Meat Loaf (born Marvin Lee Aday) first gained recognition in musical theater, appearing in the West Coast production of Hair and the hugely successful cult film The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975). Around this time Meat Loaf began collaborating with producer and composer Jim Steinman, whom Meat Loaf had worked with on the off-Broadway musical More Than You Deserve in the mid-'70s. The product of their work together was the teen rock opera Bat out of Hell (1977). Produced by Todd Rundgren, the album yielded the hits "Paradise by the Dashboard Lights," "Two out of Three Ain't Bad" and "Your Took the Words Right out of My Mouth" and sold over 13 million copies within a few years of its release. Meat Loaf and Steinman split after Bat out of Hell, and Steinman initiated lawsuits against Meat Loaf and his label, Epic. Though Meat Loaf continued to tour and release records throughout '80s, his popularity plummeted until 1993, when he and Steinman collaborated once more for Bat out of Hell II: Back Into Hell. The Grammy-winning album went to No. 1 and produced the smash single "I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That)."

Meat Loaf continues to pursue a successful acting career, appearing in a number of films, including Fight Club (1999), Focus (2001) and The Salton Sea (2002).

Reviews

• Bat Out of Hell III
• Couldn’t Have Said It Better

Features

• Who Does Meat Loaf Think He Is?
• Dear Superstar: Meat Loaf