Columbia Records Congratulates Artist Patti Smith On Reception Of Top French Cultural Honor

NEW YORK (Columbia Records) - Columbia Records congratulates the groundbreaking rock & roll artist Patti Smith on being awarded of one of France's highest cultural honors.

Smith, whose seminal rock & roll album, Horses, was released in 1975, was presented with the prestigious insignia of Commander of the Order of the Arts and Letters by French Cultural Minister Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres at an AIDS benefit concert in Paris on Sunday, July 10.

Smith, cited as an authentic rock & roll poet laureate, was praised by the French Cultural Ministry as "one of the most influential artists in women's rock 'n' roll." The citation also noted Smith's high profile appreciation of the 19th century French poet Arthur Rimbaud. Previous recipients of the Order of Arts and Letters, established on May 2, 1957, include William Burroughs, and Susan Sontag.
Smith is currently at work on a new album, her second for Columbia Records and her first of cover songs.