Patti Smith Group

The Patti Smith Group formed in New York City in the mid-1970s around poet and singer Patti Smith, and they became one of the earliest acts tied to the CBGB punk scene. Their music mixed rock and roll with spoken word poetry, drawing comparisons to Bob Dylan while carving out a sound that was entirely their own. They signed to Arista Records in 1975 after catching the attention of A&R executive Clive Davis, and released a string of records before Smith stepped away from music at the end of the decade.