Lou Reed (1942-2013)

A hero for anyone who ever felt different or misunderstood, rock star Lou Reed was a rebel, who transformed music and helped to reshape cultural boundaries during the Sixties and Seventies.  As a founding member of The Velvet Underground, Reed chronicled the lives of the marginalized with unapologetic honesty. Reed’s career spanned five decades, as a band member and solo performer. His catalogue of music fused rock n’ roll, avant-grade jazz with a hip sensibility and experimental guitar-playing that “walked on the wild side.” His lyrics and public persona, often flirting with androgyny in his appearance, frequently challenged conventional notions of gender and identity. Reed resisted labels, although he spoke about his relationships with both men and women – a defiant spirit that prioritized artistic and personal freedom above all else. He has been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame  twice: as a member of the Velvet Underground in 1996 and as a solo act in 2015.