Author, artist, composer, guitarist, singer and producer Lee Ranaldo was born in 1956 in Glen Cove, Long Island. He began his career in New York, playing in bands like The Fluks, +Instruments, and Avoidance Behavior before joining Glenn Branca's ensemble in 1980. During this same period he met Thurston Moore and later Kim Gordon. In 1981 they combined forces to become Sonic Youth.