)

''Exposed'' (1979)

''Platinum'' (1979)

''QE2'' (1980)

''Five Miles Out'' (1982)

''Crises'' (1983)

''Discovery'' (1984)

''The Killing Fields'' (1984)

''Islands'' (1987)

|style="width:50%"|

''Earth Moving'' (1989)

''Amarok'' (1990)

''Heaven's Open'' (1991)

''Tubular Bells II'' (1992)

''The Songs of Distant Earth'' (1994)

''Voyager'' (1996)

''Tubular Bells III'' (1998)

''Guitars'' (1999)

''The Millennium Bell'' (1999)

''Tr3s Lunas'' (2002)

''Tubular Bells 2003'' (2003)

''Light + Shade'' (2005)

''Music of the Spheres'' (2008)

|}

Quotation

''NME'' - April 1979

See also

Sally Oldfield

Terry Oldfield

Kevin Ayers

Maggie Reilly

Rick Fenn

Maddy Prior

Anita Hegerland

New Age music

Electronic music

Virgin Records

Bibliography

References

External links

; Official sites MikeOldfieldOfficial.com – The official Mike Oldfield website

* Mike Oldfield official Universal store

MikeOldfield.org – The official Mike Oldfield information service

; Fan-based sites

Tubular.net – The largest and most well-established Mike Oldfield website, for news and information.

; Other sites

Category:1953 births Category:Living people Category:English songwriters Category:English guitarists Category:English multi-instrumentalists Category:English buskers Category:English New Age musicians Category:English composers Category:British people of Irish descent Category:People from Reading, Berkshire Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Virgin Records artists Category:Mercury Records artists Category:English Roman Catholics Category:Warner Bros. Records artists Category:FL Studio users Category:People educated at Presentation College, Reading Category:People educated at The Highlands School, Reading

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Coordinates	34°03′″N118°15′″N
Name	Aled Jones
Background	solo_singer
Birth date	December 29, 1970
Origin	Bangor, Wales
Instrument	Vocals, Drums
Genre	Christian music
Occupation	Musician, broadcaster
Years active	1983–present
Label	Universal Classics and Jazz
Website	www.aledjones.com }}

Aled Jones (born 29 December 1970) is a Welsh singer and television/radio personality, broadcaster and television presenter (Escape to the Country and Cash in the Attic) who first came to fame as a treble (the third and highest vocal range). He is notable for presenting ''Songs of Praise'' on BBC 1, BBC Radio 2's, ''The Early Breakfast Show'', ''Good Morning Sunday'' and ''The Choir'' on BBC Radio 3. He is currently mentoring choirgirl Isabel Suckling, the youngest classical recording artist signed by Decca Records and first choirgirl to sign a record contract with a major music label to date. Her debut album, greatly endorsed by Jones who described it as "breathtaking" was released on 29 November 2010.

Biography

Jones was born in St. David's Hospital in Bangor, Wales, the only child of Nest Rowlands, a teacher, and Derek John Jones, a draughtsman for a shipbuilder. He was raised in the small Welsh-speaking community of Llandegfan, in Anglesey and attended Ysgol David Hughes. Jones joined the choir of Bangor Cathedral at age nine and was lead soloist within two years, although he never made Head Chorister. The remarkable clarity of his treble voice was appreciated by a member of the congregation, Hefina Orwig Evans, who wrote a letter to local record company Sain, and he was duly signed. In 1982 he won the Cerdd Dant solo competitions for competitors under 12 at the Urdd Eisteddfod.

Aled Jones became famous for the cover version of "Walking in the Air", the song from Channel 4's 1982 animated film ''The Snowman'', based on the book by Raymond Briggs. The record reached No. 5 in the UK charts in 1985. (However, the version used in the film was not performed by Jones, but by Peter Auty, a St. Paul's Cathedral choirboy.)

Aled Jones also, with the National Philharmonic Orchestra, was behind the ''Santa Claus The Movie'', original motion picture soundtrack, ''Every Christmas Eve'' of 1985.

