Robert Steven Belew, born December 23, 1949, in Covington, Kentucky, is an
American guitarist and singer-songwriter. Early drumming in a high-school
marching band and the cover band Denems led him to pick up guitar after a bout
of mononucleosis, drawing inspiration from Jimi Hendrix and Lonnie Mack. His
first major break came in 1977 when Frank Zappa hired him for a touring band,
which launched his visibility and led to a contract with Island Records. In
1981, Belew joined the progressive rock group King Crimson as frontman and
guitarist, contributing to albums such as Discipline...