“Father of Indie” – Lou Reed

     In music, it is common to anoint major contributors to a genre with a title. Within the Soul genre alone, there’s a “Father” (Ray Charles or Sam Cooke), a “Godfather” (James Brown), and a “Queen” (Aretha Franklin). Indie is not a genre, it’s an economic condition. But a title has been assigned. Lou Reed is considered the “Father of Indie.” Yesterday, Indie said goodbye to its father.

     Lou Reed first surfaced in the 1960s as a member of The Velvet Underground. The band’s self-titled album only sold 30,000 copies during the time the band was together, but the sales figure did not reflect its influence. In fact, in order to make that point, in 1982 Brian Eno stated, “Everyone who bought one of those 30,000 copies started a band.”

     Earlier this year, Reed canceled his scheduled appearances at Coachella and a number of venues in the San Francisco area. No reason was made public. In May, Reed underwent kidney transplant surgery. His death is attributed to complications from the surgery. He was 71.

"Sweet Jane" by The Velvet Undergroud - 1970