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Lenny Kaye | |
|---|---|
 Kaye performing withPatti Smith in 1978 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Lenny Kusikoff |
| Also known as | Lenny Kaye Connection |
| Born | (1946-12-27)December 27, 1946 (age 78) |
| Origin | New York City, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
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| Instrument(s) | Guitar, bass, vocals |
| Years active | 1964–present |
| Labels | Giorno Poetry Systems, Arista,Columbia |
| Website | LennyKaye.com |
Lenny Kaye (néKusikoff; born December 27, 1946) is an American guitarist, composer, and writer, notable for his work with thePatti Smith Group, his contributions to music magazines, and hisgarage rock retrospective anthologyNuggets.[1]
Kaye was born toJewish parents[2] in theWashington Heights area ofUpper Manhattan, New York City. His father changed the family name from Kusikoff to Kaye when Lenny was one-year old.[3] He grew up inQueens andBrooklyn.
He played the accordion, but by the end of the 1950s had dropped the instrument in favor of collecting records. In 1960, his family moved toNorth Brunswick, New Jersey, where Kaye attendedhigh school. He participated inscience fiction fandom and gained experience in writing, publishing his ownscience fiction fanzine,Obelisk, at the age of 15.[4] His personal collection of fanzines later formed the foundation of the Lenny Kaye Science Fiction Fanzine Library at theUniversity of Miami inCoral Gables, Florida.[5]
In 1967, he graduated fromRutgers University, where he majored in American history. During college he had begun playing in bands, on a college mixer and fraternity circuit. His first gig was with the Vandals atAlpha Sigma Phi on November 7, 1964.[6]
Kaye's uncle was songwriterLarry Kusik, who wrote lyrics to "A Time For Us" and "Speak Softly Love". Kusik noticed Kaye's lengthening hair and musical commitment, and asked him to sing on a song that he co-wrote withRitchie Adams ("You Were Mine").
Kaye recorded "Crazy Like A Fox" and its flip side song, "Shock Me", which were released as a 45, issued under the name of Link Cromwell, and leased toHollywood Records, a division of Starday Records inNashville; it was released in March 1966. It garnered a Newcomer Pick of the Week fromCashbox ("A rhythmic bluesy folk-rocker with a pulsating beat") and was issued in the UK and Australia. Kaye's group at the time, The Zoo, played the college circuit inNew York andPennsylvania, an experience captured onLive 1966, an album released byNorton Records.[6]
He began writing forJazz & Pop magazine, and later forFusion,Crawdaddy,Melody Maker,Creem andRolling Stone.[7] He became music editor forCavalier, a men's magazine, where he also wrote a monthly column until 1975. He served as the New York correspondent forDisc, a British weekly publication. He editedRock Scene andHit Parader.
While working at a record store onBleecker Street inGreenwich Village, Kaye met poet and vocalistPatti Smith. On February 10, 1971, he backed her at a reading at St. Mark's Church on East 10th Street, opening forGerard Malanga. They resumed performing in November 1973, and Kaye produced Smith's debut single, "Hey Joe/Piss Factory", and performed as part of her group throughout the 1970s, contributing to four of Smith's albums:Horses (1975),Radio Ethiopia (1976),Easter (1978), andWave (1979).
Kaye authored a 1972 anthology ofgarage rock during the 1960s,Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era, 1965–1968.[8] With David Dalton, he co-authored the bookRock 100, a 1977 overview of leading rock stars from the 1950s into the 1970s.
Following the Patti Smith Group's final performance, for the time being, in September 1979, Kaye joinedJim Carroll and his band and fronted his own group, Lenny Kaye Connection. Over the years he has worked in studio capacities with Carroll,R.E.M.,James,Soul Asylum,Kristin Hersh, andAllen Ginsberg. He coproducedSuzanne Vega's first two albums and her 1987 hit single, "Luka", which was nominated for aGrammy as "Record of the Year".
In 1995, he reunited with Patti Smith and has been a part of her band since, creating six studio albums, a retrospective, and celebrating the 30th anniversary of their debut album,Horses.[6]
He has been nominated three times for Grammy Awards in the liner notes category for boxed sets on the 1960s folk revival ofBleecker & MacDougal, the white blues band Crossroads, and the progressive rock band Elektrock. His bookYou Call It Madness: The Sensuous Song of the Croon, about the romantic singers of the 1930s, was published in 2004.
In 2010, Kaye contributed a solo recording forDaddy Rockin' Strong: A Tribute to Nolan Strong and the Diablos, released by The Wind/Norton Records. Kaye recorded a version of "I Wanna Know", a 1950s rhythm and blues ballad. He appeared on and wrote one song forThe Fleshtones 2011 albumBrooklyn Sound Solution, released byYep Roc. He appeared on theR.E.M. songs "Alligator Aviator Autopilot Antimatter" and "Blue", which appear on the band's 2011 albumCollapse into Now.
In mid-February 2018, Kaye took over the night shift onUnderground Garage, replacingRichard Manitoba.[citation needed]
"Crazy Like a Fox" b/w "Shock Me" (as Link Cromwell; Hollywood Records, 1966)
I've Got a Right (Giorno Poetry Systems, 1984)
"Child Bride" b/w "The Tracks of My Tears" (Mer Records, 1980)
Daddy Rockin Strong: A Tribute to Nolan Strong & The Diablos (The Wind / Norton Records, 2010); track: "I Wanna Know"
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