Patti Smith deserves the title of "artist" more than most musicians. While some pop princesses may call themselves artists, Smith was a poet as much as she was a musician. She was born in 1946 in Chicago and grew up in New Jersey. She was always interested in the arts as well as social causes and went to Glassboro State Teachers College before moving to New York City in 1967.

She started performing the poetry she wrote in 1971 and was joined by Lenny Kaye on the guitar. By 1974, Richard Sohl joined the group on the piano. She released a single called "Hey Joe/Piss Factory." She started playing at CBGB in New York and expanded with Ivan Kral on guitar and Jay Dee Daugherty on drums. She was soon getting attention and was signed by Arista. She released Horses in 1975 followed by Radio Ethiopia in 1976, Easter in 1978 and Wave in 1979.

Smith was knocking down boundaries left and right for female rockers as she could rarely get put into a category. Her music ranged from poetic to coarse in a single album and she did not buy into the commercial appeal of some artists. She was one of the founding songstresses of punk music and refused to compromise. Smith has also published multiple books of poetry.

She disappeared from the spotlight after her 1979 album and married Fred "Sonic" Smith. They had two children together. While she retreated from her high-profile life, she released Dream of Life in 1988. Fred Smith died in 1994 along with others close to Smith, pushing her back to poetry and music to cope with her emotions. She released Gone Again in 1996 and Peace and Noise in 1997. Her more recent work includes Gung Ho in 2000, Trampin' in 2004 and Twelve in 2007. She continues to evolve her sound over time and still hasn't lost her edgy appeal.