Meat Loaf met Jim Steinman when Meat was hired to work on Steinman's stage production, More Than You Deserve. It was then that Steinman knew he had found the vocalist he'd wanted for his concept album, and in 1977 Bat Out Of Hell was released to become one of the top-selling rock albums in history. With over 35 million copies sold, it is the third highest-selling album ever, and as of 2000 was the biggest seller ever in the U.K.

In 1978, while playing in Toronto, Meat fell off the stage and broke his leg. But nothing was keeping him down, and he finished the tour in a wheelchair.

This was not without tragedy, though, on Steinman's part. Initially, the album was supposed to have him and Meat on equal footing, being entitled "Bat Out Of Hell" and listing "Meat Loaf and Jim Steinman." The record company changed this, billing the album as being done by Meat Loaf in big letters, larger than the title. "Songs By Jim Steinman" was relatively small and nondescript. This, coupled with Meat's voice taking a beating while touring to promote the album, left Steinman to move on alone on his Bad For Good album.

Life and music wasn't as smooth without Steinman. During the 1980s, Meat recorded four other albums that didn't make the charts and, for the most part, got no airplay. This is despite the fact that the content on those four albums was very good. The only single for Meat that charted in the 80s was "I'm Gonna Love Her For Both Of Us," which only peaked at #84.

Steinman and Meat were reunited in the 1990s and worked together to produce Bat Out Of Hell II - Back Into Hell, effectively a sequel album to the 1977 powerhouse. It was well-deserving, again being penned entirely by Steinman and seeing I'd Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That) topping the charts (and a song for which he won a Grammy). Bat II went to #1 in both the United States and the United Kingdom and, after selling twenty million copies, is easily considered one of the greatest comebacks in music history.

The 1990s have seen Meat's rekindled film career as well. With cameos in such cult hits as Wayne's World and Spice World, supporting roles in Fight Club and the excellent Black Dog, his abilities as an actor are obvious.

TRIVIA

• Owns a production company called Yellow Rose, Inc. with actor Brett Cullen.

• Meat is diabetic and a vegetarian. (Despite his famous moniker, Meat doesn't like to eat meatloaf.)

• Has told numerous contradictory "official" stories of how he got his stage name. For instance, one night on Letterman, he said that as a young man he hung out with Beverly Hills hoodlums including Billy Underwood, whose father owned Underwood Deviled Ham. One night, they were betting whether Marvin could put his head under a Volkswagen Beetle and have it pushed over his head. He stuck his head under the Beetle, they pushed it over, and he survived. One of his friends said, "You've got meatloaf for brains, man," and the name stuck.

• Meat has two daughters, Pearl and Amanda. Pearl is a backup singer for his band.

• Between 1987 to 1991, he played over 300 sold-out concerts. Assuming five full years, that's 60 per year or five per month.

• He's had 17 concussions.

• Along with Derek St. Holmes, Meat Loaf handled lead vocals on Ted Nugent's 1976 album Free For All.

• His first obscure single with local Michigan band Popcorn Blizzard, Hello/Once Upon A Time sold 5,000 copies!

• Was offered the title role in "Phantom Of The Opera" but turned it down.

• According to The Encyclopedia of Rock Stars, Meat Loaf began a Slim Fast plan in 1990 and lost 84 pounds. This made him one million richer.

• Had a massive standing ovation at the CBS convention in New Orleans in 1977-78.

• He was offered lead vocalist position in the rock band Foreigner, but wanted to stay with Jim Steinman.

• Has played in two movies with Richard O'Brien: The Rocky Horror Picture Show and Spice World.

• Was starring Off-Off Broadway in Paul Foster and John Braden's Silver Queen at La Mama E.T.C. when he was offered the role of Eddie in the American stage premiere of The Rocky Horror Show. He had to leave Silver Queen a week before closing. His role was taken over by Silver Queen's director Robert Patrick, who had to wrap Meat Loaf's costume's trousers around him twice.