A Great American Artist

2013-11-14


A great American artist passed away recently. His name was Lou Reed.


Lou Reed first became well-known as the leader of a band called the Velvet Underground. The band was formed in 1965. Here's what they looked like in those days:


They recorded their first album in 1966, and it was released the next year. It was an extremely influential album, even though it didn't sell very well at the time. It's been said of this album that “It only sold 3,000 copies, but every one of those 3,000 people started a band.” Here's what the cover looked like:


As you can see, it doesn't mention the name of the band. The name that appears at the bottom is “Andy Warhol.” He was a famous American artist, one of the most important figures in so-called “Pop” art. He made the print of the banana that appears on the jacket. He was an important influence on the band, and worked closely with them.


Lou Reed left the Velvet Underground in 1970 and began a solo career. In 2008 he married Laurie Anderson, who is a well-known avant-garde musician. Together they were the king and queen of the arts scene in New York City. Lou Reed died of liver disease on October 27.


Although he was a great songwriter, he wasn't always a great singer. But in the song I've selected for you to listen to, called “Pale Blue Eyes,” he sings beautifully. Also, the video has captions with all the words to the song, so it will be easy for you to understand. I hope you enjoy it.



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