Patti Smith – The Godmother of Punk
Patti Smith burst onto the NYC scene in the mid-’70s, merging rock with poetry and raw emotion. Her debut Horses (1975) remains a touchstone—filled with lines like “Because the night belongs to lovers,” and recording under producer John Cale. According to Ongoing History of Protest Songs, Smith typified the DIY ethics and feminist fervor that inspired later punk waves
Why she matters: She forged a space for women in punk as serious artists, not background figures, challenging norms on and off stage
