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Quick Facts
- NAME: Patti Smith
- OCCUPATION: Songwriter, Singer, Journalist, Poet
- BIRTH DATE: December 30, 1946 (Age: 66)
- EDUCATION: Rowan University
- PLACE OF BIRTH: Chicago, Illinois
- Full Name: Patricia Lee Smith
- ZODIAC SIGN: Capricorn
Best Known For
Patti Smith is a highly influential figure in the New York City punk rock scene, starting with her 1975 album Horses. Her biggest hit is the single "Because the Night."
Videos see all videos
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Patti Smith - Mini Biography (3:27)
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Patti Smith - Mini Biography
A short biography of Patti Smith whose career began with her spoken poetry. A fixture of the New York underground art scene, her debut album "Horses" combined poetry and punk rock.
Clive Davis - Signing Janis, Aretha, and Patti
Clive Davis, author of "The Soundtrack of My Life," recalls when he signed musical legends Janis Joplin, Aretha Franklin, and Patti Smith. Video courtesy of Simon & Schuster.
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Play NowPatti Smith. (2013). The Biography Channel website. Retrieved 12:22, May 25, 2013, from http://www.biography.com/people/patti-smith-9487150.
Patti Smith. [Internet]. 2013. The Biography Channel website. Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/patti-smith-9487150 [Accessed 25 May 2013].
"Patti Smith." 2013. The Biography Channel website. May 25 2013, 12:22 http://www.biography.com/people/patti-smith-9487150.
"Patti Smith," The Biography Channel website, 2013, http://www.biography.com/people/patti-smith-9487150 [accessed May 25, 2013].
"Patti Smith," The Biography Channel website, http://www.biography.com/people/patti-smith-9487150 (accessed May 25, 2013).
Patti Smith [Internet]. The Biography Channel website; 2013 [cited 2013 May 25] Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/patti-smith-9487150.
Patti Smith, http://www.biography.com/people/patti-smith-9487150 (last visited May 25, 2013).
Patti Smith. The Biography Channel website. 2013. Available at: http://www.biography.com/people/patti-smith-9487150. Accessed May 25, 2013.
When Fred "Sonic" Smith died of a heart attack in 1994, the last in a series of many close friends and collaborators of Smith's who passed away in quick succession, it finally provided her the impetus to revive her music career. Smith achieved a triumphant return with her 1996 comeback album Gone Again, featuring the singles "Summer Cannibals" and "Wicked Messenger." Since then, Smith has remained a prominent fixture of the rock music scene with her albums Peace and Noise (1997),
Gung Ho (2000) and Trampin' (2004), all of which were highly praised by music critics, proving Smith's ability to reshape her music to speak to a new generation of rock fans. Her most recent album, Twelve, features Smith's take on a dozen rock classics including "Gimme Shelter," "Changing of the Guards" and "Smells Like Teen Spirit."
One of the pioneers of punk rock music, a trailblazer who redefined the role of female rock stars, a poet who unleashed her lyrical talent over powerful guitars, Patti Smith stands out as one of the greatest figures in the history of rock 'n' roll. After four decades, Smith finds her continued motivation to write and make music in the unfairly shortened lives of her loved ones and the needs of her children. "The people I lost all believed in me and my children needed me, so that's a lot of reasons to continue, let alone that life is great," she says. "It's difficult but it's great and every day some new, wonderful thing is revealed. Whether it's a new book, or the sky is beautiful, or another full moon, or you meet a new friend—life is interesting."
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