By Josie Mannon, Music Staff
Sep. 7, 2026
HUNTINGTON, W. Va. (WMUL-FM) — Welcome to the first edition of The Story Behind the Sound! I’m Josie Mannon, a freshman at Marshall University and a new volunteer at WMUL-FM. I have an interest in “old” music, including the artists/bands behind the sound and songs themselves. Here we will deep dive twice a month into an artist, band, or song, looking at their history, upbringing, vision, and standing in our society today. Now, we will be covering 1980 rock band Extreme’s very own guitarist Nuno Bettencourt.
On Sept. 20, 1966, in the Portuguese Azores Nuno Bettencourt was born. Before relocating a couple years later to Boston, when he was four. At the beginning of his life, Bettencourt showed interest in sports like hockey and soccer, but as he reached his teenage years, he gained an interest in more musical hobbies like the keyboard and drumming. It wasn’t until his brother, Luís, taught him how to play the guitar did he start showing an interest in it.
After giving up sports, Bettencourt had officially committed his life to music. He was “practicing over seven hours a day,” said biographs.org, and ended up dropping out of school. Finally, in 1985, he joined the rock band Extreme. Extreme started to become popular in Boston, signing with A&M Records and releasing their debut album, Extreme, in 1989. This was just the beginning of giving Bettencourt the audience he needed, later becoming the “most influential rock guitarists of his generation,” according to biographs.org.
A couple of songs from Extreme Bettencourt is recognized for are “More Than Words” (Pornograffitti), “Hole Hearted” (Pornograffitti), and “Get the Funk Out” (Pornograffitti). “Get the Funk Out” was especially a hit for Bettencourt since he got so much positive recognition for his guitar solo in that song. Brian May, guitarist for the band Queen, even stated when referring to Bettencourt’s solo, “it’s a landmark there’s a landmark in rock history and I think should have its own little medal struck and awarded to Nuno Bettencourt and Extreme,” according to a YouTube video uploaded by EuCheq.
Other than being a member of Extreme, Bettencourt is known for many other impressive qualities. He has a songwriting career, writing music for various artists/bands like Baby Animals, Tantric, Suze DeMarchi, and Joe Jonas, and a song for the soundtrack in the Super Mario Bros. movie. Furthermore, he has his own solo album, Schizophonic, that was released in 1997. Bettencourt was also a guitarist for Rihanna beginning in 2009. All these accomplishments show how versatile of an artist and guitarist he is. Having the ability to play and write a variety of different styles of music. According to a 1997 interview done with Bettencourt published in Music Connection, he states, “Musicians, as a whole, should not be afraid to express their many different sides. It allows you to grow and it challenges your audience.”
It’s clear Bettencourt has many musical accomplishments, but what is a fun fact that makes him who he is? Bettencourt’s first guitar was a red Kramer Pacer. He bought it because Eddie Van Halen, guitarist in the rock band Van Halen, played a Kramer guitar. After the Kramer was eventually destroyed, he got a black Jackson, which was later stolen during a gig. Since Bettencourt had no guitar at this point and not a lot of finances, he bought individual pieces of a guitar and built one himself. Now, this guitar is something Bettencourt is famously known for, being called the Washburn N4 after a collab with him and Washburn. Representing a heavily unfinished guitar, just like the one Bettencourt used.
In our society today, Bettencourt still has a huge presence in the music industry. With Extreme, he is still making music, finishing up recording for their seventh studio album, stating, “But as far as the songs, we got a great crop of, like, 20 songs to choose from. And we’re pumped,” according to BlabberMouth.net. Showing how passionate he still is about what he is creating. Furthermore, the band is still performing, including dates with famous heavy metal band Mötley Crüe and rock band Def Leppard. Outside of Extreme, Bettencourt is featured in various recent releases by artists such as Billy Morrison, Sully Erna, Yungblud, and many others. Also winning a 2026 Grammy for Best Rock Performance, making it clear his talent continues to be recognized decades later from when he started his career.
Nuno Bettencourt couldn’t have been a better start to The Story Behind the Sound! Being an inspiration to many generations and a perfect example of making music your own way. If readers are interested in streaming Extreme or Bettencourt’s solo album, they are both available on any major streaming platform. Look out for the next addition to this column at the end of Sept. and remember, behind every sound is a story.