Dee Snider is an American singer, songwriter, musician, actor, and media personality. He is best known as the former lead singer and songwriter of the heavy metal band Twisted Sister. The band's 1984 song "We're Not Gonna Take It" reached No. 21 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart and was ranked No. 47 on 100 Greatest 80's Songs. Snider later formed and was the lead singer in the heavy metal bands Desperado, Widowmaker, and SMFs. He also released several solo albums. Snider was ranked #83 in the Hit Parader's Top 100 Metal Vocalists of All Time.

In 1985, Snider was involved in a Senate hearing instigated by the Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC), which sought to introduce a parental warning system that would label all albums containing what they considered offensive material. Prior to the appearance by PMRC in Congress, they had singled out a list of songs entitled the "Filthy Fifteen" to demonstrate the dangers of such material to youth, with "We're Not Gonna Take It" featuring on the list. Snider, John Denver, and Frank Zappa all testified against censorship and the proposed warning system. The system was never implemented, and the music industry had already adopted what is now the generic "Parental Advisory: Explicit Content" label.