Jim Babjak (born November 17, 1957) is an American

guitarist A guitarist (or a guitar player) is a person who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of guitar family instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselve ...

and ex-

banker A bank is a financial institution that accepts Deposit account, deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital m ...

. He is the lead guitar player and co-founder of

The Smithereens The Smithereens are an American rock music, rock band from Carteret, New Jersey. The group formed in 1980 with members Pat DiNizio lead vocals, (vocals and guitar), Jim Babjak (guitar and backing vocals, vocals), Mike Mesaros (bass guitar and bac ...

. Babjak has written and sung several songs for the band. He also is the leader of the band ''Buzzed Meg''.

Origins

Babjak, from

Carteret, NJ Carteret is a borough in northeastern Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population reached 25,326, its highest decennial count ever and an increase of 2,482 (+10.9%) from the ...

, formed The Smithereens together with fellow

Carteret High School Carteret High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from Carteret in Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, as the lone secondary school of the Carteret School ...

alumni Dennis Diken and Mike Mesaros, along with

Pat DiNizio Patrick Michael DiNizio (October 12, 1955 – December 12, 2017) was the lead singer, songwriter and founding member of the band The Smithereens, which he formed in 1980 with Jim Babjak, Dennis Diken and Mike Mesaros from Carteret, New Jersey. ...

Scotch Plains, New Jersey Scotch Plains is a Township (New Jersey), township in Union County, New Jersey, Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The township is located on a ridge in North Jersey, northern-central Jersey, central New Jersey, within the Raritan R ...

.Cahillane, Kevin
Fade Away: The Smithereens' Monument to Persistence"
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', October 10, 2004. Accessed August 18, 2021. "The band formed in 1980 when three Carteret High School graduates (class of 1975) and childhood friends (Mr. Babjak, Dennis Diken on drums and Mike Mesaros on bass) met Pat DiNizio, a Scotch Plains singer-songwriter-garbage man."

Appearances

Babjak's music can be heard in the films ''

Bull Durham ''Bull Durham'' is a 1988 American romantic comedy sports film written and directed by Ron Shelton. The film stars Kevin Costner as "Crash" Davis, a veteran catcher from the AAA Richmond Braves, brought in to teach rookie pitcher Ebby Calv ...

'', ''

Backdraft A backdraft (North American English), backdraught (British English) or smoke explosion is the abrupt combustion, burning of superheated gases in a fire caused when oxygen rapidly enters a hot, oxygen-depleted environment; for example, when a windo ...

'', ''

Encino Man ''Encino Man'' (also known as ''California Man'' in several territories) is a 1992 American comedy film directed by Les Mayfield in his directorial debut This is a list of film directorial debuts in chronological order. The films and dates ...

'', ''

Time Cop ''Timecop'' is a 1994 American science fiction action film directed by Peter Hyams and co-written by Mike Richardson and Mark Verheiden. Richardson also served as executive producer. The film is based on ''Timecop'', a story created by Richard ...

'', '' Romy & Michele's High School Reunion'', '' Boys Don't Cry'', ''

Burglar Burglary, also called breaking and entering (B&E) or housebreaking, is a property crime involving trespass to land, the illegal entry into a building or other area without permission, typically with the intention of committing a further criminal ...

'', ''

Cruel Intentions 2 ''Cruel Intentions 2'' (also known as ''Cruel Intentions 2: Manchester Prep'' or simply as ''Manchester Prep'') is a 2000 American comedy drama film written and directed by Roger Kumble, and starring Robin Dunne, Sarah Thompson, Keri Lynn Pr ...

'', '' Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle'', and ''

I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry ''I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry'' (also simply known as ''Chuck & Larry'') is a 2007 American buddy comedy film directed by Dennis Dugan from a screenplay by Barry Fanaro, Alexander Payne, and Jim Taylor. It stars Adam Sandler and Kevin J ...

''. The band made a cameo appearance in the film ''

Class of Nuke 'Em High ''Class of Nuke 'Em High'' (also known as ''Atomic High School'') is a 1986 American science-fiction horror comedy film produced and distributed by Troma Entertainment. Directed by Richard W. Haines and Lloyd Kaufman (the latter under the pseu ...

''. Other accomplishments include musical compositions and performances for the soap operas ''

Passions ''Passions'' is an American television soap opera that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1999, to September 7, 2007, and on DirecTV's The 101 Network from September 17, 2007, to August 7, 2008. Created by screenwriter James E. Reilly and ...

'' and ''

The Guiding Light ''Guiding Light'' (known as ''The Guiding Light'' before 1975) is an American radio and television soap opera. ''Guiding Light'' aired on CBS for 57 years between June 30, 1952, and September 18, 2009, overlapping a 19-year broadcast on radio ...

'', as well as television and radio commercials for

Dairy Queen International Dairy Queen, Inc. (DQ) is an American multinational fast food chain founded in 1940 and currently headquartered in Bloomington, Minnesota. The first Dairy Queen was owned and operated by Sherb Noble and first opened on June 22, ...

and

Nissan Maxima The Nissan Maxima is a five-passenger, front-engine, front-drive sedan that was manufactured and marketed by Nissan as Nissan's flagship sedan primarily in North America, the Middle East, South Korea, and China — across eight generations. ...

. Television credits include ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'') is an American Late night television in the United States, late-night live television, live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Michaels and Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC. The ...

