Home » Search Center » Results: Lou Reed
Results for "Lou Reed"
About Lou Reed
Results for pages tagged "Lou Reed"...
Lou Reed
Born:
Singer, songwriter and guitarist Lou Reed was born on March 2, 1942, in Brooklyn, New York. In 1965, he co-founded the Velvet Underground, a rock band managed by Andy Warhol. Reed went solo in the 1970s, scoring a hit with the song "Walk on the Wild Side" and releasing more than 16 albums, including Coney Island Baby and Berlin. He died on October 27, 2013, at age 71. Early Life Lou Reed was born Lewis Allan Reed at Beth El Hospital in Brooklyn, New York, on March 2, 1942. He spent most of his childhood in Long Island, where he grew up in a Jewish family. Reed took an early interest in music and played guitar in several bands during his high school years. During this period, he underwent electroshock therapy intended to cure him of his bisexuality. The Velvet Underground Reed and Cale recruited Reed's college acquaintances, guitarist Sterling Morrison and drummer Maureen Tucker, to join a band they called the Velvet Underground. The group soon caught the attention of artist Andy Warhol, who incorporated them into his regular parties and introduced them to the New York art scene. Warhol claimed some ownership of the band, compelling them to take on European model Nico as a singer on their debut album. Despite their resistance, the first Velvet Underground album, called The Velvet Underground & Nico, is considered one of the most influential in rock history. Some of Reed's songs, including "Heroin," addressed his growing drug use. The volatile combination of personalities within the band could not coexist peacefully for long. By the time the band recorded their next album, White Light/White Heat, both Nico and Warhol were no longer participants. Cale and Reed clashed, driving Cale from the band. The Velvet Underground released two more albums with more pop-oriented tracks by Reed, including "Sweet Jane." In 1970, Reed left the band, retiring to his parents' home on Long Island. Solo Career Lou Reed briefly worked at his father's tax accounting firm before signing a solo recording contract with RCA Records. His first album, Lou Reed, contained re-recorded versions of unreleased Velvet Underground songs, and was not a commercial or critical success. In 1972, Reed released Transformer. Co-produced by David Bowie, the album contained the hit single "Walk on the Wild Side," which paid tribute to the hustlers and transvestites Reed had met through Andy Warhol, and the song "Perfect Day." The record is widely considered to be the pinnacle of Reed's solo career. Following Transformer, Reed recorded a number of albums with wildly differing styles and cultivated an antagonistic and erratic persona. Reed graduated from Syracuse University, where he studied writing and film. After college, he moved to New York City and began writing songs for Pickwick Records. In 1964, Reed scored a minor hit with the parody single "The Ostrich." Pickwick hired a band, including future Velvet Underground bandmate John Cale, to back Reed's vocals. The two became friends, collaborators and roommates.
Sexmob at Joe Henderson Lab
by Steven Roby
Sexmob Joe Henderson Lab San Francisco, California July 16, 2026 The opening night of a four-night, eight-show run can be an awkward proposition, especially when the band has just returned from an overseas tour. Before the first note at Thursday's performance in the Joe Henderson Lab, Steven Bernstein, Sexmob's founder and ...
Stephen Emmer: Composing At The Edge Of Silence
by Lawrence Peryer
Today, The Tonearm's needle lands on Dutch composer and musician Stephen Emmer. Stephen Emmer came up in the late '70s post-punk underground in Amsterdam. His band Minny Pops was the first international act signed to Factory Records. Since then he's been a curious genre-explorer, working with Lou Reed, Chaka Khan, Tony Visconti, Trevor Horn, ...
Big Ears 2026
by Mark Sullivan
Big Ears Festival Knoxville, TN March 26-29, 2026 Another year, another jam-packed festival lineup. The Spotlight presentations included SUSS Presents Across the Horizon, an ambient country experience; films and performances related to Ethiopia's musical legacy; and David Byrne's Who is the Sky? Polish pianist/composer Hania Rani offered an ambient concert and the ...
Mary Halvorson: About the Ghosts in the Guitar
by Dean Nardi
No, guitarheads, recently Mary Halvorson has been inspired to put out records with her Amaryllis sextet more so than some jaggedy, lyrical shredding, but these are pretty darn good jazz records from a tight ensemble consisting of Adam O'Farrill (trumpet), Jacob Garchik (trombone), Patricia Brennan (vibraphone) and a rhythm section of Nick Dunston (bass) and Tomas ...
After Walking On The Wild Side 8/18/72
By Lou Reed
Label: April First Records
Released: 2025
Track listing: Sidewalk Hustler; Sewer Rat Socialists; Banshee Negligee; Ornette's Opus: Trident 1; Studio Chatter;
Ornette's Opus: Trident 2 & 3; More Chatter; Brittany's Stiletto.
Sebastian Rochford: Finding Ways
by Neil Duggan
Finding Ways is the first chapter in a major project for British drummer and composer Sebastian Rochford. He is one of the most versatile drummers working today, as evidenced by his work with his band Polar Bear and collaborations with major artists as diverse as David Byrne, Herbie Hancock, Adele, Kit Downes and Brian Eno.
Lou Reed, Ornette Coleman and David Bowie: After Walking On The Wild Side 8/18/72
by Mike Jurkovic
British saxophonist Ronnie Ross had just locked down his now iconic baritone solo on Lou Reed's soon-to-be overplayed rock classic, “Walk On the Wild Side" when co-producer David Bowie snook up behind Reed and whispered excitedly “Ornette's here." Reed, intently tapping a vein and hitting the rush, replied like only a stoned kid from Queens could. ...
Michel Doneda & Alexander Frangenheim: Murmuration (Doneda & Frangenheim)
by John Eyles
Murmuration is the fruit of a long collaboration between the German double bassist Alexander Frangenheim and French saxophonist Michel Doneda. Born in Wuppertal in 1959, Frangenheim has a varied history, as illustrated by past appearances with the Cecil Taylor Ensemble and the Cecil Taylor Workshop Ensemble during Taylor's renowned 1988 residency in Berlin, and also as ...
When Jazz Pops, Part 2
by Ludovico Granvassu
Ornette Coleman playing for Lou Reed? Or the Sun Ra Arkestra together with Steven Bernstein's Sexmob Orchestra backing U2 courtesy of Hal Willner? And Kenny Wheeler collaborating with both David Sylvian and Joni Mitchell? This and many more fascinating collaborations between jazz masters and pop and rock musicians in this playlist.Happy listening!Playlist ...
Album Showcase
Trending
In Tribute To...
John Coltrane At 100: A Global Perspective
Jazz Raconteurs
Julius Hemphill: Marty Ehrlich and Tim Berne Remember a...
In Tribute To...
Points of View: Celebrating Dave Holland
History of Jazz
John Coltrane in Detroit: A Brief History
Live Review
Detroit Jazz Festival 2026: A Gathering in a Great Jazz City
Profile
Sequoia Snyder: Growing in the Light of the Masters
Interview
Jasur Khalilov: From Falak to Fusion
VOTE!