In June 1985, Jones was the subject of the Emmy award winning BBC Omnibus documentary ''The Treble''.

His recording career was temporarily halted when his voice broke at 16. By this time he had recorded 16 albums, sold more than six million albums, and sung for Pope John Paul II, the Queen, and the Prince and Princess of Wales in a private recital, as well as presenting numerous children's television programmes. He sang at the wedding of music celebrities Bob Geldof and Paula Yates in 1986. He also had the distinction of being the first artist to have two classical albums listed simultaneously in the popular music charts. He also worked with Mike Oldfield (''Pictures in the Dark'') and Leonard Bernstein (''Chichester Psalms''). In 1986 he sang the oratorio ''Athalia'' with Emma Kirkby. His first biography, "Walking on Air", was published in 1986

Jones went on to study at the Royal Academy of Music and the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, before beginning his adult recording career, with a largely religious/inspirational repertoire. In 1995 he took the leading role in the long-running production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's ''Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat'' on a Blackpool pier.

Jones has recorded 24 albums, many of which reached gold or platinum status in the UK and Australia. He performs as a lyric baritone, though he has expressed a desire to move into the traditional register of the tenor.

Jones's appearance as a contestant on Strictly Come Dancing in 2004 brought him to the attention of a wider audience, leading to further tours and albums. It also led to increasing demands on him as a broadcaster.

He was a presenter on Classic FM as well as on Welsh radio (BBC Radio Wales and Radio Cymru) and television (S4C). In 2006 he joined the BBC, taking over from Don Maclean on ''Good Morning Sunday'' on BBC Radio 2 and ''The Choir'' on BBC Radio 3. He is also a presenter of Friday Night is Music Night, and has also been a regular stand-in presenter for Sarah Kennedy and Ken Bruce on Radio 2. Jones also presents other programmes for BBC radio such as "Choir of the Year" and "Young Chorister of the Year". Recently Jones has presented editions of Escape to the Country and Cash in the Attic for BBC TV

In 2005 he launched his eponymous autobiography, written in collaboration with Darren Henley.

Following the launch of his first baritone album, ''Aled'' (on the Universal Music label) in Australia in May 2003 when he went there on a promotional visit, he has since successfully toured in concert there four times: December 2003, August 2006, October 2008 and August to September 2010, performing in eight cities.

Jones has released two singles with Terry Wogan in aid of the Children in Need Appeal.

From 3 July until 30 August 2008 Jones played the lead role of Caractacus Potts in ''Chitty Chitty Bang Bang'' at the Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff. He returned to the stage, playing Bob Wallace in ''White Christmas'' at the Theatre Royal, Plymouth and at The Lowry, Salford Quays, from November 2009 until 9 January 2010.

Following the publication of ''Aled's Forty Favourite Hymns'' in 2009, a further book, ''Favourite Christmas Carols'', was published on 28 October 2010; Jones took the book on his UK tour in November and December 2010. On 29 November, his CD ''Aled's Christmas Gift'', was issued to accompany the book.

On 11 October 2010, it was announced that Jones would be taking over as stand-in presenter of the early morning breakfast slot on BBC Radio 2 following the departure of Sarah Kennedy, a role which he occasionally covered in the years leading up to Kennedy's departure. Jones covered this slot for six weeks until the week of his UK tour.

Personal life

While performing on Blackpool Pier in 1995 as the lead in ''Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat'', Aled met his future wife, Claire Fossett. The couple married in 2001, and now live in London with their two children, Emilia, born 23 February 2002 and Lucas, born 4 April 2005.

