Discography
26 releases – 17 under her own name, 6 in other groups and 5 credits on others' music Edit
- Show everything (26)
- Released as Patti Smith (17)
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In other groups (6)
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Credits on others' music (5)
- Tracks on others' music (58)
Has worked with
Has been in these groups
Has this family
In the News
( 2 stories between 24th April 2010 and 18th November 2010 )Patti Smith Wins National Book Award
Nov, 18 2010
The ‘Godmother of Punk’ Patti Smith has won the prestigious National Book Award for non-fiction with Just Kids, a memoir of her early career and relationship with photographer Robert Mapplethorpe. Set against the backdrop of a bohemian New York, the book details their transition from lovers to close friends after Mapplethorpe came to accept his homosexuality.
Smith’s 1975 debut album, Horses, established the native New Yorker as an integral part of the punk scene. The album fused punk rock and spoken poetry and begins with a cover of Van Morrison's "Gloria", and Smith's famous opening words: "Jesus died for somebody's sins but not mine." The album cover picture, taken by Mapplethorpe and featuring an androgynously attired Smith, has become one of the most iconic images in rock history.
Accepting the award at a ceremony in Manhattan, the New York Times reported that the singer pleaded emotionally with publishers not to let modern technology do away with the printed word. "Please, no matter how we advance technologically, please don't abandon the book.. There is nothing in our material world more beautiful than the book."
Patti's Opportune Paychecks
Apr, 24 2010
The beauty of writing a classic hit is not just the delight of making a permanent mark on the musical landscape, but that every time that hit is played, a little bit of cash makes its way into your pocket. ASCAP, the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, collects money on behalf of artists every time an original piece of work is used in public performance.
In Patti Smith’s case, those royalties proved to be a lifesaver. “I was actually down on my luck,” she said. “What helped bail me out and helped me get back to my feet were the ASCAP checks that I got for 'Because the Night.’” The 1978 songs she co-wrote with Bruce Springsteen was Smith’s biggest hit, and has since been covered by many other artists including CO.RO and 10,000 Maniacs – and each of their performances of the song earns Smith a few more dollars and cents.
Smith has more than regular paychecks from ASCAP to be grateful for: on Wednesday night they awarded her with the prestigious Founders Award during the 27th ASCAP Pop Music Awards. A further award went to Jason Mraz, who won the Song of the Year award for “I’m Yours.” Thanks to 76 weeks in the Billboard Hot 100, “I’m Yours” may well become Mraz’s “Because the Night” of the future.
