* En anglais uniquement
Joey Dee led the house band at New York's Peppermint Lounge, immortalizing the joint in his 1961 chart-topper "Peppermint Twist." Born
Joseph DiNicola in Passaic, NJ,
Dee teamed with veteran producer
Henry Glover to cut "Peppermint Twist" for Roulette Records, and the huge hit led to a starring role in the film Hey, Let's Twist. Most of
Dee's hits, including a supercharged revival of
the Isley Brothers hit "Shout" in 1962, were firmly in the Twist mode, although he took a successful stab at a softer sound that year with a
Johnny Nash tune, "What Kind of Love Is This."
Dee gave several future stars early breaks by welcoming them into the rotating lineup of
the Starliters, including
the Ronettes, three-quarters of
the Young Rascals, and
Jimi Hendrix.
Dee continued releasing material into the mid-'70s, after which point he remained an active draw on the oldies circuit. ~ Bill Dahl