Born on December 23: Adrian Belew, favorite guitarist of David Bowie and Talking Heads

The six-string virtuoso was born in 1949 in Covington, Kentucky, and his CV is as long as your arm! 

The twenty or so personal albums he has recorded since the early 80s undeniably go in all directions. And sometimes you have to hang on tight to follow him through the labyrinth of incongruous sounds that he takes a mischievous pleasure in knitting. By taking the utmost care to offer accessible melodies and with a wry smile, he offers "The Lone Rhino" on his first album in 1982 and, as if in echo, a "Sexy Rhino" on his second in 1983. Whether you like it or not, Adrian Belew doesn't shy away from practicing a certain humor bathed in second degree...

But it's very likely not for this reason that so many artists have called on him. The first to get his hands on him in 1977 was Frank Zappa, another brilliant nutcase. He took him on tour and gave him a seat on a few albums including "Sheik Yebouti" (1979). His very particular playing and his appetite for effects pedals then seduced David Bowie. We can hear Belew on "Lodger", one of the Thin White Duke's most demanding albums. He will also be the musical director of the "Sound & Vision" tour. David Byrne of Talking Heads then invited him for the recording of "Remain In Light" (1980) and the memorable tour that followed. Belew no longer knows where to turn and doesn't complain at all! Later, he teamed up with Robert Fripp (another sound wizard) in King Crimson, one of the pillars of English progressive rock since the end of the 60s. The result was a handful of albums including the lush "Discipline" (1981). No "Rhino" or "Big Electric Cat" on Belew's list of conquests this time, but an "Elephant Talk"! This hard worker then went on to work on projects, sometimes abstruse, sometimes peaceful on the edge of inventive chamber music, under various labels: Les ProjeKcts, The Bears or more recently The Adrian Belew Trio. As for the albums on which he was invited to lay down his guitar pads, they're too numerous to be all mentioned. Laurie Anderson, Nine Inch Nails, Mike Oldfield, Paul Simon, David Bowie, Porcupine Tree, Tony Levin, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Joan Armatrading and even Jean-Michel Jarre have all picked up the phone at one time or another to invite him to join them in the studio. 

After a series of concerts in the United States, Adrian Belew and Jerry Harrison (former keyboardist of Talking Heads) will give a handful of concerts in Europe next June. They intend to revive the songs of "Remain In Light" (1980) but will not deprive themselves of also drawing from their respective repertoires.

(Stéphane Massart - Tr.: MH - Photo: © Etienne Tordoir)
Photo: Adrian Belew at the Cirque Royal in Brussels (Belgium) on the 1st of June, 2025