Though it was not their normal practice, Lou Reed (right) and John Cale (center) attempted to vend their music for producers at Columbia Records. They received an audience with Tom Wilson (left). The executive, rather than being put off by a song titled “The Black Angel’s Death Song,” commented how much he enjoyed the dynamism of Cale’s viola. They were the one-in-twenty act that captured Wilson’s attention. He eventually signed Reed and Cale’s band—the Velvet Underground—after he moved to MGM. Wilson’s skill at recognizing musical innovation helped transform or launch entire genres of music.