Artist Patti Smith

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Patti Smith

One of the best things about Patti Smith is that she can sound stately or totally punk depending on the environment. She’s always been a little of both, of course, going back to the start: Part of her importance in the CBGB scene was the amount of headiness she brought to a burgeoning punk movement that was less than mindful (or at least pretended to be). Smith was finally inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2007; won the National Book Award for her 2010 memoir on her relationship with Robert Mapplethorpe, Just Kids; and just released Outside Society, a career-spanning collection of her most signature works.

Updated 08/29/2011