Born on This Day in 1947, the Quadruple Threat That Helped Make The Velvet Underground Legendary

The Velvet Underground was groundbreaking for its time, and each member of the outfit contributed to its unique energy, incredible musicianship, and pioneering blend of rock and roll and the avant-garde. Even non-fans know who Lou Reed and John Cale are. However, Doug Yule was also an important member of the band from 1968 to 1973, one who was a bit of a triple threat. Yule provided his singing, bass, guitar, and keyboard skills to the group. And he was born on this very day, February 25, 1947. Let’s celebrate Yule’s contribution to art rock by looking back at his career, shall we?

The Legacy of Doug Yule

Doug Yule was born on February 25, 1947, in Mineola, New York. Yule played a variety of instruments as a child, from the piano to the baritone horn to the tuba. His first serious foray into music came after attending a show by the garage rock band The Barbarians. The band apparently didn’t show up, so Yule and his friends performed instead.

In the mid-1960s, Yule attended Boston University and studied acting. In 1968, he would first meet the members of The Velvet Underground when his landlord, the band’s road manager, would let them stay in Yule’s apartment in Boston. Sterling Morrison heard Yule play the guitar and had a hand in hiring him after John Cale left (or was fired, however you want to spin it) that year. Yule can be heard on the band’s self-titled third album from 1969, in which he plays the bass and organ. He also singslead on the song “Candy Says”.

Yule contributed quite a bit to that record and subsequent records as well. Because he was a fine singer, Yule was often tasked with stepping in with vocals when Reed’s voice was too strained from performing. Yule is even more prominent on the 1970 album Loaded, singing on a handful of songs and contributing six different instruments to the album’s rich sound. He would remain with the band until their retirement in 1973.

Yule would continue to work with Reed in the mid-1970s, namely on Sally Can’t Dance and Coney Island Baby. In the late 1970s, Yule joined the country rock band American Flyer. After that group called it quits, Yule partially retired from music and worked as a luthier.

Sadly, after The Velvet Underground reformed in the 1990s, Yule was left out of the European tour despite Morrison’s insistence. He did, however, begin to resurface in the public eye and gave interviews about The Velvet Underground. In 1997, he began recording music again and continues to occasionally perform today.

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