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, Rovi