Lou Reed

Lou Reed Biography

Lewis Allan Reed was an American musician, singer, songwriter, and poet. He was the guitarist, singer, and primary songwriter for the Velvet Underground, as well as having a five-decade solo career. Lewis’ songs “Walk on the Wild Side” and “Perfect Day” are well-known. For “Rock and Roll Heart,” he won a Grammy for Best Long Music Video, and his album “New York” was nominated for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance.

Lewis was born on March 2, 1942, in Brooklyn, and spent the first nine years of his childhood there before his family moved to Freeport, Long Island. His life was similar to that of other young people during his childhood and youth. When he got to high school, though, he started to feel a lot of anxiety and fear, so he turned to music and drugs for comfort. His connection with his family had dropped significantly during this time, and he had concentrated much of his energy on his music and finding an audience in New York City.

Lewis recorded twenty solo studio albums after leaving the Velvet Underground in 1970. Transformer (1972), created by David Bowie and arranged by Mick Ronson, was his breakthrough album, bringing him mainstream fame. The album, which features Lewis’s most hit single, “Walk on the Wild Side,” is regarded as a seminal work in the glam rock genre. Berlin, the less popular but critically praised follow-up to Transformer, reached No.7 on the UK Albums Chart. Sally Can’t Dance (1974), a live album, sold well, and Rock ‘n’ Roll Animal (a live album published in 1974) peaked at No.10 on the Billboard 200; nonetheless, his work did not transfer into sales for a long time, dragging him deeper into drug addiction and alcoholism.

He has had an overall of 24 songs in the Top 200 Billboard, 4 of which made it to the top 40, and 1 made it to the top 10. Lou Reed was around 31 years old when his first single charted. Lou Reed first charted in 1973. His last appearance in the charts was 1992. He had chart topping singles covering a span of 20 years.

Throughout the 1970s, Lewis’s ambiguous sexual identity and heavy drug usage were the stuff of underground rock legend. In the 1980s, though, he began to relax. On 1982’s superb The Blue Mask, his strongest work since Transformer, he married Sylvia Morales and gave us a glimpse into his new married life. New Sensations, his 1984 album, took a more mainstream turn, while New York, his 1989 album, finished the decade with a mix of hilarious, politically incisive songs that won widespread critical acclaim. Songs For Drella, a memorial to Andy Warhol, was released in 1991. The Velvet Underground reassembled three years later for a series of popular European shows.

In the early 1990s, Lewis and Morales divorced. He began dating Laurie Anderson, a musician and performance artist, after only a few years. The two became inextricably linked in New York, collaborating and performing live together while also participating in civic and environmental advocacy. They tied the knot in 2008.

Lou Reed died of liver disease on October 27, 2013.

Discography

Lulu
Hudson River Wind Meditations
The Raven
Ecstasy
Set the Twilight Reeling
Magic and Loss
Songs for Drella
New York
Mistrial
New Sensations
Legendary Hearts
The Blue Mask
Growing Up in Public
The Bells
Street Hassle
Rock and Roll Heart
Coney Island Baby
Metal Machine Music
Sally Cant Dance
Berlin
Transformer
Lou Reed

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Frequently Asked Questions

What Band Was Lou Reed In?

The Velvet Underground was an American rock band, active between 1964 and 1973, formed in New York City. The group’s best-known members were Lou Reed and John Cale, who both went on to find success as solo artists. Although the Velvet Underground never achieved commercial success while they were together, their debut album The Velvet Underground & Nico is now regarded as one of the most influential and important records in the history of popular music.

What Is Lou Reed Famous For?

Lou Reed was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist who was a founding member of the Velvet Underground. He also had a successful solo career, with hits like “Walk on the Wild Side” and “Satellite of Love.” Reed was known for his experimental and avant-garde approach to music, as well as his often confrontational lyrics. He passed away in 2013.

Lou Reed First Album?

Lou Reed’s first album, “The Velvet Underground & Nico,” is a classic of the experimental rock genre. Released in 1967, it is considered one of the most influential albums of all time.

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