Reed, Lou

American, 1942-2013

BiographyLou Reed was a musician and songwriter, best known as the guitarist and singer for alternative rock band, The Velvet Underground. Reed’s poetic lyricism and experimental musicality became the basis of the band’s avant-garde, nonconformist identity. Reed occasionally made photographs under the influence and encouragement of Andy Warhol, finding new inspiration in pastoral and urban landscapes.
Reed loved rock and roll from an early age and taught himself to play guitar from listening to the radio. His adolescence was tumultuous on account of his struggle with anxiety and depression. Music became his main outlet and comfort. He studied poetry at Syracuse University and received his BA in English in 1964. After college, he moved to New York City to work as an in-house songwriter for Pickwick Records where he eventually met John Cale, who helped him bring about his vision for The Velvet Underground. The band became a fixture at Andy Warhol’s studio known as “The Factory” which connected them with German singer, Nico, with whom they produced their most acclaimed studio album. Reed was inducted with the rest of The Velvet Underground into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996, and then again as a solo artist in 2014. He was ranked amongst Rolling Stone’s 200 Greatest Singers of All Time in 2023.