Patti Smith

Patti Smith’s music education and evolution, from 1. Being transfixed by Little Richard’s Tutti Frutti walking down the street with her mom → 2. Wanting to become an opera singer after hearing Eleanor Steber’s “Un Bel Di” on the radio → 3. Starting to write poetry at the advice of Bobby Neuwirth → 4. Writing songs for Blue Oyster Cult → 5. Embracing the scene at the Chelsea Hotel, hanging with Janis Joplin → 6. Meeting Jimi Hendrix on the steps at Electric Lady Studios → 7. Raising her kids with her husband Fred in Michigan, away from the pressures of the music industry → 8. Receiving important advice from William S. Burroughs → 9. Remembering a class with her eighth grade music teacher that’s stayed with her throughout her career

Patti Smith is the author of the National Book Award winner, Just Kids, as well as Woolgathering, M Train, Year of the Monkey, and Devotion. Her seminal album Horses has been hailed as one of the top 100 albums of all time. In 2005, the French Ministry of Culture awarded Smith the title of Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres. Inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2007, Smith is also the recipient of the ASCAP Founders Award, Sweden’s Polar Prize for significant achievements in music, and the 2020 PEN Literary Service Award. In 2022 she received the French Legion of Honor and the Pegasus Award for Poetry. She resides in New York City.

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