'', ''

Late Night with Conan O'Brien ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'' is an American television talk show broadcast by NBC. The show is the second installment of the ''Late Night (franchise), Late Night'' franchise originally established by David Letterman. Hosted by Conan O'Brie ...

'', ''

MTV Unplugged ''MTV Unplugged'' is an American television series on MTV. It showcases recorded live performances of popular music artists playing acoustic instrument, acoustic or "unplugged" variations of songs. The show aired regularly from 1989 to 1999. F ...

'', ''

The Tonight Show with Jay Leno ''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'' is an American television talk show broadcast by NBC. The show is the fourth and sixth installment of ''The Tonight Show''. Hosted by Jay Leno, it aired from May 25, 1992, to May 29, 2009, replacing ''The Ton ...

'', ''

The Uncle Floyd Show Floyd Vivino (born October 19, 1951), known professionally as Uncle Floyd, is an American television, film, and stage performer primarily known for his comedy/variety TV show ''The Uncle Floyd Show'' (1974–1998). Early life Vivino was born i ...

'', ''

CBS This Morning ''CBS This Morning'' (''CTM'') is an American morning television program that aired on CBS from November 30, 1987 to October 29, 1999, and again from January 9, 2012 to September 6, 2021. On November 1, 1999, the original incarnation was repla ...

'', '' The Dennis Miller Show'', and ''

The Arsenio Hall Show ''The Arsenio Hall Show'' is an American syndicated late-night talk show created by and starring comedian Arsenio Hall. There have been two different incarnations of ''The Arsenio Hall Show''. The original series premiered on January 3, 1989 ...

''.

Recognition

In 2019, Babjak, along with his bandmates in the Smithereens, were inducted into the class of 2018

New Jersey Hall of Fame The New Jersey Hall of Fame is an organization that honors individuals from the U.S. state of New Jersey who have made contributions to society and the world beyond. The Hall of Fame is a designated 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, overseen by ...

. He has also been inducted into the White Castle "Cravers Hall of Fame" class of 2002 for his song "White Castle Blues." Babjak was rated #8 in the Asbury Park Press’ list of The 17 Greatest N.J. Guitarists of All Time. His composition, "Waking Up on Christmas Morning," was rated # 9 in the Asbury Park Press "The Christmas Top 10". According to '' Goldmine Magazine'', among the bands influenced by

the Smithereens The Smithereens are an American rock music, rock band from Carteret, New Jersey. The group formed in 1980 with members Pat DiNizio lead vocals, (vocals and guitar), Jim Babjak (guitar and backing vocals, vocals), Mike Mesaros (bass guitar and bac ...

was

Nirvana Nirvana, in the Indian religions (Jainism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sikhism), is the concept of an individual's passions being extinguished as the ultimate state of salvation, release, or liberation from suffering ('' duḥkha'') and from the ...

. Babjak's guitar and other memorabilia from the Smithereens are on display at the

Grammy Museum Experience The Grammy Museum Experience was an interactive, experiential museum devoted to the history and winners of the Grammy Awards which was located at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. It was open from October 20, 2017, to June 25, 2023. ...

in Newark at the

Prudential Center Prudential Center is a multipurpose indoor arena in the central business district of Newark, New Jersey, United States. Opened in 2007, it is the home of the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League (NHL), the New York Sirens of the Pro ...

. In May 2024, on a list including

Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American Rock music, rock singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Nicknamed "the Boss", Springsteen has released 21 studio albums spanning six decades; most of his albums feature th ...

Les Paul Lester William Polsfuss (June 9, 1915 – August 12, 2009), known as Les Paul, was an American jazz guitarist, jazz, country guitarist, country, and blues guitarist, songwriter, luthier, and inventor. He was one of the pioneers of the solid body ...

, Al DiMeola, and

Lenny Kaye Lenny Kaye (''né'' Kusikoff; born December 27, 1946) is an American guitarist, composer, and writer, notable for his work with the Patti Smith Group, his contributions to music magazines, and his garage rock retrospective anthology '' Nuggets' ...

, among others,

Guitar World ''Guitar World'' is a monthly music magazine for guitarists and fans of guitar-based music and trends. The magazine has been published since July 1980. ''Guitar World'', the best-selling guitar magazine in the United States, contains original a ...

named Babjak one of th
30 Greatest Garden State Guitarists of All Time

Personal life

Babjak lives in

Manalapan Township, New Jersey Manalapan Township (, ) is a Township (New Jersey), township in western Monmouth County, New Jersey, Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The township is centrally located within the Raritan River, Raritan Valley Region and is a pa ...

. At one time, Babjak had a day job working at a bank. Jim is the owner o
Babjax Coffee
providing whimsically named premium roasted whole bean and ground

coffee Coffee is a beverage brewed from roasted, ground coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content, but decaffeinated coffee is also commercially a ...

varieties which can be purchased online and at Smithereens gigs.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Babjak, Jimithy Living people 1957 births The Smithereens members Carteret High School alumni People from Carteret, New Jersey People from Manalapan Township, New Jersey Jersey Shore musicians Singers from New Jersey Songwriters from New Jersey Guitarists from New Jersey American male guitarists 20th-century American guitarists 20th-century American male musicians 21st-century American guitarists 21st-century American male musicians American male songwriters Musicians from Middlesex County, New Jersey Musicians from Monmouth County, New Jersey