Meat Loaf American rock singer, film and theater actor. Date of Birth: 27.09.1948 Country: USA

Biography of Meat Loaf

Meat Loaf, born Marvin Lee Aday, is an American rock singer, actor, and theater performer. He was born on September 27, 1948, in Dallas, Texas, into a family of gospel singers. His nickname, Meat Loaf, was given to him in childhood due to his physique. According to legend, Marvin accidentally injured his football coach's leg, and the coach shouted, "Meat Loaf!"

In 1967, Meat Loaf moved to Los Angeles and formed his first band called "Meat Loaf Soul." The band performed as an opening act for bands like Stooges, Amboy Dukes, and The Who and released a single. During this time, Meat Loaf also began his second career as an actor, landing a role in the musical "Hairs."

While performing in Detroit with the "Hairs" cast, Meat Loaf and his fellow cast member Stoney recorded a joint album called "Stoney & Meat Loaf." Despite opening for Alice Cooper and Rare Earth and their single "What You See Is What You Get" charting on Billboard, the duo soon disbanded, and Meat Loaf returned to acting.

One day, Meat Loaf landed a role in the musical "More Than You Desire," written by Jim Steinman. Their acquaintance eventually turned into a closer relationship. After participating in the recording of Ted Nugent's album "Free-for-All" and appearing in the cult film "The Rocky Horror Picture Show," Meat Loaf was invited to the "Neverland" show, a rock version of Peter Pan stories, which was directed by Steinman. The project evolved into the idea of creating an album, and the duo brought producer Todd Rundgren on board. However, record companies initially showed no interest in releasing the album. Only after Steinman managed to sign a contract with "Cleveland International," a division of "Epic," did "Bat out of Hell" finally get released in the fall of 1977.

"Bat out of Hell" catapulted Meat Loaf to success after its release in Britain and the airing of the music video for the title track. The album reached number 14 on the Billboard charts (9th place in the UK) and spent approximately 90 weeks on the charts. Three accompanying singles reached the Top 40, and the album became one of the best-selling releases of the following decade.

Unfortunately, the release of Meat Loaf's second album did not happen as quickly as he had hoped. He first had to recover from a fall on stage and then face vocal problems after exhausting tours. As a result, "Bad for Good," which was initially intended for Meat Loaf, was recorded by Steinman himself. During this hiatus, Meat Loaf filled his time with several film roles, but he returned in 1981 with "Dead Ringer," which topped the UK charts.

Meat Loaf's next album was the first he recorded without Jim Steinman. However, "Midnight at the Lost and Found," as well as "Bad Attitude" and "Blind Before I Stop," brought him considerable popularity, mainly in Europe rather than the United States. Excessive alcohol consumption, health problems, and bankruptcy in the mid-1980s kept him out of the spotlight for several years.

Meat Loaf made a comeback after he rekindled his relationship with Steinman and prepared the sequel to "Bat out of Hell" called "Back into Hell." The comeback was explosive, and the album topped charts in many countries, including the UK and the US. Meat Loaf released another successful album (this time without Jim Steinman), after which there was another significant pause in his studio work. Only in 2003 did he delight his fans with a new album titled "Couldn't Have Said It Better." Although it didn't reach the level of his best works, the album was well-received by the public and entered numerous charts.

Meat Loaf was so thrilled with this fact that the following year he re-recorded his classic album "Bat out of Hell" with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.