Ralphie Dee

Last updated
Ralph D'Agostino
Ralphie Dee at Digital Overdose Amsterdam 2008.jpg
Ralphie Dee at Digital Overdose 2008
Background information
Birth nameRalph D'Agostino
Also known asRalphie Dee
Genres disco, electronic music, house and techno
Occupation(s)Producer, DJ
Years active1980s-present

Ralph D'Agostino, better known as Ralphie Dee, is an American D.J. known for a career spanning disco, electronic and rave music. [1] [2] [3] He was resident D.J. at 2001 Odyssey Disco in Brooklyn, New York at the time when "Saturday Night Fever" was filmed there. [4] [5] [6] The movie was largely responsible for the popularization of disco lifestyle, and attracted numerous tourists to 2001 Odyssey starting in 1978 and through the 1980s. Many disco music hits were first heard there from the hands of DJ's such as Chuck Rusinak and D'Agostino. [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] Many live recordings were done at 2001 and are available online (See also the External Links section).

Contents

Starting in 1978, Ralphie Dee was hired by WKTU to perform for lunch mixes and their nightly Saturday shows. [13]

In the late 1980s he started a production career which began in the mid 1990s, and continues today, which resulted in a discography of more than 250 releases at a time when the rave scene began to take shape in the United Kingdom. [14] [1] The phase was marked by collaborations with Tommy Musto and Lenny Dee. With the latter he created pieces such as "Out Takes" (1989), "Overdose (The Final Trip)" and "Manslaughter" (the last two from the 1990 EP "Major Problems") under New York label Nu Groove. [2] "Out Takes" caught the ear of promoters upon hitting the United Kingdom, which resulted in a tour over Europe in the year 1990. On his return to the United States, "Major Problems - Overdose" had entered the Record Mirror charts. [15] Other prominent records include 3 EP’s under the name "English Muffin” with Lenny Dee and “Chantal – The Realm” with Anthony Mannino and Dennis Pino as the acapella on the record is one of the most sampled in techno history. [16] [17] [18]

In 2007, Ralphie Dee was inducted into The Legends of Vinyl Hall of Fame. [19] The year 2017 was the 40th anniversary of Saturday Night Fever’s release as there were many concerts featuring the original artists who appeared on the album along with Ralphie appearing as the DJ. [20] [21] Since March 2020, during the Covid-19 pandemic he’s been seen doing live video Dj sets in over 10 countries. [22] He also appeared in 2021 True House Stories series with Lenny Fontana. [23] [24]

1980s venues

Ralph D'Agostino and John Travolta. Travolta & Ralphie Dee.jpg
Ralph D'Agostino and John Travolta.

With the legacy of his time at 2001 Ralphie began playing at various clubs that had opened in Brooklyn, Queens, Long Island and Staten Island and Manhattan.

1990s selected world venues

Notable Releases

Related Research Articles

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References

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  22. Ralphie Dee | Disco House | Partycast.tv , retrieved 2021-04-29
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