Karla DeVito | |
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Born | Mokena, Illinois, U.S. | May 29, 1953
Occupations |
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Years active | 1973–present |
Spouse | |
Children | 2 |
Musical career | |
Genres | |
Instrument | Vocals |
Labels | Epic |
Website | KarlaJayneDeVito.com |
Karla DeVito (born May 29, 1953) is an American singer and actress. [1] [2] [3]
DeVito was born in Mokena, Illinois. She attended Willow Crest Grade School in Mokena and Lincoln-Way High School in New Lenox. She attended Loyola University Chicago and majored in theater. During her freshman year, she joined the Chicago cast of Godspell . [3] In 1971–72, Karla studied with Jo Forsberg at the Second City Company in Chicago and was part of the Second City Children's Theatre group with Bill Murray. In 1973, she was in the cast of the musical Hair .
DeVito started her career in 1972, joining the national company of Godspell. A few years later, she became the lead singer of the band Orchestra Luna. She joined the cast of Jim Steinman's show Neverland, [4] which had a run as a workshop production at the Kennedy Center in 1977. [5]
Two months later, DeVito went on tour with Meat Loaf and Jim Steinman with their album Bat Out of Hell . She is seen singing with Meat Loaf in the video clip of "Paradise by the Dashboard Light" and "Bat Out of Hell", synced to the original vocals by Ellen Foley. After completing this tour, she returned to theatre in an off-broadway version of Cole Porter's Jubilee and LaMama's production of A Midsummer Night's Dream . [4] She then moved on to playing the lead role in The Pirates of Penzance on Broadway, where she met future husband, Robby Benson. [3] [6]
She performed on Jim Steinman's only solo album, Bad for Good , on the track "Dance in My Pants" and its subsequent music video.
In 1981, DeVito released her debut solo album, Is This a Cool World or What? and the track Bloody Bess was intended to be a rock musical about a female pirate in the 17th century. [3] [4]
DeVito also contributed background vocals for some groups such as Blue Öyster Cult and the band Sorrows. As a solo performer, she opened shows for Hall & Oates and Rick Springfield in the 1980s.
DeVito's second album, Wake 'Em Up in Tokyo was released by A&M in 1986. Her song, "We Are Not Alone", was featured in the 1985 film The Breakfast Club . In 1989, DeVito performed in South Carolina and returned in 1990 as part of "An Evening of Andrew Lloyd Webber". In 1990, DeVito co-starred in the film Modern Love and sang on two of the songs for the soundtrack. In 1993 DeVito co-starred in 90s cartoon series Bonkers as the voice of Officer Miranda Wright. In 2002, DeVito sang the part of Elizabeth for the CD recording of Graham Russell's rock opera The Heart of the Rose which had a limited release on CD. In 2016, she contributed vocals to Meat Loaf's Braver Than We Are .
DeVito married actor, director, singer, and teacher Robby Benson on July 11, 1982. [7] The couple have two children, a son and a daughter. [8]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1982 | Two of a Kind | Barbara | Television film |
1990 | Modern Love | Billie | |
1996 | O. Henry's Christmas | Della | Television film |
2015 | Straight Outta Tompkins | Jane |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1992–1993 | The Legend of Prince Valiant | Lady Megan, Elizabeth, Princess Sadisa | Voice, 3 episodes |
1993 | Family Album | Mrs. DeVito | Episode: "Winter, Spring, Summer or Fall All You Gotta Do Is Call..." |
1993 | Bonkers | Officer Miranda Wright | Voice, 20 episodes |
1995 | Phantom 2040 | Athena | Voice, episode: "A Boy and His Dog" |
1996 | Road Rovers | Woman Soldier | Voice, episode: "A Storm from the Pacific" [9] |
1996 | Sabrina the Teenage Witch | Mary | Episode: "A Girl and Her Cat" |
1997 | The New Batman Adventures | Cassidy | Voice, episode: "Torch Song" [9] |
1997 | Fired Up | Woman | Episode: "Truth and Consequences" |
Michael Lee Aday, better known by his stage name Meat Loaf, was an American singer and actor. He was known for his powerful, wide-ranging voice and theatrical live shows. His Bat Out of Hell album trilogy—Bat Out of Hell (1977), Bat Out of Hell II: Back into Hell (1993), and Bat Out of Hell III: The Monster Is Loose (2006)—has sold more than 100 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling music artists of all time. The first album stayed on the charts for over nine years and is one of the best-selling albums in history, still selling an estimated 200,000 copies annually as of 2016.
James Richard Steinman was an American composer, lyricist and record producer. He also worked as an arranger, pianist, and singer. His work included songs in the adult contemporary, rock, dance, pop, musical theater, and film score genres. He wrote songs for Bonnie Tyler and Meat Loaf, including Bat Out of Hell, and also wrote and produced Bat Out of Hell II: Back into Hell and Tyler's Faster Than the Speed of Night.
Bat Out of Hell is the debut studio album by American rock singer Meat Loaf and composer Jim Steinman. The album was developed from the musical Neverland. Neverland is a futuristic rock version of Peter Pan which Steinman wrote for a workshop in 1974. It was recorded during 1975–1976 at various studios, including Bearsville Studios in Woodstock, New York. The album was produced by Todd Rundgren, and released in October 1977 by Cleveland International/Epic Records. Bat Out of Hell spawned two Meat Loaf sequel albums: Bat Out of Hell II: Back into Hell (1993) and Bat Out of Hell III: The Monster Is Loose (2006).
