| Nuno Bettencourt |
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MUSIC As a guitarist and songwriter, Bettencourt draws from an eclectic variety styles and influences. However, his most prominent work has been in the realm of Rock and Heavy Metal guitar. Bettencourt's incendiary and highly technical guitar playing is clearly influenced by Eddie Van Halen , whilst his keen sense of melody and interest in progressive rock is influenced by bands such as Queen . BIOGRAPHY Bettencourt was born Nuno Duarte Gil Mendes Bettencourt on September 20, 1966 in the town of Praia Da Vitoria , on the island of Terceira in the Azores , Portugal . Bettencourt's family moved to Hudson, Massachusetts when he was four. Bettencourt lived on Main Street in Hudson for 21 years. Initially, Bettencourt had little interest in music, preferring to spend his time playing Hockey and Soccer . He began playing drums and until his brother, Louie, began to teach him how to play guitar. While Bettencourt was slow to adopt the instrument under his brother's tutelage, his skills quickly developed when he began teaching himself. In his sophomore and junior years, Bettencourt dropped out of sport so he could focus on playing guitar. As a guitarist, one of Bettencourt's earliest influences was Eddie Van Halen from the Pasadena super-group Van Halen . However, as he developed his craft as a guitarist and songwriter, his influences expanded to embrace The Beatles , Led Zeppelin , Prince , Queen , The Pat Travers Band . Bettencourt rose to international prominence as a guitar player after he joined the Boston area group Extreme in 1985. Signed to A&M Records shortly after Bettencourt joined the group, the band released its debut record, ''Extreme'', in 1989 . Three more releases followed, including the record '' Pornograffitti '' which included the hits "More Than Words" and "Hole Hearted" -- reaching #1 and #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, respectively. These records served as a showcase for Bettencourt's extraordinary technical guitar-playing prowess and garnered him widespread admiration from rock guitar enthusiasts as well as continual exposure in guitar publications such as ''Guitar World'' and ''Guitar School''. In 1993 , Bettencourt produced and provided guest performances on the second album by Australian hard rock outfit Baby Animals . The following year, he married the group's lead singer, Suze DeMarchi. In 1996 , Extreme disbanded and Bettencourt had his first child, daughter Bebe Orleans on February 2. Nuno released his 1997 solo debut, ''Schizophonic'', on which Bettencourt played all instruments. Following the release and touring of Schizophonic, Bettencourt assembled a new group, Mourning Widows , with bassist Donovan Bettencourt which incorporated a variety of alternative/rock styles. Mourning Widows released its debut CD on Polydor/Japan in 1998 . New York drummer Jeff Consi joined the band for the 1999 Japan tour. The follow-up, ''Furnished Souls For Rent'', written by Nuno, Donovan and Jeff Consi, was released in Japan in 2000 . Both Mourning Widows releases cultivated a strong following in Japan and in the New England area. In 1999 , Bettencourt appeared in the motion picture "Just a Little Harmless Sex". Bettencourt formed the recording entity Population 1 and released the self-titled and self-produced 2002 release, ''Population 1'', on Universal/Japan and YBM/Korea. In support of the Population 1 release in Japan and Korea , Bettencourt assembled the current lineup of Population 1: Bettencourt on guitar and lead vocals, Joe Pessia on bass guitar, Steve Ferlazzo on keyboards and back-up vocals, and Kevin Figueiredo on drums and back-up vocals. But the band supporting that 1st Pop-1 album had Joe Pessia on 2nd guitar and Philip Bynoe on bass. Due to some legal issues, the name Population 1 was dropped and has since been renamed DramaGods with the same lineup of Bettencourt on guitar and lead vocals, Joe Pessia on bass guitar, Steve Ferlazzo on keyboards and back-up vocals, and Kevin Figueiredo on drums and back-up vocals. DramaGods is signed under Victor Entertainment of Japan and has since released their first album, 'Love'. In that year, Bettencourt had his second child, son Lorenzo Aureolino. RECENT WORK Bettencourt's playing has recently been featured on the Universal/Japan CD and DVD release of ''Guitar Wars'' - featuring solo and collective performances of Nuno with many others, including Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones . Bettencourt continues to be active in the music industry. He has writing and recording engagements with Maverick recording group Tantric (Nuno co-wrote the hit single "Hey Now"), Hollywood recording group BB Mak, Toni Braxton , and numerous others. DISCOGRAPHY The following discography lists only full albums of new material (i.e., not including "best-of" compilations and guest appearances on other artists' records.) With Extreme
As a solo artist
With Mourning Widows
With Population 1
With DramaGods
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