Patti Smith: born December 30, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, poet and artist. She was influential in the birth of punk rock with her 1975 debut album Horses. 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 and reached number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1978. In 2005, Patti Smith was named a Commander of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Minister of Culture, and in 2007, she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
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