Roy J. Bittan is an American musician best known as a long-time member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band. Nicknamed "The Professor", Bittan joined the E Street Band in 1974. He plays the piano, organ, accordion and synthesizers. Bittan was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014 as a member of the E Street Band.
"Paradise by the Dashboard Light" is a song written by Jim Steinman. It was released in 1977 on the album Bat Out of Hell, with vocals by American musicians Meat Loaf and Ellen Foley. An uncommonly long song for a single, it has become a staple of classic rock radio and has been described as the "greatest rock duet".
Bad for Good is the only studio album by American songwriter Jim Steinman. Steinman wrote all of the songs and performed on most, although Rory Dodd contributed lead vocals on some tracks.
Ellen Foley is an American singer and actress who has appeared on Broadway and television, where she co-starred in the hit NBC sitcom Night Court during its second season. In music, she has released five solo albums, but she is best known for her collaborations with rock singer Meat Loaf, particularly the 14× Platinum selling 1977 album Bat Out of Hell.
Bat Out of Hell II: Back into Hell is the sixth studio album by American rock singer Meat Loaf and the second one in the Bat Out of Hell trilogy, which was written and produced by Jim Steinman. It was released on September 14, 1993, sixteen years after Meat Loaf's first solo album Bat Out of Hell. The album reached number 1 in the United States, United Kingdom and Canada. Three tracks were released as singles, including "I'd Do Anything for Love ", which reached number 1 in 28 countries.
Holly Sherwood is an American rock vocalist, best known for her work with Jim Steinman, providing both lead and backing vocals.
"Nowhere Fast" is a song, performed by Fire Inc. in 1984 for the rock movie Streets of Fire. An alternate version of the song was recorded by Meat Loaf the same year. The song was written by Jim Steinman.
Rory Dodd is a Canadian rock vocalist who has performed many songs written by Jim Steinman. He is probably best known for singing as the duet voice on Bonnie Tyler's version of "Total Eclipse of the Heart", a number 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100.
Dead Ringer is the second studio album by American rock singer Meat Loaf, released on September 4, 1981. It is the second of four albums written entirely by Jim Steinman. The album cover was designed by comic book artist and horror illustrator Bernie Wrightson.
Bat Out of Hell III: The Monster Is Loose is the ninth studio album by Meat Loaf, and the third and final album in the Bat Out of Hell trilogy. It was released in Ireland on October 20, 2006, 29 years after Bat Out of Hell (1977), and 13 years after Bat Out of Hell II: Back into Hell (1993). It was released in the UK on October 23, 2006, and in the US on October 31, 2006.
"It's All Coming Back to Me Now" is a power ballad written by Jim Steinman. According to Steinman, the song was inspired by Wuthering Heights, and was an attempt to write "the most passionate, romantic song" he could ever create. The Sunday Times posits that "Steinman protects his songs as if they were his children". Meat Loaf, who had collaborated with Steinman on most of his hit songs, had wanted to record the song for years, but Steinman refused, saying he saw it as a "woman's song". Steinman won a court case, which prevented Meat Loaf from recording it. Girl group Pandora's Box went on to record it, and it was subsequently made famous through a cover by Celine Dion, which upset Meat Loaf because he was going to use it for a planned album with the working title Bat Out of Hell III.
"Bat Out of Hell" is a song written by Jim Steinman for the 1977 album Bat Out of Hell and performed by Meat Loaf. In Australia, the song was picked as the second single from the album in May 1978, accompanied by a music video. In January 1979, the song was released as a single in the UK and other European countries, and re-released in 1993.
"Objects in the Rear View Mirror May Appear Closer Than They Are" is a song composed and written by Jim Steinman, and recorded by Meat Loaf. The song was released in 1994 as the third single from the album Bat Out of Hell II: Back into Hell and it reached number 38 on US's Billboard Hot 100, and number 26 in the UK Top 40. With its chart success, this song became the hit with the longest un-bracketed title at fifty-two characters as of 2007. The title is derived from the safety warning on car side mirrors in the US, "Objects in mirror are closer than they appear".
"You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth" (also known as "You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth (Hot Summer Night)") is the first solo single by the American singer Meat Loaf, released in 1977. It is a track from his album Bat Out of Hell, written by Jim Steinman.
"Rock and Roll Dreams Come Through" is a song written by American composer Jim Steinman. It was first featured on Steinman's 1981 solo album Bad for Good, with lead vocals by an uncredited Rory Dodd. It was later recorded by American singer Meat Loaf and released in 1994 as the third single from the album Bat Out of Hell II: Back into Hell.
"Dead Ringer for Love" is a song performed by American rock singer Meat Loaf and American singer-actress Cher from Meat Loaf's second studio album, Dead Ringer. The song was written by Jim Steinman and one of only two tracks on the album produced by Steinman and Jimmy Iovine.
Braver Than We Are is the twelfth and final studio album by American singer Meat Loaf, released in Europe on September 9, 2016, by Caroline International S&D and released in the United States on September 16, 2016 by 429 Records.