Smith, Patti

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Smith, Patti

Smith, Patti , unique late–1970s female singer-songwriter; b. Chicago, Dec. 31, 1946. Patti Smith attempted to establish her literate and somewhat bizarre poetry as a rock art form when backed by minimalist, hard- driving music. In 1974 she began performing at N.Y. clubs such as Max’s Kansas City and CBGB’s, serving as inspiration to the soon-to-burgeon punkrock scene. Winning a cult following on both American coasts for her volatile and personal lyrics, erratic vocal style, and unusual stage antics, Smith finally broke nationally with the 1978 hit “Because the Night,” cowritten by Smith and Bruce Springsteen. Recording two of the most striking albums of the late–1970s, Horses and Easter, she retired after 1979’s Wave, produced by Todd Rundgren. Patti Smith unsuccessfully attempted a comeback with husband Fred “Sonic” Smith of the MC5 in 1988; after his death, she resumed touring in 1995, opening for Bob Dylan on several dates, and she began recording a new album working with guitarist Lenny Kaye.

Patti Smith grew up in southern N.J., moving to N.Y.C, in 1967, where she frequented Pratt Art Coll. She later traveled to Paris with her sister, returning to N.Y. in 1969. There she met playwright Sam Shepard, with whom she wrote the play Cowboy Mouth, In February 1971 she began reading her poetry at St. Mark’s Church, accompanied by guitarist and rock critic Lenny Kaye. Attracting her initial following as a rock critic for Creem magazine, Smith subsequently published two volumes of writing, Seventh Heaven and Witt, in the early 1970s. Encouraged to write songs and sing by Kaye and Blue Öyster Cult keyboardist Allen Lanier, she coauthored “Career of Evil,” which the group included on their 1974 Secret Treaties album.

By 1974 Patti Smith was performing in Manhattan clubs such as Max’s Kansas City and CBGB’s backed by Lenny Kaye and pianist Richard Sohl. She recorded the single “Hey Joe”/“Piss Factory” for Kaye’s Mer Records label, becoming one of the focal points of the emerging N.Y. underground rock scene with her literate, passionate, and unusual lyrics, inconsistent vocal delivery, androgynous appearance, and ranting onstage antics. Late in the year, she signed with Arista Records, recording Horses under producer-artist John Cale, a former member of the Velvet Underground. Recorded with Lanier, Kaye, Sohl, Ivan Kral (bs., gtr., kybd.), and Jay Dee Daugherty (drm.), the album featured seven originals (she took sole credit for only the title song) and reworked versions of Van Morrison’s “Gloria” and Chris Kenner’s “Land of 1,000 Dances.” The album sold modestly, and Smith made her first national tour in January 1976.

Forming the Patti Smith Group with Lenny Kaye, Ivan Krai, and Jay Dee Daugherty, Patti Smith next recorded Radio Ethiopia, but the album’s heavy-metal sound overwhelmed her vocals. While on tour in January 1977 she fell off stage in Tampa, Fla., sustaining broken neck bones that necessitated a six- month period of recovery. In early 1978 she published a poetry collection, Babel, her first work released by a major publishing house (Putnam). The Patti Smith Group regrouped with Smith, Kaye, Krai, Daugherty, and keyboardist Bruce Brody for Easter. The album included “Rock ‘n’ Roll Nigger,” “Privilege (Set Me Free),” “Till Victory,” and “Space Monkey,” and yielded a major hit with “Because the Night.” Wave, produced by Todd Rundgren, featured “Revenge” and a version of the Byrds’ “So You Want to Be a Rock ‘n’ Roll Star,” and produced a minor hit with “Frederick.” Later in 1979 Patti Smith retired from the music business and moved to Detroit, and in 1980 she married Fred “Sonic” Smith of the MC5.

Patti Smith reemerged in 1988 with Dream of Life, recorded with Richard Sohl, Jay Dee Daugherty, and Fred Smith. With Fred and Patti as cosongwriters, the album included “People Have the Power,” “Up There Down There,” the gentle “Paths That Cross,” and the lullaby “The Jackson Song.” However, it failed to sell in significant quantities. In late autumn 1995 Smith reemerged for a brief tour opening for Bob Dylan while preparing a new album of original compositions with Lenny Kaye.

Dlscography

patti smith : Horses (1975); Dream of Life (1988); Gone Again (1996); Peace and Noise (1997); Gung Ho (2000). the patti smith group: Radio Ethiopia (1976); Easter (1978); Wave (1979).