Patti Smith at 65

December 20, 2011, 2:10 am

In the last five years, the world has seen Smith inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame,  and awarded a National Book Award for her memoir, "Just Kids".


PATTI SMITH AT 65

Huff Post offers a wonderful look at the iconic Patti:


Patti Smith may be turning 65 on December 30, but for someone who spent nearly two decades of a 35-year career in music in retirement, she seems to be popping up almost everywhere now that she's reached midlife.

In the last five years, the world has seen Smith inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, presented with an honorary doctorate in fine arts from the Pratt Institute and awarded a National Book Award for her memoir, "Just Kids," which details the early years of her career, living in New York City with photographer Robert Mapplethorpe.

Her rise as an author, photographer and activist provides the icing on the cake of Smith's cultural rebirth since she came out of retirement in 1996 at the behest of Bob Dylan and Michael Stipe.

Despite a flourishing career, Smith retreated to the outskirts of Detroit in the 1980s and 90s to raise her family and care for her dying husband, MC5's Fred "Sonic" Smith (1949-1994). Since her return to public life, however, fans and critics have eagerly awaited each new development in the career of the "godmother of punk."

Next year she will release her 11th album, 36 years after her debut, "Horses," propelled her to countercultural fame. Though little is known about the project, save for an announcement of guest appearances from Television's Tom Verlaine and Smith's daughter Jesse, the album's reception - as with nearly everything Smith produces - will almost undoubtedly be positive. Let's face it: Smith is enjoying a cultural blooming in some ways even richer than her heyday in the 1970s.

More HERE.