Adrian Belew

Adrian Belew is an American guitarist, vocalist and occasional drummer, pianist and bass player from Covington and Mt. Juliet. Born in 1949, he is known for work across progressive rock, art rock, art pop, pop rock, experimental rock and acoustic rock.

King Crimson and related projects

Belew first joins King Crimson in 1981 and becomes one of the band’s best-known members. He also appears in a number of related and associated groups, including Discipline, ProjeKct Two, ProjeKct Six, The Crimson ProjeKCt and BEAT.

Solo work and band projects

He releases solo albums on Island Records and Atlantic Records and is also active in several other groups and collaborations. These include The Bears, formed in the late 1980s with former Raisins members, alongside the later Adrian Belew Power Trio and Gizmodrome. With The Bears, he releases the albums The Bears and Rise and Shine, followed by Car Caught Fire in 2001.

Session and touring work

Belew works extensively as a session musician and is particularly noted for his guitar playing on other artists’ recordings. His credits include Frank Zappa’s 1979 concert film Baby Snakes and the album Sheik Yerbouti, David Bowie’s Heroes tour and Stage, and the later Sound + Vision tour, on both of which he serves as musical director, playing guitar and singing backing vocals. He also plays on Talking Heads’ Remain in Light, Peter Wolf’s Lights Out and Paul Simon’s Graceland.

Other collaborators

During the mid-1980s, Belew works with Laurie Anderson and appears in her concert film Home of the Brave. In the 1990s, he contributes to three Nine Inch Nails albums: The Downward Spiral, The Fragile and Ghosts. He also plays synthesized guitar on Crash Test Dummies’ “God Shuffled His Feet”, contributes to Tori Amos’s cover album Strange Little Girls, and appears on Porcupine Tree’s Deadwing. Other credits include Paul Wolf’s Lights Out, the William Shatner album Has Been on the track “I Can’t Get Behind That”, and work with Tom Tom Club, Jerry Harrison, The Human Experimente and various other musicians.

Style and instrumentation

Belew is known for a distinctive guitar style and for contributing to recordings with guitar parts that stand out in ensemble settings. He also works as a drummer, pianist and bass player in addition to guitar and vocals.