In **vember of 1974, Patti Smith, a relatively unk**wn poet/singer, posed for a publicity photo shoot in Los Angeles. Just over a year later she released Horses, her critically acclaimed and hugely influential debut album
Born in Chicago in 1946 to deeply religious working-class parents, Smith worked on an assembly line shortly after graduating high school
In 1967, she moved to New York, where she struck up a relationship with photographer Robert Mapplethorpe. For several years she wrote poetry and lyrics, performed in plays and contributed to Rolling Stone. Read more...