Rock N Roll Nigger

Patti Smith (born December 30, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter and poet. She was influential in the birth of punk rock with her 1975 debut album Horses, produced by John Cale amidst some tension. The album fused punk rock and spoken poetry and begins with a cover of Van Morrison's "Gloria", and Smith's opening words: "Jesus died for somebody's sins but not mine." The austere cover photograph by Robert Mapplethorpe has become one of rock's classic images. Called "Godmother of Punk" she integrated the beat poetry performance style with three-chord rock. Her allusions introduced American teens to 19th century French poetry, while her "unladylike" language defied the disco era. Smith is most widely known for the song "Because the Night", which was co-written with Bruce Springsteen. Before the release of her fourth album, Wave (1979), Smith met Fred "Sonic" Smith, former guitar player for Detroit rock band MC5, who adored poetry as much as she did. In August 2005 Smith gave a literary lecture about the poems of Arthur Rimbaud and William Blake. Patti Smith has been a great source of inspiration for Michael Stipe of R.E.M. Listening to her album Horses when he was 15 made a huge impact on him. In 2004, Shirley Manson of Garbage told about Patti's influence on her at Rolling Stone's issue "The Immortals: 100 Greatest Artists of All Time", in which Patti Smith was counted number 47. The Smiths members Morrissey and Johnny Marr shared an appreciation for Patti's Horses. In 2004, Sonic Youth released an album called Hidros 3 (to Patti Smith). U2 also cites Patti Smith as influence. From March 28 to June 22, 2008 the Fondation Cartier pour l'Art Contemporain in Paris hosted a major exhibition of the visual work of Patti Smith, Land 250, drawn from pieces created between 1967 and 2007. A live album by Patti Smith and Kevin Shields, The Coral Sea was released in July 2008. Top/ Produced by Jimmy Iovine, Easter (Arista Records, 1978) is regarded as Patti Smith Group's commercial breakthrough, owing to the success of the single, "Because the Night" (co-written by Bruce Springsteen and Smith). Bottom/ Land (1975-2002) is a two disc compilation album by Patti Smith, released on Arista Records. Land contains a collection of recordings from her 8 previous albums on the first disc, along with B-sides and unreleased songs on the second disc. Dedicated to the memory of Patti Smith Group keyboardist Richard Sohl.