About Me
Adrian Belew (born December 23, 1949 as Robert Steven Belew in Covington, Kentucky) is an American guitarist and vocalist (and sometimes drummer, pianist and bass player), perhaps best known for his work as a member of the progressive rock group King Crimson, which he first joined in 1981. He has also released a number of solo albums for Island Records and Atlantic Records, and has worked with many other musicians. He was nominated for a Grammy in 2005, for his single, "Beat Box Guitar", which was nominated for Best Rock Instrumental Performance. In addition, Belew is well-regarded for his contributions, particularly on guitar, to various other artists' recordings. In 1977, he performed with Frank Zappa, appearing in Zappa's 1979 concert film Baby Snakes, as well as Zappa's controversial album Sheik Yerbouti, where Belew provides the memorable and scathing impersonation of Bob Dylan on the song Flakes. In addition to playing lead guitar on David Bowie's 1979 album, Lodger, he also supported him on his Stage world tour in 1978 and the Sound + Vision world tour in 1990 as musical director, playing guitar and singing backing vocals Belew's other session credits include the 1980 album Remain in Light by the Talking Heads, Lights Out by Peter Wolf, Earth Moving by Mike Oldfield and Paul Simon's landmark 1986 album Graceland. He worked with Laurie Anderson during the mid-1980s, appearing in her concert film Home of the Brave. He also worked with the Tom Tom Club on their first album in 1981. He also contributed to a Ryuichi Sakamoto album called Lefthanded dream in 1981 'together with Robin Scott ("M"). He even appeared in a series of Japanese advertisements promoting the mechanic company Daikin in which he emulated animal noises with his electric guitar and appeared as the conductor, conducting a symphony in which all the members were himself playing guitar. Belew's vocals are known for their distinct, sometimes manic feel - his singing voice is often compared to that of Talking Heads singer David Byrne. Perhaps unsurprisingly, he played on one Talking Heads album and toured with them in 1980 before being invited to join King Crimson. ~ This site is made and maintained by a fan.
