Dennis Diken is an American drummer, DJ, author, music historian and founding member of the band The Smithereens, which he formed in 1980 with Pat DiNizio, Jim Babjak, and Mike Mesaros in Carteret, New Jersey. Besides playing with The Smithereens, Diken has been a fill-in DJ on WFMU, as well as a liner-notes author and reissue project researcher. As a musician, Diken has recorded or toured with, among others, Ronnie Spector, Dave Davies, Nancy Sinatra, Mary Weiss of the Shangri-Las[6] and Ben E. King, and worked with musicians such as Dave Amels and R. Stevie Moore. Diken has been a constant member of The Smithereens since 1980, but has also worked as a session drummer since the 1980s, he toured with former Shangri-La member Mary Weiss in the late 2000s and has since 2014 toured with former Kinks guitarist Dave Davies' solo band. Diken also toured with Ronnie Spector in the late 2010s.

Join Living On Music on Facebook at facebook.com/groups/livingonmusic and subscribe to Living On Music on YouTube at youtube.com/@livingonmusicwithstevehouk.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/living-on-music-with-steve-houk--5376946/support.