Lou Reed: biography, creativity and personal life

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Lou Reed is an American rock musician, poet and composer, best known as the founder and frontman of the cult band The Velvet Underground. He is one of the most influential musical innovators of his time. Biography, career and personal life of Lou Reed - later in this article.

Early years

Lewis Allan Reed was born on March 2, 1942 in Brooklyn (New York, USA), in a Jewish family of Sydney and Toby, emigrants from the Russian Empire. The real name of the family is Rabinovich, but a year after the birth of his son, Sydney changed it to Reed. Five years later, Lewis had a younger sister, Meryl. In the photo below: little Lewis Reed with his parents.

From early childhood, the boy was fascinated only by music - he constantly listened to rock and roll and blues on the radio, learning to play the guitar by ear. According to his sister, Lewis was a very withdrawn and vulnerable boy, truly liberated only while playing the guitar. At the age of 16, he simultaneously participated in three school rock bands at once.

In 1960, Reed entered Syracuse University, where he studied journalism,filmmaking and literature. Most of all, he liked to study poetry - it was during the development of the best examples of world versification that the future musician gained his unique command of the word and abstract thought.

Pictured below is a young Lou Reed (center) performing with a college rock band.

The Velvet Underground

In 1964, after graduating from university, Reed moved to New York. He decided to try his luck in the recording studios and the rock scene. Here he met John Cale, Sterling Morrison and Angus Maclise, forming a group with them called The Velvet Underground. At the same time, the aspiring musician shortened his name to "Lou", under which he later became famous. In the new group, he took the place of vocalist and lead guitarist, Cale became bassist, Morrison - auxiliary guitarist, and Maclise - drummer. However, on the eve of the first commercial concert in 1965, Angus left, giving way to Maureen Tucker.

It was in this composition that the group was noticed by the famous artist Andy Warhol, who became the producer of the group. His decision was to bring singer Niko into the band to record their debut album. Reid was initially against this decision and against Warhol in general, however, when the Velvet Underground and Nico album reached high marks in rock parties, he appreciated Andy's contribution to the development of his group.

With lineup changes, The Velvet Underground recorded three more albums, after which, in 1970,Lou Reed left the band at the same time as Warhol, who lost interest in music and left the post of producer.

Solo work

In 1972, Lou Reed's first solo album was released, simply called Lou Reed. It did not have much commercial success, but was highly acclaimed by music critics and fans of The Velvet Underground. Lou Reed's solo songs, in contrast to the creativity within the group, did not differ in musical intricacy and psychedelic elements, but they contained deeper and more interesting poetry.

In the same year, the second solo album of the musician called Transformer was released. It was produced by David Bowie, who also acted as a musical consultant. The record was a breakthrough in Reed's solo work and was certified as a Gold Album.

The third album, called Berlin, was released in 1973 and had very low sales. It was later rethought and even included in the list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. But then, in the 73rd year, commercial failure forced Reed to move further and further away from his former work. For example, this was the frankly mocking album of 1975 by Metal Machine Music, consisting of guitar noise, devoid of any melody.

During his solo career, from 1972 to 2007, Lou Reed released twenty studio albums, varying in both musical style and commercial achievement. In 1989, the New-York album was released, which became the second Gold in the musician's discography. Also for this album he wasnominated for a Grammy for rock vocals. He only managed to win a Grammy award in 1999, after the reissue of the 1976 album Rock and Roll Heart.

Private life

In 1967, Lou Reed had a brief affair with singer Nico when they were working together on The Velvet Underground's debut record. In 1973, the musician married a certain Betty Kronstadt, who accompanied him on tour as an assistant. They divorced after three months of marriage.

From 1975 to 1978, Reid lived and was in a relationship with a transgender woman named Rachel. In 1976, he dedicated the studio album Coney Island Baby to her. In 1980, Lou Reed entered into a second marriage, his wife was Sylvia Morales, a British designer. With her, the musician defeated drug addiction and recorded one of the most successful albums - New York.

In 1993, the musician met singer Lori Anderson, discovering a kindred spirit in her. The lovers began to live together a month after they met, and in 1994 Reed and Sylvia divorced.

After living together for 15 years, Lou and Lori decided to get married, the wedding took place in April 2008. Anderson became the last wife of Reed, the spouses were separated by the death of a musician.

Public position

In the mid-70s, Lou Reed had a serious addiction to alcohol and drugs. His promotion of this lifestyle from the stage, as well as his relationship with a transgender woman, gave the musician a certainan image that evoked approval among his fans. However, by marrying in 1980 and overcoming his drug addiction, Reed aroused their resentment. They called him "a traitor to his own ideals." Upon learning of this, Lu reacted very sharply:

If I worked in the porn industry, I would understand why anyone cares if I sleep with a man or a woman. But the bastards who are more interested in my underpants than my music don't deserve to be my fans. Let them go to hell. Five years ago I was alone - now my views have changed and that's okay. This is personal development.

Death

In the last years of his life, Lou Reed suffered from hepatitis and diabetes, and in 2012 he was diagnosed with liver cancer. In May 2013, he underwent a liver transplant, but serious complications followed. The musician died on October 27, 2013, at the age of 71.