Editing Adrian Belew (section)

===King Crimson (1981–2013)===

Adrian Belew was the frontman, second guitarist, and occasional drummer for [[King Crimson]] from 1981 to 2009, one of the longest tenures in King Crimson by any member other than founder, bandleader, and sole constant member [[Robert Fripp]]. He maintained this position despite several splits or hiatuses in group activity, notwithstanding a brief period in the early 1990s when Fripp unsuccessfully asked singer [[David Sylvian]] of [[Japan (band)|Japan]] to front a new version of the band.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.elephant-talk.com/faq/et-faq.txt |title=King Crimson FAQ|access-date=2007-08-29|publisher=Elephant Talk (archived page from elephant-talk.com) |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050828134638/http://www.elephant-talk.com/faq/et-faq.txt |archive-date=2005-08-28}}</ref>

Belew's involvement with King Crimson began while he was still involved with Talking Heads. Having been impressed by Belew's work with GaGa and David Bowie, Fripp asked him to join a new four-piece band, at that time called Discipline. While Belew was busy with Talking Heads and associated side projects at the time, he chose to leave and join Fripp's band due to the deteriorating relationships within Talking Heads. One of his conditions for joining the new band was that he would be allowed to continue his solo career, to which Fripp agreed.<ref>Smith, Sid (2001). ''In the Court of King Crimson'', Helter Skelter Publishing, {{ISBN|1-900924-26-9}}, pp. 215–216.</ref>

Former King Crimson and [[Yes (band)|Yes]] drummer [[Bill Bruford]] and New York session bassist and [[Chapman Stick]] player [[Tony Levin]] completed the Discipline lineup. During initial touring, the members of the band discussed the possibility of renaming themselves King Crimson, which they ultimately agreed to. This made Belew the first guitarist to formally play alongside Fripp within King Crimson on an equal footing (although [[Ian McDonald (musician)|Ian McDonald]] and [[John Wetton]] had occasionally contributed extra guitar to previous King Crimson recordings).{{Citation needed|date=May 2010}} He was also the first King Crimson singer to write most of his own lyrics.

The renamed band released and toured the album ''[[Discipline (King Crimson album)|Discipline]]'' later in 1981. The follow-up, 1982's ''[[Beat (King Crimson album)|Beat]]'', proved harder to record. Finding himself responsible for the bulk of the band's songwriting and dealing with the extra pressures of being the frontman in a high-level group, Belew argued with Fripp over the group's approach and sound. Disagreements were mostly resolved and the band continued to find success as a live act. However, writing and recording 1984's ''[[Three of a Perfect Pair]]'' proved yet more difficult, and Fripp opted to split the band following the conclusion of the ''Three of a Perfect Pair'' tour later that year.

Despite these tensions, the members of this King Crimson incarnation maintained enough camaraderie and mutual respect to reunite in 1994, forming a sextet with the addition of drummer [[Pat Mastelotto]] and [[Warr Guitar|Warr guitar]]ist [[Trey Gunn]]. This lineup toured successfully until 1997, releasing the 1995 album ''[[Thrak]]'' and several live recordings. From 1997 onward, Belew participated in several of the [[ProjeKcts]], a series of King Crimson [[side project]]s active during the band's hiatuses, in which he predominantly played [[electronic drum]]s.

King Crimson was then reduced to a quartet with the departures of Bruford and Levin, subsequently releasing the albums ''[[The Construkction of Light|The ConstruKction of Light]]'' (2000) and ''[[The Power to Believe]]'' (2003). After a further four-year hiatus, the band returned to active work in 2008 as a five-piece, with Levin returning to replace Gunn and [[Porcupine Tree]] drummer [[Gavin Harrison]] joining. From 2000 through 2008, King Crimson used Belew's home studio in [[Mount Juliet, Tennessee]], as a rehearsal space and studio.

In September 2013, Fripp announced the formation of a new King Crimson lineup which did not include Belew.