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Born in 1947 as Michael Lee Aday, Meat Loaf was best known for his wide-ranging singing voice and big, theatrical live performances. Allegedly given the nickname due to being born as a very red coloured baby, and being referred to as ‘meat’, while playing football at school and bulking up his weight, the name evolved to ‘Meatloaf’.
His first band, ‘Meat Loaf Soul’, earned the singer the offer of three recording contracts – none of which he decided to accept. Playing blues and soul at the end of the 1960s, the band changed their name several times while based in Los Angeles as members of the band came and went. The band achieved some notoriety during their incarnation known as ‘Floating Circus’, opening for The Who, The Fugs, The Stooges, MC5, Grateful Dead, and the Grease Band. Their regional success led them to release a single, Once Upon a Time, backed with Hello. Then Meat Loaf joined the Los Angeles production of the musical Hair. He later stated that the biggest life struggle he had to overcome was not being taken seriously in the music industry, comparing his treatment to that of a “circus clown”.
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Meat Loaf continued to work tirelessly into the 21st Century despite slowing down a little in recent years due to some health restrictions that meant he could not perform shows over 1 hour and 45 minutes in duration. With his background in musical theatre, Meat Loaf also enjoyed success on the big screen, playing roles in a number of feature films that included The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Wayne’s World, Spice World, Black Dog, Fight Club, and Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny, as well as performing in a number of varied television roles that ranged from medical dramas to South Park.
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Article URL : https://www.theatreartlife.com/music-sound/meat-loaf-a-tribute-to-the-singer/