Patti Smith is an American singer-songwriter, poet and visual artist with an estimated net worth of $15 million. Born Patricia Lee Smith on December 30, 1946 in Chicago, Illinois, USA, she grew up in Deptford Township, New Jersey. She attended Deptford Town High School and went to work in a factory right after graduation. Three years later, she dropped out of Glassboro State College and moved to New York City. She struggled financially in the city for the next few years.
Patti moved to Paris in 1969 and earned her living busking and doing performance art. When she returned to the US, she became heavily involved in the poetry scene in New York. She also began writing songs for several bands such as Blue Oyster Cult. She also wrote articles which were published in Creem and Rolling Stone.
Smith started performing as a rock artist during the mid-70s. In 1975, The Patti Smith Group signed with Arista Records, and she became a highly influential component of the New York City punk rock movement with her 1975 debut album Horses. Since then, she has released four albums with the group, and an additional of seven albums as a solo artist.
Patti Smith is nicknamed the “Godmother of Punk” with her work as a fusion of rock and poetry. She is widely known for her song Because the Night, which was co-written with Bruce Springsteen. It reached #13 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1978. She was named a Commander of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Ministry of Culture, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007.
Smith has published 12 books and won the National Book Award for her memoir, Just Kids, on November 17, 2010. She has also contributed songs and performances to the albums of other artists. She is a recipient of the 2011 Polar Music Prize.