What is Lee Ranaldo best known for?

Lee Ranaldo is best known as the co-founder and lead guitarist of Sonic Youth, the influential American alternative rock band that operated from 1981 to 2011. His innovative guitar techniques and experimental approach to music-making helped define the sound of alternative rock.

Where did Lee Ranaldo receive his education?

Lee Ranaldo attended Binghamton University, which is part of the State University of New York (SUNY) system. The university is located in Vestal, New York, and was founded in 1946.

What other artistic pursuits has Lee Ranaldo pursued besides music?

Beyond his musical career, Ranaldo has worked extensively as a poet, publishing several volumes of poetry. He has also established himself as a visual artist and installation artist, creating works that often combine sound, text, and sculptural elements. Additionally, he has worked as a cinematographer on film projects.

What record labels has Lee Ranaldo worked with?

Ranaldo has been associated with several record labels throughout his career, including Matador Records, which is an American independent record label founded in 1989 and based in New York City.

What genres of music is Lee Ranaldo associated with?

Ranaldo is primarily associated with alternative rock and indie rock, genres that emerged in the late 1970s and 1980s. His work with Sonic Youth was particularly influential in shaping the experimental direction of alternative rock.

When did Lee Ranaldo begin his professional music career?

Ranaldo began his professional music career in 1980, shortly before co-founding Sonic Youth in 1981. His career has spanned over four decades.

Lee Ranaldo

American rock musician (born 1956)

Person human Q352087

Facts

24 properties

Instance of: human
Sex or gender: male^[20]
Date of birth: February 3, 1956
Place of birth: Glen Cove
Country of citizenship: United States^[9]
Occupation: guitarist, poet, singer, composer, record producer, singer-songwriter, musician, visual artist, cinematographer, installation artist, writer, artist^[10]^[11]^[12]^[13]^[14]^[15]^[16]
Educated at: Binghamton University, Oyster Bay High School^[17]^[18]
Spouse: Leah Singer^[8]
Genre: alternative rock, indie rock^[21]^[22]
Official website: www.sonicyouth.com^[28]
Work location: New York City^[29]
Languages spoken, written or signed: English^[34]
Copyright status as a creator: works protected by copyrights
Described by source: UbuWeb^[33]
Family name: Ranaldo^[26]
Given name: Lee^[27]
Has works in the collection: Collection Vedute^[37]
Instrument: guitar, voice, electronic musical instrument^[30]^[31]^[32]
Member of: Sonic Youth^[19]
On focus list of Wikimedia project: NADD Wikidata project^[36]
P14750: 728B-D656-4241-452C-422A
Record label: Matador Records, Drunken Fish Records, Neutral Records^[23]^[24]^[25]
Social media followers: +34261, +35266
Start of work period: 1980^[35]

🏷️ Also known as

en Lee Ranaldo da Lee Mark Ranaldo de Ranaldo fa لی رانالدو he לי רנלדו ko 리 레날도 ru Ли Ранальдо ru Ранальдо, Ли sv Lee Mark Ranaldo sv Ranaldo uk Лі Ранальдо zh 李·拉納爾多

🔖 Identifiers · 56

ISNI: 0000000121308328
VIAF cluster ID: 46362134
Library of Congress authority ID: no97005928
GND ID: 134811844
Image (Wikimedia Commons): Concierto de Lee Ranaldo en La 2 de Barcelona (8683785451).jpg ↗
AbART person ID: 115527
Acharts.co artist ID: lee_ranaldo
AllMusic artist ID: mn0000813019
BBC Things ID: 8202a3b2-2d9f-428f-b969-4148f46ca431
BIBSYS ID: 6031815
Bandcamp profile ID: leeranaldo1
Bibliothèque nationale de France ID: 16154055f

Show all 56 identifiers +44

Billboard artist ID: lee-ranaldo
CONOR.SI ID: 106100323
Carnegie Hall agent ID: 100146
CineMagia person ID: 121645
DDB person (GND) ID: 134811844
Deezer artist ID: 116580
Deutsche Biographie (GND) ID: 134811844
Discogs artist ID: 40978
Encyclopædia Britannica Online ID: biography/Lee-Ranaldo
Europeana entity: agent/base/60791
FAST ID: 386720
Film.ru person ID: lee-ranaldo
Freebase ID: /m/0kbth
IMDb ID: nm0007145
IdRef ID: 149474385
JRC Names ID: 344162
Kinobox person ID: 831504
Laut.de artist ID: Lee-Ranaldo
Montreux Jazz Festival person ID: 30750
Museum of Modern Art artist ID: 46880
Museum-digital ID: 154757
MusicBrainz artist ID: 6eb1f3f8-5c5a-41c2-a390-f397a2b824a3
Muziekweb performer ID: M00000002842
Notable Names Database ID: 787/000133388
Open Library ID: OL410796A
PORT person ID: 265735
Pitchfork artist ID: 2057-lee-ranaldo
Podchaser creator ID: 107a99rXQP
RKDartists ID: 319615
Rate Your Music artist ID: lee_ranaldo
Rolling Stone artist ID: lee-ranaldo
Rotten Tomatoes ID: celebrity/lee-ranaldo
SNAC ARK ID: w6n33d70
Songkick artist ID: 548203
Spotify artist ID: 4tXPSo0qk91VMP3wFxL0Fo
TMDB person ID: 101843
Tabakalera ID: 119690
Tidal artist ID: 3605900
Union List of Artist Names ID: 500472989
WorldCat Entities ID: E39PBJwHbVGV4JVPvFtFWtptrq
X (Twitter) username: leeranaldo
Yale LUX ID: person/3ba93e38-b9b8-436d-b5ef-cd251b12f1ae
Yandex Music artist ID: 21424
ČSFD person ID: 30178

