Ellen Foley
Foley in 2014
Foley in 2014
Background information
Born1951 (age 72–73)
OriginSt. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
GenresRock
Occupation(s)Singer, actress
Instrument(s)Vocals
Years active1977–present
LabelsEpic

Ellen Foley (born 1951)[1] 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.[2][3][1][4]

Early life and education

Foley was born in St. Louis, Missouri, the daughter of John and Virginia B. Foley.[5] She attended Webster University.[5]

Career

Vocalist

Foley gained public recognition through singing a duet with Meat Loaf on the hit single "Paradise by the Dashboard Light" from the 1977 album Bat Out of Hell.[6][7] Foley's part was recorded individually and in one take with Meat Loaf present in the room so she could sing in character.[8] Although Karla DeVito (who toured with Meat Loaf in support of the album) is featured in the music video, DeVito is lip synching to Foley's vocals.[9]

Her debut album Night Out was released in 1979; the album's single "What's a Matter Baby" reached No. 7 in the Dutch charts and No. 92 on the US charts. The single "We Belong to the Night" reached No.1 in the Netherlands.[10] The album, which peaked at No. 152, was produced by Ian Hunter and Mick Ronson. Foley recorded a duet with Ian Hunter in 1980, "We Gotta Get Outta Here". Her creative relationship with Hunter led her to singing backing vocals on the Iron City Houserockers' 1980 album Have a Good Time but Get Out Alive!, produced by Hunter, Ronson, and The E Street Band's Steven Van Zandt.[11]

She also sings in the title cut of the 1979 Blue Öyster Cult album Mirrors and on The Clash album Sandinista! (released in 1980) in the songs "Hitsville UK" and "Corner Soul", and on the unreleased track "Blonde Rock 'n' Roll". In 1981, all four members of The Clash appeared on her album The Spirit of St. Louis, and Mick Jones and Joe Strummer co-wrote a number of songs for the album.[12] Jones produced the album, which featured members of The Blockheads and peaked at No. 137 on the US charts.[12] In 1982, she provided backing vocals on The Clash's song "Car Jamming" from the album Combat Rock.[13] The Clash's hit song "Should I Stay or Should I Go", written and sung by Jones, was about the turbulent relationship he shared with Foley at the time.[6][14]

She released her third solo album Another Breath in 1983; it failed to chart.[15] In 1984, she sang backing vocals on Joe Jackson's album Body & Soul and had a large role in the music video for Utopia's "Crybaby".

Foley was one of four female vocalists to front the group Pandora's Box, formed by Jim Steinman in the late 1980s. Their album Original Sin, released in 1989, was the first to feature the song "It's All Coming Back to Me Now" (vocals by Elaine Caswell); both Celine Dion and a duet between Meat Loaf and Marion Raven had separate chart successes with that song in some countries, years later.[16][17]

Broadway, film and television

Foley studied acting at HB Studio[18] in New York City. She has appeared on Broadway in such shows as Me and My Girl and the revival of Hair, and off-Broadway in Beehive.[1] Foley originated the role of The Witch in Stephen Sondheim's Into the Woods at the Old Globe Theater in San Diego,[1] but was replaced by Bernadette Peters before the musical opened on Broadway.[19] Foley eventually played the role on Broadway from August 1, 1989 until the show's closing on September 3, 1989.[19]

Her best known television acting role is that of Billie Young on Night Court for season two (1984–85),[1] after which she was succeeded by Markie Post as Christine Sullivan, who had been Reinhold Weege's first choice for the public defender part, but Post had been unavailable while under contract on the television series The Fall Guy on ABC.[20] Foley was reportedly let go from the series because producers felt her relationship with star Harry Anderson was more like that of a brother and sister than as potential paramours.[21] She had roles in Miloš Forman's film adaptation of the stage musical Hair (1979), as well as in the movies Fatal Attraction (1987), Married to the Mob (1988) and Cocktail (1988). Foley was in the short-lived 1977 series 3 Girls 3, co-starring with Debbie Allen and Mimi Kennedy.[1]

Other pursuits

As of the mid-2000s, she teaches voice at the School of Rock (founded by Paul Green) in Manhattan.[4]

Personal life

In 1990, Foley married writer Doug Bernstein, co-author of the Off-Broadway revue Showing Off.[22]