Discography

Albums

''Diolch â Chân'' (1983)

''Ave Maria'' (1984)

''Voices from the Holy Land'' (1985), also on VHS

''All Through The Night'' (1985), UK #2

''Carols for Christmas'' (''Christmas Album'') (1985), also on DVD

''Aled Jones With The BBC Welsh Chorus'' (1985) UK #11

''The Best of Aled Jones'' BBC Records (1985)

''Faure: Requiem'' ''Bernstein: Chichester Psalms'' (1986)

''Aled - Music from the TV Series'' (1986)

''Where E'er You Walk'' (1986) UK #36

''Pie Jesu'' (1986) UK #25

''An Album Of Hymns'' (1986) UK #18

''Handel: Athalia'' (1986)

''Sailing'' (1987)

''The Best of Aled Jones'' 10 Records (1987) UK #59

''The Very Best of Aled Jones'' (1988)

''From the Heart'' (2000), as baritone

''Aled'' (2002) UK #27

''Hear My Prayer'' (2003), as boy soprano

''Higher'' (2003) UK #21 (This included a guest track with Julian Lloyd Webber)

''The Christmas Album'' (2004) UK #28

''A Journey With Aled Jones'' (2005)

''Aled (Re-issue)'' (2005) UK #33

''New Horizons'' (2005) UK #21

''You Raise Me Up-The Best of Aled Jones'' (2006)

''Reason To Believe'' (2007)

''Aled Jones - The Ultimate Collection'' (2009)

''Aled's Christmas Gift'' (2010)

Singles

"Ave Maria" (1985)

"Memory" (1985) UK #42

"Too Young to Know" (1985)

"Walking in the Air" (1985) UK #5

"Pictures in the Dark" (with Mike Oldfield) (1985) UK #50

"Morning Has Broken" (1986)

"A Winter Story" (1986) UK #51

"I'm in This Over My Head" (1998)

"Some Kind of Wonderful" (duet with Cerys Matthews) (10 October 2007)

"Little Drummer Boy" (with Terry Wogan) (2008) UK #3

"Silver Bells" (with Terry Wogan) (2009)

Talking books

''The Story of Classical Music'' (2004)

''Famous Composers'' (2005)

''The Story of Jesus'' (2006)

VHS

''Aled Jones - New Born King - A Festival Of Carols From London's Westminster Cathedral '' (1992)

''Voices From The Holy Land'' (1985)

''Aled Jones - Carols For Christmas ''

DVDs

''The Little Prince'' featuring Aled Jones (2004)

''The Metropolitan Museum of Art: Carols for Christmas '' (2004)

''Aled Jones - Christmas Carols'' (2008)

References

External links

Aled Jones's official website

The Boy Choir & Soloist Directory A full album discography with track listings

Aled Jones on BBC Radio 2

Aled Jones biography on BBC Wales

The Unofficial Aled Jones Fanclub on Yahoo Groups

Aled Jones on Play it Again

Aled Jones section on ClassicalX

Interview with Aled at Premier.tv

Official Record Label Website

C Music TV Profile

Locatetv.vom

Category:1970 births Category:BBC Radio 2 presenters Category:BBC Radio 3 presenters Category:Boy sopranos Category:British performers of Christian music Category:British radio DJs Category:Classical music radio personnel Category:Living people Category:People from Anglesey Category:Strictly Come Dancing participants Category:Welsh baritones Category:Welsh child singers Category:Welsh Christians Category:Welsh male singers Category:Welsh radio presenters Category:Welsh television presenters Category:People educated at Ysgol David Hughes

cs:Aled Jones cy:Aled Jones de:Aled Jones ja:アレッド・ジョーンズ ro:Aled Jones

Coordinates	34°03′″N118°15′″N
name	Bonnie Tyler
background	solo_singer
birth name	Gaynor Hopkins
born	June 08, 1951Skewen, Wales, United Kingdom
instrument	Vocals
genre
occupation	Singer
years active	1975–present
label	RCA, Columbia, Hansa,Chrysalis, Atlantic
website	Official site }}

Bonnie Tyler (born Gaynor Hopkins on 8 June 1951) is a Welsh singer, most notable for her hits in the 1970s and 1980s including "It's a Heartache", "Holding Out for a Hero" and "Total Eclipse of the Heart".

