Smith, Patti (1946–)
Smith, Patti (1946–)
American singer, songwriter and poet. Born Dec 30, 1946, in Chicago, IL; m. Fred "Sonic" Smith (guitarist), 1980 (died 1994); children: Jackson (b. 1982) and Jessie (b. 1987).
Innovative performance artist, who redefined roles open to women in the male-dominated rock scene, began performing her poetry (1971), accompanied by guitar and piano; formed band and released album Horses (1975), which received critical raves, and Radio Ethiopia (1976); while recuperating from neck injuries after falling off stage during performance in Tampa, FL (1977), wrote 4th book of poetry, Babel (1978); released 1st Top-20 LP, Easter (1978), with her only hit single, "Because the Night"; married and withdrew from music industry and moved to Detroit, MI; resurfaced with album, Dream of Life (1988), but did not tour; published book of poetry, Early Work: 1970–1979 (1994) and prose poem, The Coral Sea (1996); other albums include Gone Again (1996), Peace and Noise (1997), Gung Ho (2000) and Trampin' (2004); published Patti Smith Complete: Lyrics, Reflections & Notes for the Future (1998).
See also Victor Bockris and Roberta Bayley, Patti Smith: A Biography (1999).