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On March 15, 1955, Dee Snider was born. We all know he'd go on to front Twisted Sister, but to celebrate his birthday, here are ten things you might not know about him:
1. As a child, Dee sang in a church choir as well as several school choruses. Because he was such a good singer, he went on to be chosen for the All-State Chorus.
2. In the early ‘80s, the Parents Music Resource Center criticized Dee and Twisted Sister for the violence depicted in their videos for “We’re Not Gonna Take It” and “I Wanna Rock.” This led to parental advisory stickers being placed on records, something Dee testified before Congress to prevent.
3.Celine Dion recorded a Christmas song that Dee wrote. The track, “The Magic of Christmas Day,” was one Snider penned as a Christmas gift for his wife. When he learned Celine wanted to include it on her 1998 album These Are Special Times, he asked she not be told he wrote it. It wasn’t until years later that she found out Dee was the songwriter.
4. Twisted Sister was one of the biggest bands in the country in the mid-80s, but by 1995, Dee was broke. He said he had to shop in thrift stores and use coupons.
5. Dee met his wife Suzette when she was 15 and he was 21 after she snuck into a Long Island nightclub. They married in 1981, have been together since and have four kids.
6. In 2012, Dee was on Donald Trump’s Celebrity Apprentice but was fired ninth out of 18 people. The next year, he was back for the All-Star Celebrity Apprentice but was fired second in that season.
7. In 2012, Dee and his family appeared on Celebrity Wife Swap. On the episode, the rocker switched places with rapper Flavor Flav.
8. In 2010, Dee and his family appeared on the A&E reality series Growing Up Twisted.
9. Dee has narrated and hosted many shows and specials on VH1 and MTV, plus some movie trailers and DVD special features.
10. Dee wrote and starred in the 1998 horror filmStrangeland, which is about body modification.
Happy birthday Dee!