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Adrian Belew

Adrian Belew
Photo: Spotify

About

Adrian Belew (born December 23, 1949, in Covington, Kentucky) is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, and producer, best known as the frontman and co-guitarist of King Crimson from 1981 to 2009 - one of the longest tenures in the band's history. Discovered by Frank Zappa in a Nashville bar in 1977, he went on to work with David Bowie, Talking Heads, Nine Inch Nails, and Paul Simon, building a reputation for coaxing sounds from the guitar that range from animal calls to mechanical noise. Alongside his nearly twenty solo albums, he has earned a Grammy nomination and an Oscar for his score to the Pixar short film Piper (2016).

20
solo albums released
65+
BEAT tour dates in North America (2024)
1
Academy Award (Oscar) won - score for Pixar short film Piper (2016)
1
Grammy nomination - for 2005 single 'Beat Box Guitar'

What's new

  • 2026-06

    BEAT - the supergroup of Belew, Tony Levin, Steve Vai, and Danny Carey - launched an extensive European summer 2026 tour including London, Paris, Munich, Vienna, and other major cities.

  • 2025-09

    BEAT released the live album 'Beat Live' on September 26, 2025, via InsideOut Music, documenting the band's 2024-25 North American tour.

  • 2025-08

    Belew gave a Guitar World interview in August 2025 discussing recovery from carpal tunnel surgery and plans for new guitar work.

  • 2025-05

    Belew and Talking Heads' Jerry Harrison toured Europe in May 2025 performing the classic 1980 album 'Remain in Light' in full, with a Warsaw date included.

  • 2024

    BEAT - the King Crimson tribute supergroup featuring Belew, Tony Levin, Steve Vai, and Tool's Danny Carey - headlined over 65 North American dates in 2024.

Tour

WolverhamptonLondonParisDüsseldorfStrasbourgBerlinAarhusPragueMunichViennaZürichBrusselsTilburgMadridBilbaoBarcelona

Tracks

Elephant TalkKing Crimson signature track from Discipline (1981), showcasing Belew's 'talking' guitar technique
Frame by FrameKing Crimson, Discipline (1981) - intricate interlocking guitar work, a prog-rock landmark
Big Electric CatDebut solo album Lone Rhino (1982), built on delay and looping; gave Belew his nickname 'Twang Bar King'
Oh DaddyHit single from Mr. Music Head (1989), his most commercially successful solo release
Remain in LightTalking Heads album (1980) on which Belew played guitar; toured as full-album performance with Jerry Harrison in 2025

Recent shows

😴 Nothing scheduled with this artist in the near future.

Past · 1

Similar artists · 8

King Crimson Tony Levin Bill Bruford Peter Hammill BEAT RUSH The Camel YES

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