Early life

Tyler was born in Skewen, Neath, Wales 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 19, she entered a talent contest, singing the Mary Hopkin hit "Those Were the Days", and finished in second place. She then was chosen to sing in a band with front man Bobby Wayne, known as Bobby Wayne & The Dixies. Two years later, she formed her own band called Imagination (not related to the 1980s British dance band of the same name), and performed with them in pubs and clubs all over southern Wales. It was then that she decided to adopt the stage name of 'Sherene Davies', taking the names from her niece and favourite aunt.

In 1973, she married Robert Sullivan, a real estate agent and Olympic judoka. In 1975, she was discovered by Roger Bell who arranged a recording contract for her with RCA Records. Before signing, she was asked to choose a different stage name, settling on Bonnie Tyler.

Career

The 1970s

In 1976, Tyler was spotted in "The Townsman Club" in Swansea by the songwriting and producing team of Ronnie Scott and Steve Wolfe, who became her managers, songwriters and producers.

Following the Top 10 success of her 1976 song "Lost in France", Tyler released her first album in 1977 entitled ''The World Starts Tonight''. A further single from the album, "More Than a Lover", made the UK Top 30, and the follow-up single, "Heaven", reached the Top 30 in Germany.

In 1977, Tyler was diagnosed with nodules on her vocal cords that were so severe that she needed to undergo surgery to remove them. After the surgery, she was ordered not to speak for six weeks to aid the healing process, but she accidentally screamed out in frustration one day. This caused her voice to take on a raspy quality. At first she believed that her singing career was ruined; but to her surprise her next single, "It's a Heartache," made her an international star. The song reached #4 in the UK, #3 in the US, #2 in Germany, and topped the charts in several countries (including France and Australia). Tyler's second album, ''Natural Force'', was also retitled ''It's a Heartache'' for the U.S. market and certified Gold there.

Though further global success was elusive during this era, Tyler did have some regional hits: "Here Am I" made the German Top 20 in spring of 1978; "My Guns Are Loaded" peaked at number 3 in France in 1979; and she scored a minor UK Top 40 hit with "Married Men" in summer 1979 (the theme to the film ''The World Is Full of Married Men''). Tyler released the albums ''Diamond Cut'' in 1979 and ''Goodbye to the Island'' in 1981. The track "Sitting on the Edge of the Ocean" was the Grand Prix winner of the 1979 Yamaha World Song Festival held in Tokyo.

The 1980s

Tyler released four albums for RCA Records from 1977 to 1981, but she became increasingly dissatisfied with Scott and Wolfe's management as they were trying to market her as a pop-country music artist. When her contract with RCA expired, she signed with David Aspden Management and sought help from songwriter Jim Steinman, most familiar to audiences as Meat Loaf's primary collaborator, to give her music the rock style she wanted. She signed with Columbia Records in 1982.

Her next album, ''Faster Than the Speed of Night'', was released in Spring 1983 and included the power-ballad "Total Eclipse of the Heart", which was written by Steinman. The song was a worldwide hit, reaching No. 1 in the UK, France, Australia, and in the United States where it remained at the top for four weeks. Her presence in the US chart was at a time when almost one third of the Billboard Hot 100 was filled by songs from UK based acts - a situation not seen since the 1960s British Invasion and Beatlemania. ''Faster Than the Speed of Night'' entered the UK Albums Chart at number 1, and also became a Top Five bestseller in the US and Australia. "Total Eclipse of the Heart" also brought Tyler a nomination for the Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. In 1984, she performed the track at the Grammy Awards, and received another Grammy nomination as Best Rock Female Vocalist for "Here She Comes", a song that was part of the soundtrack for the 1984 restoration of the film ''Metropolis''. She also released the singles "A Rockin' Good Way", a duet with fellow Welsh artist Shakin' Stevens, which made #5 in the UK, and "Holding Out for a Hero", for the ''Footloose'' soundtrack, which made the U.S. Top 40 and later peaked at number 2 in UK in the summer of 1985. "Holding Out For A Hero" (written by Steinman and Dean Pitchford) was also used as the main theme for the 1984 US television series ''Cover Up'', though the version heard on the TV series was not Tyler's original but performed by a Tyler sound-alike.

