Lou Reed

Lewis Allan "Lou" Reed (born March 2, 1942 in Brooklyn, New York) is an American rock singer-songwriter and guitarist.

Reed first found prominence as th

Lewis Allan "Lou" Reed (born March 2, 1942 in Brooklyn, New York) is an American rock singer-songwriter and guitarist.

Reed first found prominence as the guitarist and principal singer-songwriter of The Velvet Underground (1965 - 1973). The band gained relatively little notice during its life, but is considered by some to be the seed from which much alternative rock music sprang. As the Velvets’ principal songwriter, Reed wrote about subjects such as S&M ("Venus in Furs"), transvestites ("Sister Ray"), and transsexuals undergoing lobotomies ("Lady Godiva's Operation"). As a guitarist, he made use of distortion, volume-driven feedback, and nonstandard tunings.