Patti Smith Quartet

About

Also known as: Patricia Lee Smith

Few artists have blurred the line between rock and poetry as defiantly as Patti Smith. Her 1975 debut Horses, produced by John Cale and opening with the provocation "Jesus died for somebody's sins but not mine", planted her firmly at the heart of the New York punk scene and has never really left the conversation. The Mapplethorpe cover shot alone became one of rock's most iconic images. She co wrote "Because the Night" with Bruce Springsteen, a song that cracked the top five in the UK and gave her a mainstream moment without softening her edge. Beyond music, she contributed lyrics to several Blue Öyster Cult tracks and spent years writing for Rolling Stone and Creem. In 2010 she won the National Book Award for her memoir Just Kids, and she ranks 47th on Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Artists list. Her album Banga came out in 2012, showing she was still very much in creative motion.