Report an error or request removal Lineage (PROV-JSON)

🔗 Connections

Occupation 10

poet, composer, singer, musician, record producer, singer-songwriter, cinematographer, guitarist +2 more

Instrument 3

guitar, electronic musical instrument, voice

Mb:performer of 3

Between the Times and the Tides, Electric Trim, From Here to Infinity

Genre 2

alternative rock, indie rock

Mb:composer 2

Kool Thing, Kool Thing

Mb:member of band 2

Sonic Youth, Ciccone Youth

Belongs to 1

Sonic Youth

Country of citizenship 1

United States

Described by source 1

UbuWeb

Educated at 1

Binghamton University

Given name 1

Lee

Instance of 1

human

Languages spoken, written or signed 1

English

Member of 1

Sonic Youth

Place of birth 1

Glen Cove

Record label 1

Matador Records

Sex or gender 1

male

Work location 1

New York City

← Cast member 1

Daddy Longlegs

← FactGrid item ID 1

Parets del Vallès

← Mb:married 1

Leah Singer

Press Enter · cited answer in seconds

Summary

Lee Ranaldo was born on February 3, 1956^[1], in Glen Cove^[2]. He has worked as a guitarist^[3], poet^[4], singer^[5], composer^[6], and record producer^[7].

FAQs

Where was Lee Ranaldo born?

Lee Ranaldo was born in Glen Cove^[2].

Who was Lee Ranaldo married to?

Lee Ranaldo's spouses include Leah Singer^[8].

What did Lee Ranaldo do for work?

Lee Ranaldo worked as a guitarist^[3], poet^[4], singer^[5], composer^[6], and record producer^[7].

Where did Lee Ranaldo go to school?

Lee Ranaldo was educated at Binghamton University^[17] and Oyster Bay High School^[18].

References

Programmatic citations — every numbered marker resolves to a verifiable graph row below.

Direct Wikidata claims

[2] ↑ Lee Ranaldo — place of birth (P19): Glen Cove. wikidata.org.
[20] ↑ Lee Ranaldo — sex or gender (P21): male. BnF authorities. Retrieved 2015-10-10. wikidata.org.
[8] ↑ Lee Ranaldo — spouse (P26): Leah Singer. wikidata.org.
[9] ↑ Lee Ranaldo — country of citizenship (P27): United States. wikidata.org.
[17] ↑ Lee Ranaldo — educated at (P69): Binghamton University. wikidata.org.
[18] ↑ Lee Ranaldo — educated at (P69): Oyster Bay High School. Retrieved 2021-03-04. wikidata.org.
[3] ↑ Lee Ranaldo — occupation (P106): guitarist. The Fine Art Archive. Retrieved 2021-04-01. wikidata.org.
[4] ↑ Lee Ranaldo — occupation (P106): poet. wikidata.org.
[5] ↑ Lee Ranaldo — occupation (P106): singer. wikidata.org.
[6] ↑ Lee Ranaldo — occupation (P106): composer. Integrated Authority File. Retrieved 2026-04-20. wikidata.org.
[7] ↑ Lee Ranaldo — occupation (P106): record producer. wikidata.org.
[10] ↑ Lee Ranaldo — occupation (P106): singer-songwriter. Retrieved 2019-05-22. wikidata.org.
[11] ↑ Lee Ranaldo — occupation (P106): musician. The Fine Art Archive. Retrieved 2021-04-01. wikidata.org.
[12] ↑ Lee Ranaldo — occupation (P106): visual artist. The Fine Art Archive. Retrieved 2021-04-01. wikidata.org.
[13] ↑ Lee Ranaldo — occupation (P106): cinematographer. Integrated Authority File. Retrieved 2026-04-20. wikidata.org.
[14] ↑ Lee Ranaldo — occupation (P106): installation artist. RKDartists. Retrieved 2021-11-18. wikidata.org.
[15] ↑ Lee Ranaldo — occupation (P106): writer. Integrated Authority File. Retrieved 2026-04-20. wikidata.org.
[16] ↑ Lee Ranaldo — occupation (P106): artist. Integrated Authority File. Retrieved 2026-04-20. wikidata.org.
[21] ↑ Lee Ranaldo — genre (P136): alternative rock. wikidata.org.
[22] ↑ Lee Ranaldo — genre (P136): indie rock. Montreux Jazz Festival Database. Retrieved 2020-09-28. wikidata.org.
[23] ↑ Lee Ranaldo — record label (P264): Matador Records. wikidata.org.
[24] ↑ Lee Ranaldo — record label (P264): Drunken Fish Records. wikidata.org.
[25] ↑ Lee Ranaldo — record label (P264): Neutral Records. wikidata.org.
[19] ↑ Lee Ranaldo — member of (P463): Sonic Youth. wikidata.org.
[1] ↑ Lee Ranaldo — date of birth (P569): February 3, 1956. SNAC. Retrieved 2017-10-09. wikidata.org.
[26] ↑ Lee Ranaldo — family name (P734): Ranaldo. wikidata.org.
[27] ↑ Lee Ranaldo — given name (P735): Lee. wikidata.org.
[28] ↑ Lee Ranaldo — official website (P856): http://www.sonicyouth.com/symu/lee/. wikidata.org.
[29] ↑ Lee Ranaldo — work location (P937): New York City. Integrated Authority File. Retrieved 2015-03-30. wikidata.org.
[30] ↑ Lee Ranaldo — instrument (P1303): guitar. Montreux Jazz Festival Database. Retrieved 2020-09-28. wikidata.org.
[31] ↑ Lee Ranaldo — instrument (P1303): voice. Montreux Jazz Festival Database. Retrieved 2020-09-28. wikidata.org.
[32] ↑ Lee Ranaldo — instrument (P1303): electronic musical instrument. Montreux Jazz Festival Database. Retrieved 2020-09-28. wikidata.org.
[33] ↑ Lee Ranaldo — described by source (P1343): UbuWeb. ubu.com. Retrieved 2017-02-10. ubu.com. Provenance: wikidata.org.
[34] ↑ Lee Ranaldo — languages spoken, written or signed (P1412): English. CONOR.SI. wikidata.org.
[35] ↑ Lee Ranaldo — start of work period (P2031): 1980. wikidata.org.
[36] ↑ Lee Ranaldo — on focus list of Wikimedia project (P5008): NADD Wikidata project. Retrieved 2024-12-08. wikidata.org.
[37] ↑ Lee Ranaldo — has works in the collection (P6379): Collection Vedute. vedute.nl. vedute.nl. Provenance: wikidata.org.

