The “Golden Hits Of The 70s”
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PATTI SMITH GROUP
“BECAUSE THE NIGHT”
(PATTI SMITH, Bruce Springsteen)
Arista 0318
No. 13 June 24, 1978
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Her interest in rock’n’roll began when she first heard Little Richard’s “The Girl Can’t Help It.” Well, by
the mid-’70s Patti Smith was bashing out guitar feedback, copping Keith Richards stances, and screaming
out raw poetry laced with surreal images.
Patti Lee Smith was born in Chicago on December 30, 1946; was raised in Pitman, South Jersey; and grew
up “shy, sickly and creepy looking’,” per her self-penned press bio. She took an early interest in the Bible,
prayer, art, and literature–in particular, the works of William Burroughs and French poet Arthur
Rimbaud. In the ’60s, she attended Glassboro State College in New Jersey. With savings earned while
working in a New Jersey factory, Patti and her sister Linda tripped to Paris, where Smith studied art and
worked the roadways as a musician with a street troupe of poets, singers, and fire eaters. Back in New
York, she attended Brooklyn Art College and befriended photographer Robert Mapplethorpe, who took
her in for a stay in his Chelsea Hotel apartment.
The next several years were productive. Patti co-wrote a book of plays (Mad Dog Blues); performed with
Sam Shepard in Cowboy Mouth, a one-act play she co-wrote with the renowned playwright and actor;
had her first book of poetry (Seventh Heaven) published; and wrote articles and reviews for Creem and
Rock. Her poetry readings at St. Mark’s Church in lower Manhattan began attracting a sizable following.
On February 10, 1971, Patti invited Lenny Kaye to accompany her readings on his electric guitar; by 1973,
keyboardist Richard Sohl had been added, and the Patti Smith Group was born. This avant-garde
aggregation recorded “Piss Factory” b/w “Hey Joe,” a one-off, limited release 45 (1,600 copies) for Mer
Records.
Bassist/guitarist Ivan Kral and drummer Jay Dee Daugherty soon climbed aboard. An engagement at
New York’s CBGB caught the attention of Arista Records head Clive Davis, who signed the Patti Smith
Group in 1975. Horses (1975), the band’s debut album–produced by former Velvet Underground member
John Cale–sold well beyond expectations. Radio Ethiopia (1976) followed, but no tracks were issued as
singles.
On January 23, 1977, Smith suffered a near-fatal accident when she fell off a stage in Tampa, Florida, and
broke her neck. After a year’s recuperation, Patti and her group returned with Easter (1978) and
“Because the Night,” a single written with Bruce Springsteen. In 1979, after the Waves LP and two further
45s–“Frederick” (#90, 1979) and a revamping of the Byrds’ “So You Wanna Be a Rock’n’Roll Star”–the
Patti Smith Group quietly dissolved.
Sohl and Daugherty pursued solo projects. Kral formed his own group, the Eastern Bloc, while Kaye
helped produce SUZANNE VEGA’s Suzanne Vega (1985) and Solitude Standing (1987) albums. Patti
married Fred “Sonic” Smith, founder of the militant MC5 and the Sonic Rendezvous.
In 1986, Patti started work on a comeback album. Three years later, her Dream of Life album appeared.
The sound was strikingly calm and peaceful, compared to her previous work; critics differed in their
assessments. “People Have the Power,” the only single extracted, did not chart.
“I view my absence from the business as a sabbatical–a nine-year study period of Positive inner
strengthening,” Smith told The Music Express. “I’ve been using my time in a very disciplined way, writing
my first novel and a bunch of short stories–being a good mother, wife, and concerned citizen.”