The following albums, ''Secret Dreams and Forbidden Fire'' (1986) and ''Hide Your Heart'' (1988), achieved some success in France, Switzerland, Scandinavia, South Africa, Australia, but were not successful in the UK or the US. One of the single releases, "If You Were A Woman (And I Was A Man)", became another Top 10 hit in France in 1986 and was certified Silver. In 1987, Tyler recorded the song "Sem limites pra sonhar/Reaching for the Infinite Heart" with the Brazilian singer Fábio Junior. The same year, she sang the title song for Mike Oldfield's album ''Islands''. Tyler also sang backing vocals with Cher for the song "Perfection" on Cher's self-titled 1987 album, and "Emotional Fire" on Cher's 1989 album ''Heart Of Stone''.

The 1990s

Throughout the 1990s, Tyler's success was limited to continental Europe. In the early 1990s, she switched to the German label Hansa and found a new producer in Dieter Bohlen. Her first album for the label was ''Bitterblue'', released in late 1991, which saw her leaving the rock genre of the 80s and establishing a more soft-pop sound. The album went quadruple-platinum in Norway, platinum in Austria, and gold in Germany, Switzerland and Sweden.

Tyler followed this up with the albums ''Angel Heart'' (1992) and ''Silhouette in Red'' in 1993. In light of her success in Germany, Tyler won Best International Female Vocalist at the RSH Gold Award, the "Goldene Europa" Award and the ECHO Award in 1994.

After her three albums with producer Dieter Bohlen, Tyler wanted to have a more international sound on her next record. She switched labels to Warner Music in 1995 and recorded ''Free Spirit'', an album on which she worked again with Jim Steinman as well as other prolific producers such as David Foster and Humberto Gatica. However, the album was only a minor success in continental Europe, though the single "Making Love Out of Nothing at All" (previously a hit for Air Supply in 1983) narrowly missed the UK Top 40. Tyler continued to record, releasing the folk influenced ''All in One Voice'' in 1999, though this was even less successful. Also in 1999, Tyler was part of an ensemble vocal unit for Rick Wakeman's ''Return to the Centre of the Earth'' CD. Tyler also recorded the track "Tyre Tracks And Broken Hearts" on the Jim Steinman and Andrew Lloyd Webber composed CD "Whistle Down The Wind". She also featured in Meat Loaf's track, "A Kiss Is a Terrible Thing to Waste" singing the chorus for "Tyre Tracks And Broken Hearts".

The 2000s

In 2003, Tyler released the album ''Heart Strings'', which consisted of cover versions of popular songs performed with the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra.

Also in 2003, French vocalist Kareen Antonn approached Tyler to duet with her on "Si demain... (Turn Around)", a French-language version of "Total Eclipse of the Heart". Released in December 2003, it went to number 1 in France, holding that chart position for ten weeks, as well as Belgium and Poland, selling a total of two million copies. The follow-up, "Si tout s'arrête (It's A Heartache)", another French language remake with Antonn, also made the French Top 20. Tyler released an album, ''Simply Believe'', in 2004, which contained both songs with Antonn.

In September 2006, Tyler made her first appearance on U.S. television in years, as she sang a duet of "Total Eclipse of the Heart" with actress Lucy Lawless on the American show ''Celebrity Duets''.

In 2007, a new Greatest Hits collection, ''From the Heart'', was released. Also in 2007, Tyler contributed a track, "I Don’t Know How to Love Him", to the charity record ''Over the Rainbow''. Tyler mentioned in an interview that she is working on a new studio album and would be working with Jim Steinman again.

In 2009, Tyler made a guest appearance in ''Hollyoaks Later'' (the late night edition of the British Channel 4 teen soap ''Hollyoaks'') in which she sang her hit "Holding Out For a Hero" with one of the characters. The episode was broadcast on Friday 2 October 2009. She also recorded a new version of "Total Eclipse of the Heart" with the Welsh male voice choir Only Men Aloud! for their second album ''Band of Brothers'' which was released in October 2009.

