Twisted Sister is a heavy metal band from New York that became popular in the ‘80s.  The band was founded by guitarist Jay Jay French in 1972.  There was a lot of turnover in the band’s lineup for the next few years.  In 1976, the lineup seemed steadier with Jay Jay French, guitarist Eddie “Fingers” Ojeda, bassist Kenneth Harrison Neil, drummer Tony Petri, and the wild frontman Dee Snider.  In addition to being lead vocalist, Snider wrote most of the songs for the group.  Twisted Sister was influenced by Kiss, the New York Dolls and Alice Cooper, in their music, their moves on stage, as well as their flamboyant hair and makeup.  Twisted Sister started playing the local club scene and when Snider wasn’t on stage, he was writing new material off-stage. 

By 1978, there was a buzz around this new metal band and they were attracting a lot of fans in the small venues where they were performing.  That year they started recording some of the material written by their lead vocalist and they added another member to their lineup, ex-Dictators bass player, Mark “The Animal” Mendoza.  The band recorded more of their material in 1979 and released their debut single the year after.   The single I’ll Never Grow Up Now was released under their own record label, and they had another single, Bad Boys of Rock ‘n’ Roll follow closely behind.  The band was earnestly trying to land a deal with a major record label and had their big break when the independent record label, Secret Records, signed on the band.  After recording the four-track EP, Ruff Cuts, Twisted Sister recorded their first full-length album.  At this point, new drummer A.J. Pero joined the lineup. 

The debut album, Under the Blade, was produced by Pete Way and released in 1982 in the U.K. where heavy metal was being resurrected.  It was a smash hit and made it on the Billboard 200.  It had some of their most popular club songs such as What You Don’t Know (Sure Can Hurt You), Sin After Sin, Shoot ‘Em Down, and Tear It Loose.  The album showed the band’s potential and got the band a more appealing contract with Atlantic Records. 

Twisted Sister prepared their first U.S. release under the new major label.  In 1983, they released You Can’t Stop Rock ‘N’ Roll.  It was another hit for the group, and made it on the Billboard 200, and was also certified gold in the U.S.   The title track was the first video by the band to be aired on MTV.  The record had other hits such as The Kids Are Back, We’re Gonna Make It, and I Am (I’m Me).  Although some called Twisted Sister’s music “glam metal,” this reflected their style, not their music.  The music was more of a heavy metal genre.

The first two albums had paved the way for the band’s magnum opus, which was released the following year.  Stay Hungry came out in 1984 and was a smashing success with multi-platinum sales.  It peaked in at number 15 on the Billboard, with chart-topping singles such as We’re Not Gonna Take It, I Wanna Rock, and The Price.  The band went on tour to promote their new album.  Although it did not greatly affect the album’s sales, the band was criticized for becoming too mainstream and lost some of the heavy metal fans in the process. 

Twisted Sister tried to please the mainstream and their heavy metal fans with the next album, Come Out and Play, which was released in 1985.  This album also made it on the Billboard, but did not stay on the charts for long.  It spawned hits such as Leader of the Pack and Be Chrool to Your Scuel.  The latter song featured musical guests such as Alice Cooper, Billy Joel, Clarence Clemons, and Brian Setzer. 

The band’s popularity started to decline after Come Out and Play.  In addition to receiving harsh criticism from parents around the country for their objectionable lyrics, antics on stage, and costumes, they were also having internal problems.  Drummer A.J. Pero exited the band and tension started to mount between Snider and French on the band’s future.  The band made a comeback in 1987 with Love is for Suckers along with their new drummer Joey “Seven” Franco.  This pop-metal record made it on the charts, but quickly slid off and was considered a commercial failure.  The band dissolved shortly after the album’s release.  Most of the members stayed out of the spotlight except for Snider who joined another band called Desperado and was later changed to Widowmaker.  Twisted Sister had a few posthumous releases such as Big Hits and Nasty Cuts (1992) and Live at Hammersmith (1994).  Snider then started doing some work on the radio, and also tried out acting and producing films.

In 1998, Twisted Sister reunited to record a track for the soundtrack for Snider’s movie StrangeLand.  The following year Spitfire Records re-issued the group’s back catalog and added previously unreleased tracks.  In 2001, the band members reconvened to do a benefit concert (New York Steel), along with other metal bands for the victims of 9/11.  Twisted Sister went back into the studio in 2004 to re-record the album Stay Hungry, adding seven bonus tracks.  In 2006, they released a Christmas album entitled Twisted Christmas, which was embraced by fans.  It was a heavy metal twist to holiday classics and was a success.  The band has been touring worldwide off and on since they recorded the album.