He is best known for being a member of the glam metal band Britny Fox, and as a member of Doro Pesch's band since 1993. In the past Dee played in the bands Mariah and Waysted, as well as collaborated with artists such as Blaze Bayley and guitarist Jack Frost.
Career
John DiTeodoro jr. was born and raised in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Philadelphia, where he attended Spring Mill Elementary and Plymouth-Whitemarsh Senior High, graduating at Central Montco Technical High School in Commercial Art.[1] He is a self-taught musician, who started playing drums at the age of 12.[2] The first influences on his drumming style came from Peter Criss (KISS)[2] and Ian Paice (Deep Purple).[3] His first experiences with local bands put him in contact with other young musicians of the neighborhood, like Billy Degley, later known as Billy Childs, and other future members of Britny Fox.[1]
Johnny Dee began his career as drummer for the heavy metal band World War III in his home town Philadelphia around 1985, recording their self-titled debut in the same year.[4] A short time later, he joined the British hard rock band Waysted, with which he recorded the album Save Your Prayers in 1986.[5] When Waysted disbanded, he returned to Philadelphia in 1987 to replace in the glam metal band Britny Fox the temporary drummer Adam West, who in turn had replaced the late Tony Destra.[6] The band's first two albums, Britny Fox (1988) and Boys in Heat (1989), climbed the charts and achieved considerable success.[7] Singer and guitarist Dean Davidson left the band in 1990 to form Blackeyed Susan and Britny Fox continued with his replacement Tommy Paris, but did not get the good results of previous years. The first album with Paris, Bite Down Hard (1991), did not find a receptive market and sold poorly.[8]
In 1991, Dee recorded with the Minneapolis glam metal band Mariah their second album Somewhere Between Heaven and Earth,[3] which was published in a cassette-only limited edition. The band line-up comprised D.O.A. and Waysted keyboardist Jimmy DiLella and Tim Compton, former guitarist of Lynn Allen. DiLella had been a session musician for Britny Fox, but had never played with the group before their premature disbandment in 1993.[9] However, he was instrumental in the hiring of his friend Johnny Dee to replace drummer Chris Branco in the Doro Pesch's touring band, where he was the keyboard player.[5] In 2005, Retrospect Records released the two albums of Mariah, the second with Johnny Dee on drums.[10] In 2007, the same label released another album of the band titled III, featuring again Dee.[3][11]
The fast commercial decline of glam metal acts in favor of grunge and alternative rock, caused the dissolution of many bands like Britny Fox, leaving their members unemployed.[3][10] Dee was lucky to have found jobs as musician in Europe with Doro, who was a still a successful and charting artist in Germany, and in the US East Coast with LeCompt, a cover band formed by former Tangier vocalist Mike LeCompt which included also Billy Childs on bass.[6] He recorded with Doro the live album Doro Live (1993) and several studio albums, remaining to this day the official drummer of the band. He also served as tour manager for Doro's US tours.[1] In the 90s, when not engaged in European tours with Doro or with LeCompt, Dee worked with a third band that he had founded with Tommy Paris in Philadelphia, called Uncle Edna. They released a self-titled EP in 1996.[12]
In 2000, Britny Fox reformed and went on tour with Dee on drums, releasing the live album Long Way to Live! (2001) and their fourth studio album Springhead Motorshark in 2003. During the summer of 2002, Dee played on tour also with Blaze Bayley (ex-singer of Iron Maiden and Wolfsbane), in support to the American thrash metal band Overkill on a European tour.[13] In 2003, Dee, along with bassist Billy Childs, worked on the solo project of guitarist Jack Frost (Savatage, Metalium), releasing the album Raise Your Fist to Metal.[14]
Dee was involved in a project to re-record classic UFO songs in 2006, along with former UFO and Waysted guitarist Paul Chapman and the former MSG lead singer Robin McAuley.[15]
In 2008, Britny Fox officially announced a new line-up, without Johnny Dee on drums.[16] A new reunion was announced again in 2010 by former singer Dean Davidson, without the previous agreement of the other band members.[2][17]
On September 3, 2022, it was announced that Johnny Dee is the new drummer for Tyketto, following the departure of long time sticksman Michael Clayton.
Jim Stevens – "Connective Energies" (2017) appears on 8 songs
Related Research Articles
Britny Fox is an American glam metal band from the Philadelphia area, initially active from 1985 to 1992 then subsequently reforming from 2000 to 2003, again in 2006 to 2008 and final time reforming in 2015 to 2016. They are best known for their music video for "Girlschool" and their minor hit "Long Way to Love". Bassist Billy Childs has been the only band member to be a part of each of the band's many lineups.
Cinderella was an American rock band formed in the suburbs of Philadelphia in 1983. The band emerged in the mid-1980s with a series of multi-platinum studio albums and hit singles whose music videos received heavy MTV rotation and popularity. Cinderella initially had a glam metal sound throughout the late 1980s before shifting into a more blues rock-based sound during the early to mid 1990s.
