Posted on 12/13/2017 8:07:16 AM PST by dfwgator
It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Pat DiNizio, lead singer and songwriter of the influential New Jersey rock band, The Smithereens – America’s Band. Pat was looking forward to getting back on the road and seeing his many fans and friends. Please keep Pat in your thoughts and prayers.
(Excerpt) Read more at officialsmithereens.com ...
RIP.
Crap....sorry to hear this.
I met him after one of their shows on Long Beach Island about 20+ years ago and had a couple of drinks with him.
RIP Pat
A really fine band.
Sorry to learn of this.
RIP.
RIP Pat. One of the few real good guys. My wife knew the band from way back when she was making a living photographing bands. Several years ago they came to Annapolis to play Ramshead On Stage, a small intimate venue not far from us. It was dead of winter and their bass player decided to not make the trip so the three of them carried on like the musical troopers they are. On an intermission, my wife introduced me to Pat who had come outside to join us for a few smokes. The local college FM station I listened to on the way to work around sunrise played back to back Smithereens songs and I turned the volume way up. Heaven is blessed with a new sound track.
Growing up in NJ I loved the Smithereens. So sad to hear this.
Screw Springsteen, Screw Bon Jovi, The Smithereens ARE New Jersey’s Band.
Damn, the heart and soul of a great band that didn’t really hit the heights that it deserved. I saw them live a couple of years ago and was amazed at how heavy he was.
Yeah, I can’t say I’m surprised he passed so young given his weight. He certainly didn’t look like that back in their heyday.
Yeah, one of my favorite bands too. This really sucks! Pat was just a few months older than me...
Me too! I still have them on cassette. I saw them in NYC a few years ago at a free concert they were giving. Sorry to say but he was hugely overweight back then. RIP Pat!-(
Very sorry to hear this. I think he had health problems, the treatment of which contributed to a serious weight gain, that may have been part of his demise.
A few years ago, he was going on one-man ‘tours’, literally playing in fans’ homes, if they wanted such a visit.
The Smithereens did some good stuff, on their own and with covers of The Beatles and The Sir Douglas Quintet. RIP, Pat.
I met them in a bar in Tuscaloosa. We talked about Rickenbacker guitars for at least an hour. RIP
They did a full cover of The Who’s “Tommy”. I actually prefer it over the original.
Small world. I used to live in Baltimore and saw a couple of concerts at Ramshead in Annapolis, the one on Baltimore too. I think it might have been when I saw Shawn Colvin and John Hiatt probably around 2003 or 2004 (great show BTW) when I saw that The Smithereens were coming. Loved that band and really wanted to see them in concert. But I couldn’t find anyone who wanted to go with me. I regret just not going by myself. : (
They covered a lot of Beatles stuff also. Very well done.
A great rock and roll song, through and through. RIP.
And their version of “Lust For Life” blew away Iggy’s.
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