in 1975 she released her next album, Jerseyburger and also a cassette of a live recording – For My Part. In 1978, Hardman signed to the Plant Life label, with which she made three albums (see Discography). The backing musicians on these recordings included Dave Cousins, Maddy Prior, Nigel Pegrum, Rick Kemp, Brian Willoughby, Jon Gillaspie, Mike Silver and B. J. Cole. In 1977 she performed a series of gigs with Bristol-based guitarist Steve Payne. From 1979, she toured briefly with a band which comprised Nigel Pegrum (drums), Jon Gillaspie (Keyboards), Pat Tate (guitar/vocals) and Rick Kemp (bass). This tour was notable for its finale, in which an eagle (one of a trained pair known as Wally and Pegasus) flew over the heads of the audience to land on Hardman's arm. Wally had a penchant for beer and at times would detour and land on the table of an unsuspecting audience member. Hardman and Gillaspie performed together regularly as a duo over the next few years, collaborating on albums as well as gigs. 1980s: More success and awards In 1981, Hardman recorded "The Man From Brooklyn" and "Just One Time", two songs about American popular singer Barry Manilow. She led the Birmingham branch of his British fan club. Hardman's support for his music was controversial in some folk clubs, but she has always supported him and said that he was a major influence on her music. In 1984, Hardman took over running the Whitesnake Fan Club for the heavy rock band of that name. (She worked with Mel Galley, the lead guitarist of the band, for a series of gigs in 1985–86). In 1985, Hardman co-wrote the theme music for the children's television programme Talk, Write and Read. The programme won the Royal Television Society award for the best primary school television programme of 1986/87. Around that time, she joined up with Isaac Guillory for a number of concerts; they would each perform solo sets and then a set together. Hardman suffered from a variety of throat problems during the mid-1980s, requiring a long course of hospital treatment. The clubs were full of secondhand smoke and she had strained her voice with inadequate sound systems. While some clubs agreed to ban smoking for her performances, others did not. Due to these conditions, she retired in 1991. But the following year she played one-off farewell gigs in Germany and Jersey. 1990s: