Happy Birthday Patti Smith

Patricia Lee Smith was born December 30, 1946 in Chicago, Illinois. Her Parents, were Beverly Smith, a jazz singer turned waitress, and Grant Smith, a waitress turned Jazz singer.

The family moved from Chicago to Philadelphia and finally to NJ. Smith graduated from High School in 1964 and went to work in a munitions factory as a grenade tester. She gave birth to her first child, a daughter, on April 26, 1967, and chose to place her for adoption. No one is sure where the child came from.

Weirdos

Patti moved to NYC and started a relationship with Robert Mapplethorpe. Patti lived at The Chelsea, wrote poetry, busked, hung out and got involved in a lot of weird projects with a lot of weirdos.

Patti Smith Illustration By Paul King Art

By 1974, Patti Smith was performing rock music with Lenny Kaye as The Patti Smith Group. The Patti Smith Group was signed to Arista Records and released their debut album, “Horses” in 1975. Easter (1978) was her most commercially successful record, containing the single “Because the Night” co-written with Bruce Springsteen. Wave (1979) was less successful, although the songs “Frederick” and “Dancing Barefoot” both received commercial airplay.

Patti married Fred Smith of MC5 in part, so she would not have to change her name and monogramed towels. “All my life I was looking for a man named Smith and I found him” said Patti. They had a son, Jackson, who would go on to marry The White Stripes drummer, Meg White, in 2009; and a daughter, Jesse Paris, who married The White Strips singer, Jack White.

Godmother of Punk

Patti known as the “punk poet laureate”, “godmother of punk”, “first lady of punk” and the Marie Antoinette of punk”, she fused rock and poetry in her work. She was an influential component of the New York City punk rock movement and a staple of CBGB’s. She wanted to be Keith Richards when she grew up and was not far off. Who could forget Gilda Radner’s hilarious portrayal of Smith on SNL, complete with belches and underarm hair. Cheers Patti!