Tony Bellotto

Antonio Carlos Liberalli Bellotto (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈtonɪ beˈlotʊ]; born June 30, 1960) is a Brazilian musician and writer, best known as the lead guitarist of Brazilian rock band Titãs. He has also written and released several books.

Childhood

Bellotto spent his childhood in the city of Assis, São Paulo. He decided to be a rock guitarist when he was a child. After exploring Jimi Hendrix's first albums, he composed his first songs on the guitar, while he explored other notable guitarists, like Keith Richards, Jimmy Page and Eric Clapton.

He also had a passion for books. He explored writers like Rubem Fonseca, Jorge Amado, Ernest Hemingway, Herman Melville and his famous Moby-Dick.

When he was 14 years old, he was given his first guitar. Although very interested in Jovem Guarda and Yellow Submarine from The Beatles, Bellotto only entered deeply in the rock music one year later, on a trip to the United States. When he returned to Brazil, he started living in the city of Assis, São Paulo. In his baggage, he brought albums from Muddy Waters and Robert Johnson. These influences, together with Caetano Veloso, João Gilberto and Luiz Melodia, some of his idols, contributed for his wide knowledge of music.