Patti Smith

Born in Chicago in 1946 and raised in New Jersey, Patti Smith first became part of the late‑1960s New York art scene, where poetry, performance and rock intersected. Her work mixes spoken word, the tension of garage rock, art rock and folk inflections, with a declamatory delivery that remains central to her identity. After public readings and collaborations with guitarist Lenny Kaye, she formed the Patti Smith Group and released Horses in 1975, followed by Radio Ethiopia (1976), Easter (1978) and Wave (1979). This early period linked her to the rise of New York punk while preserving a more literary and improvisational musical structure. Because the Night, co‑written with Bruce Springsteen and released on Easter, broadened her audience without altering the singularity of her approach. After several years focused more on family life, she resumed her recorded output with Dream of Life in 1988, then Gone Again (1996), Peace and Noise (1997), Gung Ho (2000), Trampin' (2004) and Banga (2012). Alongside her concerts, Patti Smith has continuously worked as a poet and writer at the intersection of music, literature and the visual arts.