Jim Steinman (Composer) Though Jim began in theatre, he is best known as a songwriter/producer whose records have sold more than 100 million copies, described by the L.A. Times as "the Richard Wagner of rock." At Amherst College he wrote and starred in an epic musical The Dream Engine. It caused a sensation, and N.Y. Shakespeare Festival's Joe Papp Theater, where he worked for five years. When a singer named Meat Loaf auditioned for More Than You Deserve, Spin Magazine called the meeting "one of the top ten most important moments in the history of rock and roll."

Then came his first record, the legendary Bat Out Of Hell, with Meat Loaf, the biggest debut ever and as of 2003 it had been officially declared the best selling disc of all time at well over 40 million. The sequel, Bat Out Of Hell II: Back Into Hell topped the charts in 38 countries 16 years later in 1993. #1 songs include: “Total Eclipse Of The Heart” (three times, 1983, 1995, & 2004), “Paradise By The Dashboard Light”, “Dead Ringer”, “Making Love Out Of Nothing At All”, “Two Out Of Three Ain't Bad”, “Holding Out For A Hero”, “I'd Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That)” (with the biggest rock single sales ever), “It's All Coming Back To Me Now”, which was named the 1997 Song Of The Year by BMI, for having had the most broadcasts worldwide - 1.6 million, and "No Matter What," by Boyzone (record of the year in England for 1998 and #1 in 18 countries - the most successful single ever released from a musical in history).

He won a Grammy award as producer for Best Album of the year, Celine Dion's Falling Into You. He made one platinum album as a singer, Bad For Good. Film music includes Footloose, Streets Of Fire, The Shadow, Mask Of Zorro, Iron Eagle, Anastasia and A Small Circle Of Friends.

Jim's other theatrical work includes Neverland a futuristic version of the Peter Pan story which appeared on stage in Washington D.C. in 1977. Jim also wrote or co-wrote the musicals Rhinegold (a rock version of Wagner's Ring Cycle), Kid Champion (a musical about Jim Morrison starring Christopher Walken), and UBU (a musical puppet show adaptation of the novel Ubu On The Hill).

Jim was nominated for a Tony Award for his work on Footloose: The Musical. Jim was executive producer as well as songwriter for the MTV musical movie that he conceived, Wuthering Heights. He also wrote the lyrics for the London West End musical Whistle Down The Wind, with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber. Jim co-wrote the score for the lavish, big budget Garbo: The Musical which debuted in Stockholm, Sweden.

Jim's greatest success to date is as the composer of Tanz der Vampire, a musical version of the Roman Polanski film which has played in Vienna, Stuttgard, Estonia, and is currently playing in Hamburg and was directed by Polanski. It is Germany's longest running musical of all time and Jim won the International Musical Award for Best Score. Jim also wrote the lyrics and co-wrote the book for the Broadway adaptaion. He is currently writing the music and lyrics for Batman: The Musical, to be directed by the original Batman film director Tim Burton. It is a big budget production that will mark Warner's first foray into the theatrical world. Jim is also currently working on the final installment in the Bat Out Of Hell Trilogy with Meat Loaf. Steinman is also the president of the company Ravenous Entertainment, which includes Ravenous Records, and is distributed by Sony Records worldwide.

Official Jim Steinman Website: Dream Pollution - The Official Jim Steinman Website

Other Jim Steinman Websites: Jim Steinman's Realm Of Dreams

                                                                     Neverland Hotel

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