John Cale

From his participation in minimalist godfather LaMonte Young's groundbreaking '60s work to his key role in creating the darkly hypnotic Velvet Underground, John Cale was a trailblazer before he ever even embarked on a solo career. On his own, he melded proto-punk, folk-rock, and the avant-garde, and has created one of the most fascinating, literate, and uncompromisingly varied bodies of music in rock. As a producer, he's been equally influential, working with everyone from the Modern Lovers and Patti Smith to Squeeze.

• rock
• pop
• art rock
• pop rock
• 1970s
• 1990s
• 1980s
• 2000s