Lou Reed 80th Birthday Special
Tonight 7-9pm EST: Lenny Kaye plays doo-wop 45s from Lou Reed's collection.
Lou Reed’s 80th Birthday Special streaming live from The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts today, March 2nd, from 7-9pm EST.
Link Cromwell (aka Lenny Kay) will play a selection of doo-wop 45’s from Lou Reed’s collection at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.
Thank you to Laurie Anderson and The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts for the invitation to collaborate on this special occasion.
Flyer by @paulraffaele
Did you know Lou Reed got his start playing and writing doo-wop music in high school?
In doo-wop inspired bands, The Shades, The Jades, and the Valets, Lou Reed (then billed as Lewis Reed) performed at birthday parties, bars, and high school variety shows.
His love of doo-wop music didn’t end once the Velvet Underground formed. Reed’s sixth solo studio album referenced to his early doo-wop roots. CONEY ISLAND BABY paid tribute to his Long Island origins, as both a shout out to the mentality of his adolescent years (his "I'm still Jenny from the block" album), and a reference to a 1962 doo-wop song by The Excellents of the same name. Every year for his birthday, Reed would host a doo-wop party at his house and revel in the music of his youth with friends.
In honor of this memory, on March 2, Link Cromwell (aka @lenny_kaye) will spin selections of doo-wop 45s from Lou Reed’s archive at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.