Patti Smith

She developed an intense romantic liaison with Robert Mapplethorpe. The relationship was outlined with extreme poverty and Mapplethorpe’s struggle with his own sexuality.

The relationship ended when Mapplethorpe realised he was a homosexual. Though their romantic association ended, they remained friends until the latter’s death in 1989. Also they were artistic partners all through.

From the beginning of the decade of 1970s, she was romantically involved with Blues �yster Cult keyboardist, Allen Lanier. She separated from him in 1979.

Patti Smith was the eldest of the four children born to Beverly Smith and Grant Smith. While her mother was a waitress, her father was employed as a machinist at Honeywell plant.

In 1950, the family moved to Philadelphia and six years later to Woodbury, New Jersey. As a child, she was shy and introvert. She mostly had a tomboyish attitude and indulged in playing with her male friends, until her teacher taught her the importance and aspects of femininity.

She completed her preliminary education from Deptford Township High School in 1964. Thereafter, she took up a job at a toy factory. Her experience at the factory was a gruelling one which later formed the theme of her first single, ‘Piss Factory’.

In the fall of 1964, she enrolled at the Glassboro State Teachers College with an intention to become a high school art teacher. However, poor academic performance and her continuous insistence to break away from the traditional curriculum to focus on the experimental artists led to her dropping out of the same.

With an aim to become an artist, she moved to New York in 1967. To earn a livelihood for herself, she took up a job at a Manhattan bookstore. It was there that she befriended Robert Mapplethorpe, a photographer.

The start of the decade of 1970s witnessed her being involved in painting, writing and performing. Performance poetry was her favourite medium of artistic expression. She gave her first public reading, on February 10, 1971 at St. Mark's Church in the Bowery.

The success of her performance at St. Marks made her an the newest talent too look out for in the New York arts circle. Polishing her reputation further, she co-authored and co-starred with Sam Shepard in his semiautobiographical play ‘Cowboy Mouth’.

Concentrating on her writing career, she published her first book of poetry in 1972. Though the book, ‘Seventh Heaven’ did not get the sales number soaring, it did earn flattering remarks from audience. Additionally, she wrote two more works, including ‘Early Morning Dream’ and ‘Witt’, both of which was praised.

She wrote lyrics for several songs by the band, Blue �yster Cult, such as ‘Debbie Denise’, ‘Baby Ice Dog’, ‘Career of Evil’, ‘Fire of Unknown Origin’, ‘The Revenge of Vera Gemini’ and ‘Shooting Shark’.

She even contributed for rock journalism for various magazines some worth mentioning include Creem and Rolling Stone. Moving on from writing, she tried her luck at rock and roll for her lyric poetry.

Her 1975 released debut album, ‘Horses’ under the band ‘The Patti Smith Group’ was a major critical and commercial success. The album was very well received for its energetic disposition, soulful lyrics and skilful wordplay. The songs, ‘Gloria’ and ‘Land of a Thousand Dances’ emerged as the top contenders. Critics claimed the album to be the purest punk rock album and a must-inclusion in the list of ‘best albums of all time’.