Patti Smith

And, uh, he used to think I, well, he always thought I should sing.

Do you think you would have done it if he didn't nudge you in that direction?

Well, he did push me towards that, but, um, it was a series of people actually, you know, um, Sam Shepard was really instrumental in, uh, getting me to sing in public.

Um,

I had a few different friends that seemed to think that I had a bend toward that.

And I really do believe if it wasn't for those friends, Lenny Kay and a few others, no, I don't believe that I would be singing.

At least not.

I mean, I might still be singing around the house making spaghetti, but I can't say that I would have been recording.

sent you away I was looking for you are you gone gone are you on the phone another dimension where you never returned oh you know what I mean I was looking for you are you gone gone

You say that until a friend suggested that you be in a rock and roll band, it had never occurred to you.

It was just like not part of your, your, your world.

Why would it, you know, I'm not a musician, you know, I, I don't play any, I didn't play any instrument.

Uh, I didn't have any specific talents.

I mean, I came from the South Jersey, Philadelphia area.

And in the early sixties, everybody sang, they sang on street corners, three part harmonies, acapella, um,

I knew most of my friends were better singers than me.

There was nothing in what I did that would give a sense that I should be in a rock and roll band.

Also girls weren't in rock and roll bands.

I mean they sang but the closest thing to a rock singer, a real rock singer that we had was Grace Slick and I certainly didn't have Grace Slick's voice.

So you found the guitarist Lenny K. You read an article by him about acapella groups, and you really liked it.