📑 Cite this page

Use these citations when quoting this entity in research, articles, AI prompts, or wherever provenance matters. We aggregate Wikidata + Wikipedia + authoritative open-data sources; the stitched, scored, cross-referenced view is what 4ort.xyz contributes.

APA 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph. (2026). Lee Ranaldo. Retrieved November 7, 2026, from https://4ort.xyz/entity/lee-ranaldo

MLA “Lee Ranaldo.” 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph, 4ort.xyz, 7 Nov. 2026, https://4ort.xyz/entity/lee-ranaldo.

BibTeX

@misc{4ortxyz_lee-ranaldo_2026, author = {{4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph}}, title = {{Lee Ranaldo}}, year = {2026}, url = {https://4ort.xyz/entity/lee-ranaldo}, note = {Accessed: 2026-11-07}}

LLM prompt

According to 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph (aggregator of Wikidata, Wikipedia, and authoritative open-data sources): Lee Ranaldo — https://4ort.xyz/entity/lee-ranaldo (retrieved 2026-11-07)

Canonical URL: https://4ort.xyz/entity/lee-ranaldo · Last refreshed: November 7, 2026

Edit History

Rolling log of changes to this entity's Wikidata record. Values shown reflect the current state of each edited property — follow the history link to see the precise diff for any edit.

5d ago · Nicereddy · 2026-11-02 view diff on Wikidata ↗

Deezer artist ID → 116580

Claims rich → —

"/* wbeditentity-update:0| */ QuickStatements 3.0 [[:toollabs:qs-dev/batch/63224|batch #63224]]: Import Deezer artist ID from MusicBrainz via its artist ID in Wikidata. Also matched on name. Part1: imp"
5d ago · Nicereddy · 2026-11-02 view diff on Wikidata ↗

Tidal artist ID → 3605900

Claims rich → —

"/* wbeditentity-update:0| */ QuickStatements 3.0 [[:toollabs:qs-dev/batch/63220|batch #63220]]: Import Tidal artist ID from MusicBrainz, also matching on name. Part1.: import Tidal artist ID (P4576) f"
12w ago · Yirba · 2026-08-11 view diff on Wikidata ↗

P14750 → 728B-D656-4241-452C-422A

"/* wbeditentity-update:0| */ QuickStatements 3.0 [[:toollabs:qs-dev/batch/46467|batch #46467]]: HAND ID (7)"
24w ago · Epìdosis · 2026-05-20 view diff on Wikidata ↗

Given name → Lee

On focus list of Wikimedia project → NADD Wikidata project

Image last checked license → —

Instance of → human

+ 33 other properties edited (see Wikidata diff for full list)

"/* wbeditentity-update:0| */ QuickStatements 3.0 [[:toollabs:qs-dev/batch/32085|batch #32085]]: import P21 and P106 from GND (27)"

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