📍Baldwin, NY 11510, USA
1955 – 1976“Daniel Dee Snider was born in Astoria, Queens, in March 1955, the eldest of six children of Bob Snider, a New York State Trooper who later became a court clerk, and Marguerite, an art teacher. When he was young, the family moved to Long Island, and he grew up in Baldwin and Freeport, on the South Shore, a world of suburban streets, marinas and beaches. He was a tall, gangly, outspoken boy who often felt like an outsider. He had a big, powerful voice, and he sang in his church choir, in school choruses and in concert choirs at Baldwin Senior High School. He was selected for the New York All-State Chorus, singing Henry Purcell's Strike the Viol at his audition. He loved rock music, especially Alice Cooper, and he dreamed of being a rock star, even when people laughed at him. He graduated from Baldwin Senior High in 1973 and spent a few years singing in local bands in the Long Island bar scene, honing his loud, theatrical style. In February 1976 he joined Twisted Sister, a New York club band, as singer, and became its sole songwriter. After years of playing the clubs of Long Island and New Jersey, they broke through with Stay Hungry in 1984, with the anthems We're Not Gonna Take It and I Wanna Rock. In 1985 he testified before the US Senate against music censorship, defending artists' freedom. He has written novels drawing on his Long Island childhood, and Long Island remains proud of him.”
🗺️ Approximate location today
📍 Street view today