Nuno Bettencourt is mostly known for his role as the lead guitarist in the Boston hard rock band Extreme. Nuno is a Portuguese-American guitar player and singer / songwriter. He was born on September 20, 1966 in Praia da Vitoria, Terceria, Azores, Portugal. When Nuno turned four years old his family moved to Hudson, Massachusetts, where Bettencourt lived on Main Street in Hudson until he was 21 years old.
Nuno Bettencourt - "Flight of the Wounded Bumblebee" 1991
As a child, Bettencourt showed little interest in music preferring to spend most of his time playing hockey or
soccer, but when he received his first drum set, he would play the drums alone until his brother began to show
him the guitar. Over time, Nuno dropped out of sports to play his guitar and would often miss days of school to
practice a minimum of seven hours. Eventually, he dropped out of high school to continue his passion for playing the
guitar. Some of Nuno's main influences consist of Eddie Van Halen, Led Zeppelin, Prince, Queen, and The Beatles.
Nuno Bettencourt - Guitar Lesson
Before joining the band Extreme, Nuno played for a Boston hair metal act known as Sinful. Sinful was never
able to make a move into commercial music, so he left the band and joined a Boston area group known as Extreme. Fast forward
three years, the band signs their first record contract and, in 1989, releases their debut self-titled album. In 1990, Extreme
released "Pornograffitti" which featured the
number one Billboard hit, "More Than Words". As fast as success came, it disappeared just as quickly. By the time the band
releases the follow up, "III Sides to Every Story", the music scene had changed and Extreme faded into obscurity. On "III Sides
to Every Story", Nuno did compose as well as arrange the brass and string sections and the album featured a full orchestra on this
album. Extreme would release one more forgettable album, "Waiting for the Punchline", in 1995, before breaking up to allow Bettencourt
to focus on his solo career.
Notable fact: In 1996, Extreme vocalist Gary Cherone was chosen as lead vocalist for Van Halen. Cherone releases one
album with the band before being fired.
Recent News: Extreme reunited and are currently playing shows.
