Keith Richards features on a new album that celebrates Lou Reed’s enduring influence.
The iconic musician died from liver disease in October 2013, aged 71, and a number of his friends and fans – including Keith, Rosanne Cash, Lucinda Williams, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, The Afghan Whigs, Bobby Rush, Maxim Ludwig and Angel Olsen, Mary Gauthier, and Automatic – have come together to create ‘The Power Of The Heart: A Tribute To Lou Reed’.
Keith, 80 – who features on the track ‘I’m Waiting for the Man’, which is released on Saturday (02.03.24) – believes that the late musician was a hugely influential figure.
He said: “To me, Lou stood out. The real deal!
“[He was] important to American music and to all music! I miss him and his dog.”
Record producer Bill Bentley also has fond memories of the late musician.
Bill explained: “There are many moments when Lou Reed’s soul still rushes through me like a warm wind on a motionless day.
“It might be a certain chord I hear, a word spoken with his distinct New York accent, or even just a glancing memory of the way he smiled when he was happy followed by a restrained cackle which assured all was right in Reed’s world … His spirit is there, undiminished with a worldly peaceful wisdom he had never quit seeking.”
Meanwhile, Mary Gauthier – who features on the track ‘Coney Island Baby’ – has been heavily influenced and inspired by Lou’s music for many years.
The 61-year-old singer shared: “Lou Reed’s music was vital to young people like me who felt stranded in the middle of nowhere.
“A rough urban song poet of astounding vulnerability and brutal honesty, he saw – and described – the world as it was. Pure emotion. Pure reality, immense compassion.
“I love talk-singers. That was Lou – his words were raw and real. But there was always melody. And always a (heart) beat. It would be impossible to count the small town dreamers like me who followed his voice to find their own.”