Meat Loaf
Meat Loaf was born Marvin Lee Aday on September 27, 1947, in Dallas, Texas. The son of Orvis Aday, a police officer, and his wife, Wilma, Meat Loaf (it's never been clear as to how he got the nickname) had a difficult childhood. His father was a well-known drinker, and it wasn't uncommon that his binges left Wilma placing her son in the care of her mother. These troubled stretches, however, did little to dampen Meat Loaf's ambition. After high school he eventually enrolled at North Texas State University (now called the University of North Texas). Ignoring his draft notice (he'd intentionally gained 60 pounds in an unsuccessful effort to fail his physical), Meat Loaf left Texas and school in 1967 for a new life in Los Angeles. There, he found work as a bouncer and started his first band, Meat Loaf Soul. After several lineup changes and name alterations, the band split up. Greater success was found in the theater, where Meat Loaf landed a part in a new stage musical called Hair. His run with the production eventually led him to Broadway and earned the young performer some important name recognition. From there, Meat Loaf successfully auditioned for the roles of Eddie and Dr. Scott in the stage production of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. In 1975 Meat Loaf followed the show to the big screen and co-starred with Susan Sarandon, Tim Curry and Barry Bostwick. Surprising everyone, the film became a giant success and would go on to gross more than $112 million in ticket sales over the next three-plus decades. Around the time Meat Loaf was filming The Rocky Horror Picture Show, he also returned to the studio and began recording what would become his landmark album, the rock opera Bat Out of Hell (1977). Produced by famed rocker Todd Rundgren, and collaborating with songwriter Jim Steinman, who authored all of the album's songs, Meat Loaf churned out a record that mixed heartache ("Two Out of Three Ain't Bad") and teenage sexuality ("Paradise by the Dashboard Light"). The album has since gone on to sell more than 34 million copies worldwide and made Meat Loaf a multi-platinum star. But with success came setbacks. A rift developed between Meat Loaf and Steinman, with the writer voicing his frustration over his lack of credit for the album's success. Then at a show in Ottawa, Canada, Meat Loaf broke his leg, doing subsequent shows in a wheelchair. Steinman went his own way and recorded his own album, Bad for Good (1981).
The compounding situations propelled Meat Loaf into a drug habit. Meat Loaf's second album, Dead Ringer (1981), proved to be a disappointment, further adding to his problems. Facing lawsuits, including one filed by Steinman, and poor money management, Meat Loaf filed for bankruptcy in 1983. For the next several years Meat Loaf continued to churn out music, including albums like Bad Attitude (1985) and Blind Before I Stop (1986) to mixed results. But the hardworking singer continued to tour. In 1993 Meat Loaf turned things around with Bat Out of Hell II, a monster hit that was the product of a renewed partnership with Steinman. Anchored by the popular single "I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That)," the album went on to sell more than 15 million copies. More tours and more albums followed, including Bat Out of Hell III (2006). In addition, Meat Loaf again showed his talents as an actor, with appearances in Wayne's World (1992) and Fight Club (1999). In 2010 he recorded his 11th studio album, Hang Cool Teddy Bear, followed in 2011 by Hell in a Handbasket. Collaborating with Steinman once again, the singer plans on releasing his upcoming album Brave and Crazy in September 2016. In September 2016, Braver Than We Are, a 10-track album created with Jim Steinman, was released. Meat Loaf recorded reworked versions of Steinman's songs "Braver Than We Are", "Speaking in Tongues", "Who Needs the Young", and "More" (previously recorded by the Sisters of Mercy) for the album. Additionally, the song "Prize Fight Lover", originally issued as a download-only bonus track for Hang Cool Teddy Bear, was re-recorded for the album. In January 2020, during an interview for The Mirror, Meat Loaf announced "I'm not old. I've got songs for another record and I'm reading a script." In a February 2020 Facebook post, Meat Loaf announced his intention to record a new album containing 'four or five new tracks', including Steinman's "What Part of My Body Hurts the Most" (a song long requested by fans, but previously under contract restrictions for the Bat Out of Hell musical), along with the original 1975 demo recordings made for the Bat Out of Hell album. Meat Loaf's longtime collaborator Jim Steinman died on April 19, 2021, of kidney failure. In a Facebook post in November 2021, he further elaborated that he and his band would be returning to the studio in January 2022 to record seven new songs for a forthcoming album, which would also include live tracks from the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s. However, on January 20, 2022, he died at age 74.
