Rock singer, guitarist, and songwriter, born in Long Island, NY. He was the singer, guitarist and principle songwriter of The Velvet Underground, an experimental rock band closely associated with Andy Warhol. Rejecting the musical and thematic models of their time, they developed a gritty, urban style of rock music that glamorized drugs and spoke of the underside of society. After the influential group split up in 1970, Reed moved to England to record Lou Reed (1972). His 1973 album, Transformer, included "Walk On The Wild Side, a paean to transsexuality that somehow bypassed radio censorship to become the first Top 10 hit of his career. Subsequent albums have included Rock 'n' Roll Animal (1974), Street Hassle (1978), New Sensations (1984), New York (1989), Magic and Loss (1992) and Set the Twilight Reeling (1996).