Lou Reed

One of the most influential figures in rock-n-roll, Lou Reed was the co-founder and primary songwriter for the Velvet Underground, whose uncompromising records in the late 1960s sold few copies but, as producer Brian Eno once said, influenced everyone who heard them to start their own band. His stark, highly poetic lyrics, rich with the drama and grit of the New York streets, placed him as a forerunner to the dark, desperate energy of punk, …