b. Earned his nickname “Meat Loaf” at the age of 13 from his football coach
c. His mother passed away from cancer and his father was an alcoholic
d. He attended Lubbock Christian College, later transferring to North Texas State University
e. In 1967 he moved to Los Angeles, forming his first band Meat Loaf Soul, later called Popcorn Blizzard and Floating Circus
f. After joining the production of Hair, Meat Loaf was invited to record with Motown, performing with Shaun “Stoney” Murphy
g. Collaborating with friend and songwriter Jim Steinman, Meat Loaf found commercial success with the release of Bat Out of Hell in 1972
h. Meat Loaf and Steinman formed the band The Neverland Express …show more content…
Musical style of Bat Out of Hell albums were influenced by the appreciation of Richard Wagner, Phil Spector, The Who, and Bruce Springsteen
10. Influences
a. Meat Loaf has been cited as an influence for Celine Dion, Michael Bolton, Bonnie Tyler, Def Leppard, Richard Marx, Bon Jovi, and the Killers
b. Bonnie Tyler recorded Meat Loaf’s “Total Eclipse of the Heart,” and Air Supply recorded “Making Love Out of Nothing at All”, both topping the charts
c. Meat Loaf’s songs have been covered by several artists, including Bonnie Tyler, Barry Manilow, Sammy Hagar, Olivia Newton-John
11. Contemporaries
a. Bat Out of Hell frequently compared to Bruce Springsteen’s Born to Run and AC/DC’s High Voltage
b. Singing talents are often compared to Queen, Elton John, Bette Midler, Bonnie Tyler
c. Bombastic performances and themes of teen angst, sex, juvenile passion and humour
d. “No other rock 'n' roller besides Meat Loaf could pull off the humor and theatricality of Back Into Hell and make it seem real” (Erlewine, n.d.)
e.
12. Impact
a. Music and acting career has had significant cultural influence
b. Work continues to defy critics decades after their initial release (Fox, 2012).
c. Bat Out of Hell has sold more than 43 million