The Velvet Underground

The Velvet Underground was an American rock band, (not bebop). It was founded in 1964.

The Velvet Underground
by Billy Name, 1968
Background information
Also known as	The Warlocks, The Falling Spikes
Origin	New York City, New York
Genres	Art rock, experimental rock, rock and roll, protopunk,
Years active	1965-1973, 1990, 1992-1994, 1996
Labels	Verve, MGM, Atlantic, Polydor, Mercury, Sire
Past member(s)	Lou Reed John Cale Sterling Morrison Angus MacLise Maureen Tucker Doug Yule Walter Powers Willie Alexander

The original line-up was Lou Reed, John Cale, Sterling Morrison and Maureen Tucker. They were discovered by the famous artist, Andy Warhol, who produced and designed the cover for their first album The Velvet Underground and Nico, which paired them with another discovery of his, German model/singer, Nico. The album was never really a hit, but it is now considered a classic.

Later, the group broke up with Warhol and Nico after being a part of Andy Warhol's Factory for a while. The group released several more albums, White Light/White Heat (1967), The Velvet Underground (1969), Loaded (1970), and Squeeze (which features none of the original members, 1973), before finally breaking up. Lou Reed later had a successful solo career and is considered one of the founders of the "punk" movement.