“I'm just old enough to be able to say I got those very first Beatles records right as they were hitting America. My father brought them home. It was definitely the earliest musical influence on my life, and still one of the greatest.”

American musician, singer and songwriter

Lee Mark Ranaldo is an American musician, singer, and songwriter best known as a guitarist and vocalist in the alternative rock band Sonic Youth. He is part of the generation that helped define the band’s place in American rock. Ranaldo’s work with Sonic Youth made him a recognizable figure in alternative music, especially for his guitar playing and vocals. In 2004, Rolling Stone placed him at number 33 on its list of the greatest guitarists of all time, and in 2012 Spin ranked him and bandmate Thurston Moore together at number 1 on its staff-selected top 100 guitarist list.