Editing Adrian Belew (section)

===Early life (1949–1977)===
Robert Steven Belew was born into a middle-class family in [[Covington, Kentucky]], on December 23, 1949. Initially known to friends and classmates as "Steve", he played drums in his adolescence, playing with the [[Ludlow, Kentucky|Ludlow]] High School marching band and later with the high school [[cover band]] the Denems. Inspired by [[Jimi Hendrix]], he took up guitar while bedridden with [[Infectious mononucleosis|mononucleosis]].<ref>{{cite news
  | last = Locey
  | first = Bill
  | title = Ventura County Weekend; King Crimson Reigns in Times of Change; Led by Robert Fripp and Adrian Belew, the band brings its modern, muscular sound to Ventura Theatre
  | page = 16
  | publisher = [[Los Angeles Times]] (Ventury County)
  | date = July 25, 1996
  }}</ref> At the age of 17, he was further inspired after witnessing a live performance by [[Lonnie Mack]], who later became a close friend.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Munro|first=Scott|date=2016-04-29|title=Ex King Crimson man Belew pays tribute to Lonnie Mack|url=https://www.loudersound.com/news/ex-king-crimson-man-belew-pays-tribute-to-lonnie-mack|access-date=2023-02-21|website=louder|language=en|archive-date=July 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210717172627/https://www.loudersound.com/news/ex-king-crimson-man-belew-pays-tribute-to-lonnie-mack|url-status=live}}</ref>

Not inclined to formal music study, Belew primarily taught himself guitar by listening to records. He was not aware of the studio sound manipulation used to create particular guitar lines, and so found ways of replicating them himself manually using unusual playing techniques and [[Effects unit|effects pedals]]. While maturing as a player and mastering various playing styles, Belew became increasingly preoccupied with ways to avoid "sounding like everybody else". He eventually found his own sound and style by learning how to make his guitar mimic sound effects such as car horns, animal noises, or industrial sounds.

In the mid-1970s,<!-- (and having now formally changed his first name to "Adrian", a name he had always liked and wanted to use),{{cn|date=October 2021}}--> Belew began using the first name "Adrian" and moved to [[Nashville]] to pursue a full-time career as a professional musician. By 1977, he was playing with the regionally popular cover band Sweetheart, but wondered whether he had missed his chance to make a living with original music.