Warlock was a German heavy metal band founded in 1982 in Düsseldorf by members of the underground bands Snakebite and Beast. The band gained popularity and some commercial success in Europe in the mid-1980s, due to the personality and stage presence of lead vocalist Doro Pesch. Warlock supported successful heavy metal bands on tour, such as W.A.S.P., Judas Priest, Dio and Megadeth.
Waysted was a British hard rock band, formed by former UFO bassist Pete Way and Scottish rocker Fin Muir in 1982. Recruiting Frank Noon, Ronnie Kayfield and Paul Raymond, Waysted signed to Chrysalis Records and released Vices in 1983.
U.D.O. is a German heavy metal band founded by lead vocalist Udo Dirkschneider in 1987.
Michael Schermick, known professionally as Michael Kelly Smith, is an American guitarist who played for the glam metal bands Cinderella and Britny Fox. Schermick and drummer Tony Destra were fired from Cinderella in 1985 at the request of the record label, Polygram.
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Britny Fox is the debut album by the American glam metal band Britny Fox, released on June 6, 1988, through Columbia Records. The album contains the hits "Long Way to Love", "Girlschool" and the power ballad "Save the Weak". On December 21, 1988, the album was certified as gold.
Bite Down Hard is the third studio album by American glam metal band Britny Fox and the first to feature singer Tommy Paris. It also features guest appearances by Zakk Wylde and Poison drummer Rikki Rockett.
Triumph and Agony is the fourth and final studio album by the German heavy metal band Warlock, released on 29 September 1987.
Doro Pesch is a German heavy metal singer that started her career in native Düsseldorf in the early 80s with the underground bands Snakebite and Beast. In 1982, she joined the German heavy metal band Warlock, which got its first contract with the Belgian independent label Mausoleum Records to record the album Burning the Witches. The new band quickly entered the circuit of the most sought-after support bands in the European boiling panorama of metal live shows of the 80s, receiving enthusiastic reviews and gaining a solid fan base. Warlock soon stepped up to main attraction on European tours and their albums, issued under the Vertigo label, sold well in Germany and caught the attention of US promoters, who organized a tour in the United States. Their fourth album Triumph and Agony was produced in the US and entered the Billboard 200 chart, thanks also to the videos of the songs "All We Are" and "Für Immer" on rotation on MTV. By 1988, all German members of the band, except Doro, were replaced by American musicians and Warlock ceased to exist, because of legal problems about the rights on the name and logo.
Doro Live was the first official live album by German hard rock singer Doro Pesch, recorded during the Angels Never Die tour in Germany and released by Vertigo in 1993. The VHS Doro Live '93 was released at the same time only in Europe. It was filmed during two concerts in Germany on 6 and 7 October 1993 and contains two more songs: "The Fortuneteller" and "East Meets West".
Force Majeure is the debut solo studio album by German singer Doro, released in February 1989 by Vertigo Records.
Fight is the eighth studio album of the German female heavy metal singer Doro Pesch. It was released worldwide in 2002 by SPV/Steamhammer.
Classic Diamonds is the ninth studio album by the German female hard rock singer Doro Pesch. It was released worldwide in 2004 by AFM Records. The album presents new acoustic and symphonic arrangements for songs from Doro's repertoire, as well as some new compositions. The music is mostly played by the Classic Night Orchestra, an ensemble of young classical musicians that accompanied Doro in the following European tour.
Warrior Soul is the tenth studio album of the German female hard rock singer Doro Pesch. It was released worldwide in 2006 by AFM Records.
"All We Are" is a song composed by the German heavy metal band Warlock, from their 1987 album Triumph and Agony. It was released as the band's fourth single and published by Vertigo Records. A music video for the song was shot by director Mark Rezyka in the Los Angeles river basin and was on heavy rotation on MTV's heavy metal program Headbangers' Ball. The song was published again in every compilation of Warlock songs and is a staple of Doro's live shows to this day.
Dorothee Pesch, known professionally as Doro Pesch or simply Doro, is a German heavy metal singer and the former frontwoman of heavy metal band Warlock. Doro's contributions to music and culture made her a global figure in metal culture for over three decades. The name Doro has also been associated with the touring band accompanying the singer, whose members have continuously changed in more than 20 years of uninterrupted activity, the most stable presences being those of bassist Nick Douglas and drummer Johnny Dee.
Nick Douglas, also credited as Nick Mitchell, is an American rock musician, best known for being the bass player of Doro Pesch's band from 1990 to 2020. He released a solo album in 2001 and a second album in late February 2017. He worked with several other bands and artists, including Chris Caffery and BLAZE.
20 Years – A Warrior Soul is a double DVD video album by hard rock singer Doro Pesch, released in 2006 by AFM Records. The first DVD contains a movie shot by director Ronald Matthes during the tour supporting the release of the album Warrior Soul in 2006; it features also a selection of commented songs from the special concert held at Phillips Halle in Düsseldorf, Germany on 13 December 2003, celebrating 20 years of career of the German singer with many guests, and footage of the party after the show. The second DVD features the full 20th anniversary concert.
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