Birgit Fostervold · Wikimedia Commons · CC-BY-SAPatti Smith Quartet
The "godmother of punk" of "Horses" and "Because the Night", as much a poet and writer as a singer.
Biography.
The journey and inspirations that shape Patti Smith Quartet's world.
Patti Smith invented a poetic, punk rock where free verse meets the guitar, since "Horses" (1975).
Patricia Lee Smith, born on 30 December 1946 in Chicago, is a singer, author, poet, painter and photographer. Her first album, "Horses" (1975), produced by John Cale, made her one of the founding figures of punk rock and earned her the nicknames "queen" and "godmother" of punk.
Her best-known track, "Because the Night" (1978), was co-written with Bruce Springsteen. She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007, received the National Book Award in 2010 for her memoir "Just Kids", about her life in New York in the 1970s and Robert Mapplethorpe, and the Polar Music Prize in 2011.
On stage, she is accompanied by musicians from her regular band, including Lenny Kaye on guitar, Jay Dee Daugherty on drums and Tony Shanahan on bass and keyboards. The Open'er festival announces her as the "Patti Smith Quartet", on Thursday 1 July 2027 on the Tent Stage, in Gdynia (Poland); the exact lineup is not specified.
Page last updated on 6 October 2026
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Credits: Harald Krichel · Wikimedia Commons · CC-BY-SA.
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