Patricia Lee Smith (born December 30, 1946) is an American singer, songwriter, poet, painter, author, and photographer. Her 1975 debut album Horses made her an influential member of the New York City-based punk rock movement.
Oil on Linen 35x30 cm
In 1969, Smith went to Paris with her sister, and started busking and doing performance art. When Smith returned to Manhattan, she lived at the Hotel Chelsea with Robert Mapplethorpe. They frequented Max's Kansas City on Park Avenue, and Smith provided the spoken word soundtrack for Sandy Daley's art film Robert Having His Nipple Pierced, starring Mapplethorpe.
In 1976 the Patti Smith Group recorded their debut album, Horses, produced by John Cale amid some tension. The album fused punk rock and spoken poetry and begins with a cover of Van Morrison's "Gloria", and Smith's opening words: "Jesus died for somebody's sins but not mine", an excerpt from "Oath", one of Smith's early poems. The austere cover photograph by Mapplethorpe has become one of rock's classic images. The two remained friends until Mapplethorpe's death in 1989.
Smith considers Mapplethorpe to be among the most influential and important people in her life. She calls him "the artist of my life" in her book Just Kids, which tells the story of their relationship. Her book and album The Coral Sea is an homage to Mapplethorpe.
n 1979, at approximately age 32, Smith separated from her long-time partner Allen Lanier and met Fred "Sonic" Smith, the former guitar player for Michigan-based rock band MC5 and Sonic's Rendezvous Band. Like Patti, Fred adored poetry. "Dancing Barefoot", which was inspired by Jeanne Hébuterne and her tragic love for Amedeo Modigliani, and "Frederick" were both dedicated to him.
Fred Smith died of a heart attack on November 4, 1994. Shortly afterward, Patti faced the unexpected death of her brother Todd.