Daniel "Dee" Snider (born March 15, 1955) is an American singer, songwriter, radio personality, and actor. He was the lead singer and songwriter of the heavy metal band Twisted Sister. He was ranked 83 in the Hit Parader's Top 100 Metal Vocalists of All Time. He portrayed himself in Season 3 of the Netflix series, Cobra Kai.
Life and Career[]
Snider was born in Astoria, Queens, New York City, and he grew up in nearby Freeport, New York and Baldwin, New York, both on Long Island, and graduated from Baldwin Senior High School in 1973. His father, Bob, is a retired New York State Trooper and Nassau County court clerk, and his mother, Marguerite, is a retired art teacher. His father is Jewish, whereas his mother is from a Catholic family of Swiss descent. He is also of Ukrainian descent from his grandfather. Snider and his siblings were raised as Episcopalians after his mother joined the church. As a child, he sang in a church choir, several school choruses, and the Baldwin High School Concert Choir. Snider was also selected for the All-State Chorus for singing.
Snider joined Twisted Sister in 1976, and was the lead singer and songwriter until the band broke up in 2016. While being part of the band, Snider adopted a trademark persona of metal-inspired drag with long blond curly hair, an excessive amount of eye shadow and rouge, a beauty mark and bright red lipstick.