Patti Smith

Celebrated as a pioneer of the New York punk movement, Patti Smith is an American singer-songwriter, poet, and visual artist. Smith’s music is notable for its ambitious and unconventional fusion of rock and poetry, which led to her being dubbed the “punk poet laureate.”

Growing up, Smith was greatly inspired by poetry and Bob Dylan, whose songs were rich in poetry and politics. Before experimenting with music, she successfully made a name for herself as a poet in New York City’s underground arts scene. Among Smith’s most acclaimed work, her 1975 debut album, Horses, aimed to reflect the impact of her artistic influences:

I was consciously trying to make a record that would make a certain type of person not feel alone. People who were like me, different… I wasn’t targeting the whole world. I wasn’t trying to make a hit record.

Undefined by gender, Smith instead called attention to herself as an artist, never reliant upon sex appeal for success – with her signature androgynous appearance, she defied expectations and boundaries for women in rock. Following the direction of her own creative muse, her work touches upon numerous styles, spanning from structured rock to free-form experimentation.

Ranked among the most influential female rock musicians, Smith is often viewed as an icon to subsequent generations, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007.