Pat Dinizio

Pat DiNizio earned recognition primarily through the brooding, British Invasion-tinged college rock produced by his long-running band the Smithereens. His 1997 solo debut attracted far less notice. The early years of the following decade placed him in several unforeseen positions, among them curating satellite radio content, mounting a house-concert series that brought performances directly to private residences, and mounting an earnest though unsuccessful run for the U.S. Senate. Health setbacks and injuries accumulated during the second half of the 2010s, culminating in his death at age 62 in 2017.

DiNizio and the Smithereens first attracted attention during the 1980s. After performing in multiple earlier ensembles, he assembled his own unit by recruiting three New Jersey natives—Dennis Diken on drums, Jim Babjak on guitar, and Mike Mesaros on bass—who had previously played together while still in high school. Several early EPs issued in the first half of the decade achieved modest results and led to supporting slots on the oldies circuit. Enigma Records eventually signed the group, resulting in the 1986 full-length Especially for You, which found favor especially on college radio thanks to the brooding, Beatlesque single “Blood and Roses.” The 1988 follow-up Green Thoughts expanded their reach into broader markets via the charting single “Only a Memory.” The next release, titled 11, marked a commercial high point when the driving track “A Girl Like You” reached the Top 40.

The emergence of grunge and Nirvana at the start of the 1990s pushed the Smithereens from widespread awareness. Although the band issued further albums across that decade, among them a 1998 compilation and the 1999 set God Save the Smithereens, none approached prior commercial levels. They nevertheless sustained live activity before a dedicated cult audience well into the 2000s. DiNizio’s first solo outing, Songs and Sounds, appeared on Velvel Records in 1997 and featured contributions from the Stranglers’ J.J. Burnel, former Miles Davis saxophonist Sonny Fortune, and Lou Reed’s onetime drummer Tony Smith.

In 2000 DiNizio pursued an open New Jersey Senate seat on the Reform Party ticket. The campaign included a rhinoceros mascot and incorporated statements from Harry Truman, Albert Camus, and Gandhi. He ultimately captured one percent of the vote. The documentary Mr. Smithereen Goes to Washington documented the effort. That same year he introduced a distinctive touring format in which, for a $2,000 fee, he would arrive at a fan’s residence with his van, guitar, and a keg of beer to perform Smithereens material for a private gathering, eventually logging thousands of miles across the country.

Early in the decade DiNizio also began selecting programming for XM Satellite Radio, where he promoted unsigned acts across multiple styles. His third solo album, the self-titled Pat DiNizio, arrived in 2007. A Buddy Holly tribute project titled Pat Dinizio/Buddy Holly, containing his own arrangements of several Holly compositions, followed in 2009. Two falls in 2015 caused lasting nerve damage, and subsequent medical problems increasingly restricted his appearances. Additional injuries prompted the cancellation of scheduled Smithereens dates in 2017; DiNizio passed away on December 12 of that year.