Lou Reed

Few rock artists have been more influential without achieving superstardom than Lou Reed. While he flirted with mainstream success between 1970 (when he left the Velvet Underground) and 2013 (when he succumbed to liver disease), he most often played to a large cult following that only occasionally expanded into mainstream visibility. However, his songwriting -- unusually literate and often embracing themes that flouted society's conventions, especially in terms of drugs and sex -- broke fresh ground that other artists would follow, and his willingness to confront his audience ...