Before she was star and held a place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Patti Smith was a simple poet living near New York's Chelsea Hotel, that is, until she met the owner of Electric Lady Studios, Jimi Hendrix.
"When I told him I was too chicken to go in, he laughed softly and said that contrary to what people think, he was shy and parties made him nervous," Smith writes in her new book, Just Kids.
Sadly, Hendrix passed away the following month, but their relationship blossomed from there. Smith went on to record hit songs "Hey Joe" and "Piss Factory" at the legendary studio in 1974. She returned the following year to record her Horses album.
"Jimi Hendrix never came back to create his new musical language, but he left behind a studio that resonated with all his hopes for the future of our cultural voice," she writes.
Just Kids is available now through Ecco Books.
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June 12, 2026 17:14 ET Major central bank action was the focus this week in economic news. The European Central Bank became the first major central bank to move in response to the rising inflationary pressures in the backdrop of the conflict in the Middle East. In North America, the U.S. inflation and trade data as well as Canada’s central bank decision gained attention. The Chinese trade data was the main news in Asia.