Throwback: Happy 71st Birthday, Pat DiNizio!

Welp, we’ve survived through October. It’s been a bit of a brutal slog of a year. But there’s postseason baseball. Hockey season just started. Basketball season will start in a few weeks. 

October is also a busy month in music history. 

• The legendary Donny Hathaway was born 81 years ago on October 1
• The Human League‘s Philip Oakey celebrated his 71st birthday on October 2
• Sting celebrated his 75th birthday on October 2
• Motley Crüe co-founder and drummer Tommy Lee celebrated his 64th birthday on October 3
• Chubby Checker, one of the pioneers of rock ‘n’ roll and R&B celebrated his 85th on October 3
• One of the greatest guitarists and bluesmen ever, Stevie Ray Vaughan was born 72 years ago on October 3
• The Roots‘ Black Thought, arguably one of the greatest living emcees celebrated his 53rd birthday on October 3
• AC/DC‘s Brian Johnson celebrated his 79th birthday on October 5
• Singer/songwriter, actor and television personality Toni Braxton celebrated her 59th birthday today
• Radiohead and The Smile frontman Thom Yorke celebrated his 58th birthday on October 7
• One of this country’s finest and somewhat under-appreciated, underrated singer/songwriters, and one of my personal favorites, John Mellencamp celebrated his 75th birthday on October 7
• Kool and the Gang founder Robert “Kool” Bell celebrated his 76th birthday on October 8
• PJ Harvey celebrates her 57th birthday today
• The Who bassist John Entwistle was born 82 years ago on October 9
• The legendary John Lennon was born 86 years ago on October 9
• David Lee Roth, one of the greatest rock/metal frontman to ever live, and a member of the most beloved Van Halen lineup, ever, celebrated his 72nd birthday today
• Thelonious Monk was one of the most dynamic and eccentric figures in jazz was born 109 years ago on October 10
• MC Lyte is one of the pioneers of hip-hop and just as important, one of the greatest emcees to ever do it, male, female or non-binary celebrated her 56th birthday on October 11.
• Hall & Oates‘ Daryl Hall celebrated his 80th birthday on October 11
• The legendary Art Blakey, was born on this day 107 years ago on October 11

The Smithereens‘ founder and first frontman, Pat DiNizio was born on this day 71 years ago. DiNizio was arguably one of the more underrated lyricists and songwriters in one of the more underrated bands of the 80s and 90s. “A Girl Like You,” “Miles From Nowhere,” “Behind The Wall of Sleep,” “Yesterday Day,” and “House We Used to Live In,” are great hook-driven rock songs that rival that of Tom Petty and Bruce Springsteen while also channeling The Beatles. “Only A Memory” is a great song about heartbreak, that feels bruised and lived in. 

Sadly, DiNizio died back in 2017. But man, those songs bring back a lot of memories for me. So let’s celebrate the man’s life and work today. 

Happy birthday, Pat! Happy birthday, wherever you are!

____

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