Lou Reed

Lou Reed
Reed performing live at Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall in Portland, Oregon in 2004
Background information
Birth name	Lewis Allan Reed
Born	Template:Birth date New York City, U.S.
Origin	Freeport, New York, U.S.
Died	Template:Death date and age East Hampton, New York, U.S.
Genres	Rock art rock proto-punk glam rock noise rock
Occupation(s)	Musician singer songwriter composer photographer
Instrument(s)	Vocals guitar
Discography	Lou Reed discography
Years active	1958–2013
Labels	Pickwick Verve MGM Cotillion RCA Arista Sire Warner Bros.
Formerly of	The Velvet Underground Metal Machine Trio
Spouse(s)	Bettye Kronstad ​ ​ (m. 1973; div. 1973)​ Sylvia Morales ​ ​ (m. 1980; div. 1994)​ Laurie Anderson ​ (m. 2008)​

Lou Reed (March 2, 1942 – October 27, 2013) was an American musician and songwriter. He was the guitarist, singer, and principal songwriter for the rock band The Velvet Underground and had a solo career that spanned five decades. Reed's distinctive voice, poetic and transgressive lyrics, and experimental guitar playing were trademarks throughout his long career.

Connections

• Reed saw one of Talking Heads' earlier performances at CBGB, when they were still a trio in 1976.
• Reed performed a small gig with John Cale, Patti Smith, and David Byrne at the Ocean Club in NY on July 21, 1976.
• After seeing their show Reed would meet with Talking Heads and offered them a recording contract, though they declined.
• David Byrne and Lou Reed both performed at an event at the NY venue Bottom Line called "In Their Own Words: A Bunch Of Songwriter's Sittin' Around Singing" on February 19, 1993.
• David Byrne covered The Velvet Underground song "Candy Says" at a special performance to celebrate the 20th anniversary of CBGB in 1993.