CLEARWATER, Fla. — Sixty years after his hit track, Peppermint Twist, rocketed to primary on the Billboard charts, Joey Dee, of Joey Dee and The Starliters, continues to entertain audiences proper right here in Tampa Bay, now alongside his son and daughter.
However, it’s the matriarch of the family, Lois Lee, who they owe a lot of their success.
“Big voice, took command of the stage, didn’t matter, Frank Sinatra, the Beatles, anybody could be on the stage, you zero in on Lois Lee,” mentioned Joey Dee about his late spouse.
Every time Joey and his kids, Jamie Lee and Ronnie Dee, carry out, they will’t assist however take into consideration Lois. In truth, lots of their songs are written about her.
“Always pay it forward, always do the right thing, and if we take care of each other, we’ll be okay,” mentioned Ronnie.
As dynamic as Lois was on stage, it’s what she did behind the scenes, as a spouse, mom and supervisor, that made her actually stand out.
“My mom was a superstar, no matter what she did, no matter what she touched, turned to gold,” mentioned Jamie Lee.
“I hold her advice close to my heart still in just about all my musical decisions,” mentioned Ronnie.
This family of musicians went on so as to add a brand new era however, sadly, misplaced their brightest star when Lois died of most cancers in 2003.
“She had the most talent and the most ability, and we lost her to this terrible scourge,” mentioned Joey. “And she really loved me, and I loved her as well.”
Ever since her passing, the family has donated a portion of all album, live performance and merchandise gross sales to the American Cancer Society in Lois’ honor.
“Try to put as much art out into the world as our mother instructed us to do, to just give back a little bit, to try and make some other lives easier,” mentioned Ronnie.
This Sunday, Ronnie Dee and the Super Stars Band are having a launch celebration at All Access Recording for his or her newest album, Dirty Rockers. As common, Lois Lee’s affect is sprinkled all through each track.
“We do all the same choreography that mom taught us,” mentioned Ronnie.
“She’s there too,” mentioned Jamie Lee.
“We feel it. That’s the time we feel closest to her, I feel like I can look right over, and she’ll be there,” mentioned Ronnie.
For extra information on the album launch celebration, click on here.