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Lee Ranaldo is a singer, guitarist, writer, producer, visual artist and one of the founding members of influential rock band Sonic Youth. Born in Long Island, Ranaldo began his music career in New York in the 1980s, playing in several bands including the early electric guitar orchestra of avante-garde musician Glenn Branca (along with Sonic...More

Lee Ranaldo is a singer, guitarist, writer, producer, visual artist and one of the founding members of influential rock band Sonic Youth. Born in Long Island, Ranaldo began his music career in New York in the 1980s, playing in several bands including the early electric guitar orchestra of avante-garde musician Glenn Branca (along with Sonic Youth bandmate Thurston Moore).

In 1987 Ranaldo released his first solo album, From Here to Infinity (SST Records). After Sonic Youth's hiatus in November 2011, Ranaldo released another solo album, Between The Times And Tides (Matador Records, 2012), featuring Jim O'Rourke, Steve Shelley, Kathy Leiesen, Bob Bert, Nels Cline, Alan Licht, John Medeski, and Irwin Menkin. 2012 also included the solo release Maelstrom From Drift (Three Lobed Recordings) and the Glacial record On Jones Beach (Insound).

Throughout his career, Ranaldo has frequently produced sound, performance and visual art, and has released over 50 solo, band and collaborative recordings. He also has had a dozen books published, including travel journals, poetry and artists’ books. In 2001, Ranaldo released Jrnls80s (Soft Skull Press), part autobiography, part poetry. His most recent books of poetry are Against Refusing (Water Row Press, 2010) and a collection called How Not To Get Played On The Radio (SoundBarn, 2011).

Ranaldo's artwork has been exhibited at numerous galleries and museums, including the Sydney Museum of Contemporary Art, NSCAD, the Kunsthalle Dusseldorf, and Mercer Union in Toronto. As a producer, Ranaldo has worked with Babes in Toyland, You Am I, Magik Markers, Deity Guns, and Kleg. Ranaldo has also released several records with jazz drummer William Hooker. His main musical side projects are Text of Light, Glacial, and Drift, a duo with his wife Leah Singer. In 2005 Drift released a box set with a DVD and a book.