Performances

Stage appearances
Year Title Role Theatre
1977 Hair Sheila Biltmore Theatre, New
1983 Eve Is Innocent Kim Dolphin Actors and Directors Theatre, New York City
1986 Into the Woods The Witch Old Globe Theatre, San Diego, California
1987 Beautiful Bodies Lisbeth Whole Theatre Company, Montclair, New Jersey
1988 Me and My Girl Sally Marquis Theatre, New York City
1989 Into the Woods The Witch Martin Beck Theater, New York City
Film
Year Film Role Notes
1979 Hair Black Boys Singer Directed by Miloš Forman
1982 Tootsie Jacqui Directed by Sydney Pollack
The King of Comedy Street Scum Directed by Martin Scorsese
1987 Fatal Attraction Hildy Directed by Adrian Lyne
1988 Cocktail Eleanor Directed by Roger Donaldson
Married to the Mob Theresa Directed by Jonathan Demme
2015 Lies I Told My Little Sister Laura Lucien Directed by William J. Stribling
2016 No Pay, Nudity Tani Marshall Directed by Lee Wilkof
Television
Year Title Role Notes
1977 3 Girls 3 Self Regular
1980 The Kenny Everett Video Show Self Performing "Stupid Girl"
1984–1985 Night Court Billie Young Regular on Season 2
1987 Spenser: For Hire Ruth Episode: "Consilum Abditum"
1992–1993 Ghostwriter Principal Kelley 4 episodes
2000 Law & Order Annette Tobin Episode: "Black, White and Blue"
2011 Body of Proof Evelyn Bryan Episode: "Second Chances"

Discography

Studio albums

Note: all of these were issued by Epic[10] within the U.S. on vinyl LP. They have been reissued on compact disc by Wounded Bird Records.[15]

Compilations

  • The Very Best of (1992)

Singles

  • "We Belong to the Night"/"Young Lust" (1979) - [AU #15; NL #1; South Africa #7]
  • "What's a Matter Baby"/"Hideaway" (1979) [NL #7; US #92]
  • "Sad Song"/"Stupid Girl" (1980)
  • "Stupid Girl"/"Young Lust" (1980)
  • "The Shuttered Palace"/"Beautiful Waste of Time" (1981) - [AU #48]
  • "Torchlight"/"Game of a Man" (1981)
  • "Torchlight"/"Le palais" (1981)
  • "Boys in the Attic"/"Beat of a Broken Heart" (1983)
  • "Nightline (Single Version)"/"Beat of a Broken Heart (1983)
  • "Nightline (Dance Mix - Long Version)"/"Nightline (Dance Mix - Short Version)" "Nightline (Dub)" [12" Maxi-Single]
  • "Heaven Can Wait" (2015)

With Pandora's Box

Guest appearances

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Ellen Foley Biography (1951-)". FillmReference.com. Retrieved February 27, 2010.
  2. ↑ "RIAA Database, Bat Out of Hell". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
  3. ↑ Ruhlmann, William. "Ellen Foley > Overview". AllMusic.com. Retrieved February 27, 2010.
  4. 1 2 "School Staff". School of Rock (company). Archived from the original on March 29, 2010. Retrieved February 27, 2010.
  5. 1 2 "Douglas Bernstein Weds Ellen Foley, Fellow Actor". The New York Times. 1990-04-30. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2015-12-02.
  6. 1 2 "The Uncut Crap - Over 56 Things You Never Knew About The Clash". NME. London: IPC Magazines. 3. March 16, 1991. ISSN 0028-6362. OCLC 4213418. 'Should I Stay or Should I Go' was written by Mick about American singer Ellen Foley, who sang the backing vocals on Meatloaf's Bat Out Of Hell LP
  7. ↑ Peterson, Tami. "The Uncut Crap - Over 56 Things You Never Knew About The Clash - NME March 16, 1991". LondonsBurning.org. Archived from the original on July 17, 2012. Retrieved December 11, 2007.
  8. ↑ Gordon, Jeremy (2022-01-22). "How Meat Loaf Made a Cult Favorite: 'Paradise by the Dashboard Light'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-01-23.
  9. ↑ Murray, Richard. "It's all coming back to me now". Rick's World. Retrieved February 27, 2010 – via heyrick.co.uk.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 Stone, Doug. "Night Out > Overview". AllMusic.com. Retrieved February 27, 2010.
  11. ↑ "Biography". IanHunter.com. Retrieved February 27, 2010.
  12. 1 2 "Spirit of St. Louis > Overview". AllMusic.com. Retrieved May 28, 2009.
  13. ↑ Gray, Marcus (2004). The Clash: Return of the Last Gang in Town. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 382. ISBN 9780634082405.
  14. ↑ "The Clash: Biography". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on May 19, 2009. Retrieved February 27, 2010.
  15. 1 2 "Another Breath > Overview". AllMusic.com. Retrieved February 27, 2010.
  16. ↑ "UK Top 40 Chart Archive, British Singles & Album Charts". EveryHit.co.uk.
  17. ↑ "Celine Dion - Chart history". Billboard. Retrieved 2015-12-02.
  18. ↑ "Notable Alumni". HB Studio.
  19. 1 2 "'Into the Woods', 1986 Old Globe Production and 1987 Broadway Production", SondheimgGide.com, accessed August 2, 2012.
  20. ↑ "Markie Post Interview: Part 2". North Hollywood Toluca Lake Patch. 2011-01-20. Retrieved 2011-04-06. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  21. ↑ "[unknown]". TV Guide. August 8–15, 1985. {{cite magazine}}: Cite uses generic title (help)
  22. ↑ "Douglas Bernstein Weds Ellen Foley, Fellow Actor". The New York Times. April 30, 1990.(subscription required)
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