The 2010s

In 2010, Tyler appeared in a television advertisement for MasterCard singing a parody of "Total Eclipse of the Heart". She later joined Robin Gibb briefly on his Australian tour before performing in her own Australian concerts.

In 2011, Tyler made a guest appearance in the music video "Newport State of Mind", a parody of the Jay Z and Alicia Keys song Empire State of Mind for the BBC's Comic Relief charity.

A new version of The Bangles single Eternal Flame went to French radio stations on Monday 29th August 2011. It has been considered a repeat of her 2004 singles with Kareen Antonn. The song has been released as a duet in French and English, naming the song "Eternal Flame (Amour éternel)".

Discography

Awards and nominations

Music Retailer Magazine 1978 (USA)

*Most Promising Newcomer

Daily Express 1978 (UK)

*Best New Artist

Bravo Otto 1978 (Germany)

*Golden Otto Best Singer

Goldene Europa 1978 (Germany)

*Best Singer

Yamaha Prize 1979 (Japan)

*Grand Prix International "Sitting On The Edge Of The Ocean"

Academy Country Music 1979 (USA)

*Best New Artist "It's A Heartache" (nomination)

Brit Awards 1984 (UK)

*Best singer (nomination)

American Music Awards 1984 (USA)

*Favorite Pop/Rock Female Artist (nomination)

*Favorite Pop/Rock Single "Total Eclipse of the Heart" (nomination)

Goldene Europa 1983 (Germany)

*Comeback Of The Year

Grammy Award 1984 (USA)

*Best Pop Vocal Female "Total Eclipse of the Heart" (nomination)

*Best Rock Vocal Female "Faster Than The Speed of Night" (nomination)

Variety Club of Great Britain Award 1984 (UK)

*Best Recording Artist Of The Year "Total Eclipse Of The Heart"

Grammy Award 1985 (USA)

*Best Rock Vocal Female "Here She Comes" (nomination)

Brit Awards 1986 (UK)

*Best Singer (nomination)

RSH-Gold Award 1992 (Germany)

*Erfolgreichste deutschproduzierte Interpretin bzw. Ohrwurm des Jahres

Bravo Otto

*Best Singer of 1992, 6th place

Echo Award 1993 (Germany)

*Best International Singer "Angel Heart" (nomination)

Bravo 10 Best Singers of 1993

*6th place

Bravo 10 Best Shows of 1993

*8th place

Bravo 10 Good Looking Singer of 1993

*8th place

Bravo 10 Best CDs of 1993

*"Very Best of Bonnie Tyler Vol. 1", 8th place

Bravo 10 Best CDs of 1993

*"Silhouette In Red", 9th place

Goldene Europa 1993 (Germany)

*Best International Singer

Echo Award 1994 (Germany)

*Best International Singer, ''The Very Best Of/Silhouette In Red''

Radio Regenbogen Award 1999 (Germany)

*Lifetime Award

Writs Welsh Music Awards 2001 (Wales)

*Best Singer "Greatest Hits" (nomination)

Royal Welsh College Of Music & Drama 2002 (Wales)

*Honorary Fellow in recognition of outstanding achievements within the fields of music.

Les Hits de Diamant 2004 (France)

*It's A Heartache & Total Eclipse Of The Heart

Steiger Award 2005 (Germany)

*Lifetime Award

Angel Award 2009 (Germany)

*Special corporate social responsibility

Neath Port Talbot - Freedom of the county 2010 (Wales)

*Honorary recognition from the town of Port Talbot

See also

List of artists who reached number one on the UK Singles Chart

List of artists who reached number one on the Hot 100 (United States)

References

Category:1951 births Category:Female rock singers Category:Living people Category:People from Neath Port Talbot Category:Welsh female singers Category:Welsh pop singers Category:Welsh rock singers Category:Winners of Yamaha Music Festival

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