Happy 75th birthday today to multi-instrumentalist Adrian Belew (born 12/23/49), who merged shades of new-wave with prog rock, most noticeably during his tenure with King Crimson and, most recently, the lengthy Beat tour rekindling King Crimson’s early 80s albums. Belew’s contributions to rock are enormous and he has worked with a list of names including Frank Zappa, David Bowie, Talking Heads, King Crimson, Laurie Anderson, and Nine Inch Nails. Belew added several guitar solos to several tracks on Talking Heads’ Remain in Light album and was subsequently added to the expanded nine-piece Talking Heads live band for tours in late 1980 and early 1981. Watch Belew lead King Crimson live in 1982, taking on their creative prog approach with a new-wave flair.
