Born 5 June: Ellen Foley, Meat Loaf's unforgettable vocal partner

A singer and also an actress, she was born in 1951 in St. Louis, Missouri.

In fact, little is known about her childhood and teenage years. All that is certain is that she attended Webster University and also took drama classes. Ellen Foley is therefore far from scatterbrained! She also took drama classes.

She made her name in 1977 by singing "Paradise By The Dashboard Light" alongside the imposing Meat Loaf on the album 'Bat Out Of Hell', produced by Todd Rundgren with songs composed by Jim Steinman. Having sold over 60 million copies, it remains one of the best-selling albums in the world. “I remember Jim telling me he wanted me to be both sexy and furious. It was rock theatre, with emotions on the surface,” she recalled in the magazine "Classic Rock" in 2014. And yet, no one truly knows the face of this pretty blonde with the astonishing vocal range. In fact, it's another singer, Karla De Vito, that viewers discover in the video. She also went on tour with Meat Loaf, leaving Ellen Foley in the shadows.   

Nonetheless, bolstered by this extraordinary vocal performance, Ellen Foley embarked on a solo career. Her first album, "Nightout" (1979), notably includes "We Belong To The Night", which remains her biggest hit. Supporting her on this record were Ian Hunter and Mick Ronson (of Mott The Hoople) and former David Bowie collaborators. Her second album, "Spirit of St. Louis" (1981), was written and produced by members of The Clash, who only appeared by their first names in the credits! Despite having a demure appearance, Ellen Foley truly has the soul of a rocker. In fact, at the time, she was in a relationship with Mick Jones, guitarist of the British band. “This album is a UFO! I loved making it, even if a lot of people were surprised. I was at the crossroads between classic rock and punk chaos,” she recalled for "Rolling Stone France" in 2003.

After "Another Breath" (1983), she only pursued her singing career part-time, with "About Time" (2013) and the deeply personal "Fighting Words" (2021). As if closing a chapter, she performed "I’m Just Happy To Be Here" as a duet with Karla De Vito—a wink to "Paradise By The Dashboard Light".

Alongside her musical career, Ellen Foley also frequented film and television sets. You can spot her in "Hair" (1979) by Milos Forman, "Tootsie" (1982) by Sydney Pollack, "Fatal Attraction" (1987) by Adrian Lyne, and the delightful "Married To The Mob" (1988) by Jonathan Demme. On stage, mainly on Broadway, she also appeared in "Into The Woods", "Beehive" and in one of the many (and of course, musical) theatre versions of "Hair".

So, Ellen Foley: actress or singer first?

(MH with Stéphane Massart - Photo: © Etienne Tordoir)

Photo: Ellen Foley on the set of the TV show Generation 80 in Brussels (Belgium) on 16 April 1983