The Velvet Underground was an American rock band, active between 1964 and 1973, formed in New York City by Lou Reed and John Cale.

Although experiencing little commercial success while together, the band is often cited by many critics as one of the most important and influential groups of all time. In a 1982 interview Brian Eno made the oft-repeated statement that while the first Velvet Underground album may have sold only 30,000 copies in its early years, "everyone who bought one of those 30,000 copies started a band."