 Marvin Lee Aday was a singer and occasional actor who, for
reasons never definitively answered, recorded under the name Meat Loaf. In all
likelihood a childhood nickname, the tag stuck, and many puns followed as the
performer -- who tipped the scales at well over 300 pounds -- became one of the
biggest chart acts of the 1970s before enjoying a commercial renaissance two
decades later.
Meat Loaf was born in Dallas, Texas. The product of a family
of gospel singers, he moved to Los Angeles in 1967 and formed a group known as
both Meat Loaf Soul and Popcorn Blizzard. The band earned some renown through
opening gigs in support of the Who, the Stooges, and Ted Nugent before Meat Loaf
won a role in a West Coast production of the musical Hair. During a tour stop in
Detroit, he and a fellow castmate named Stoney teamed to record the 1971 LP
Stoney & Meat Loaf for Motown's Rare Earth imprint.
After a tenure in the off-Broadway production Rainbow (In New
York), Meat Loaf earned a slot in More Than You Deserve, a musical written by
classically trained pianist Jim Steinman. An appearance in the cult film The
Rocky Horror Picture Show followed, and in 1976 Meat Loaf also handled vocal
duties on one side of Nugent's LP Free-for-All. Soon, Meat Loaf re-teamed with
Steinman for a tour with the National Lampoon Road Show, after which Steinman
began composing a musical update of the Peter Pan story titled Never Land.
Ultimately, much of what Steinman composed for Never Land
became absorbed into 1977's Bat Out of Hell, the album which made Meat Loaf a
star. Produced by Todd Rundgren, the record was pure melodrama, a teen rock
opera which spawned three Top 40 singles -- "Two Out of Three Ain't Bad,"
"Paradise by the Dashboard Light," and "You Took the Words Right Out of My
Mouth" -- on its way to becoming one of the best-selling albums of the decade.
A sequel was planned, but in 1981 Steinman issued his own
solo debut, Bad for Good. After Meat Loaf released his own follow-up, Dead
Ringer, rumors began flying, and it was reported that Loaf had been unable to
record the songs which comprised the Steinman album due to physical and
emotional problems. Eventually, Steinman filed suit against Meat Loaf and his
label, Epic, and none of his songs appeared on the 1983 Meat Loaf effort
Midnight at the Lost and Found. After subsequent records like 1984's Bad
Attitude and 1986's Blind Before I Stop bombed, the singer declared bankruptcy
and began physical and psychological rehabilitation to restore his road-ravaged
voice.
After several years in relative obscurity, Meat Loaf and Jim
Steinman reunited in 1993 for Bat Out of Hell II: Back Into Hell, which
continued the original's storyline and duplicated its thunderous sound. The
follow-up proved almost as successful than the first Bat Out of Hell, selling
over five million copies and yielding a massive hit single with "I'd Do Anything
for Love (But I Won't Do That)." Without Steinman, he returned in 1995 with
Welcome to the Neighborhood. The career-long concert compilation Live Around the
World followed one year later, but Meatloaf released no more new material until
well into the 2000s. Finally he recorded Couldn't Have Said It Better, which was
released on Sanctuary in 2003. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide
Contact Grabow for more information or to book Meat Loaf for
your next corporate or private event.
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