“You're a musician: You play. That's what you do.”

American musician, songwriter, and poet

Lou Reed was an American musician, songwriter, and poet. He was the guitarist, lead singer, and principal songwriter of the Velvet Underground, and he later built a solo career that lasted five decades. Though the Velvet Underground was not a commercial success while active, it came to be seen as highly influential in underground and alternative rock. Reed became known for his deadpan singing, his poetic and transgressive lyrics, and his experimental guitar work, traits that shaped much of his career.