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Patti Smith’s new memoir, Bread of Angels, arrives on a significant date. On November 4, 1946, Smith’s artistic soulmate and first true love, the late photographer Robert Mapplethorpe, was born. Forty-eight years later, on the same day, her “king among men”, beloved husband and fellow musician, Fred “Sonic” Smith, died…

She became an 80s pop icon – and a media hate figure. Now, reforming her group after more than 30 years, James recalls her painful path through through the music business, surviving ‘Harvey Weinstein-type’ situations, and working with punk’s finest

Blondie drummer Clem Burke died at the weekend aged 70. In tribute here is a look at the scene that forged around the legendary New York venue, CBGB

IN FOCUS: Patti Smith’s groundbreaking debut has influenced generations of musicians. But it took a producer four years to persuade Smith to enter the studio. As the album approaches its 50th birthday, Fiona Sturges reflects on how Smith overcame the misogyny of the time and pays tribute to a masterpiece…