The Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance was an honor presented to recording artists for quality instrumental rock performances at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958, and ended after the 2011 award, and originally called the Gramophone Awards. Honors in several categories are presented at the ceremony annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without regard to album sales or chart position".
The award was first presented at the 1980 Grammy Awards to Paul McCartney and Wings for "Rockestra Theme". From 1986 to 1989, the category was known as Best Rock Instrumental Performance (Orchestra, Group or Soloist). According to the category description guide for the 2010 awards, the award is presented to artists "for newly recorded rock, hard rock or metal instrumental performances".
Jeff Beck holds the records for the most wins, with six. Sting has received three awards, twice as a member of The Police—although he had no part in the band's "Behind My Camel", the 1982 award winner which he did not write and on which he refused to play.Garbarini, Vic (Spring 2000). "I think if we came back..." , Revolver.
Two-time recipients include Eric Clapton, Carlos Santana (once as a member of the band Santana), The Flaming Lips, Steve Vai, and brothers Jimmie Vaughan and Stevie Ray Vaughan (each once as part of the duo Vaughan Brothers). At the 2009 awards, the tribute act Zappa Plays Zappa (led by Dweezil Zappa, son of Frank Zappa) earned an award for their performance of Frank's instrumental song "Peaches en Regalia". Dweezil and Frank have both received multiple nominations and even competed against one another in 1988. Joe Satriani holds the record for the most nominations (as well as the record for the most nominations without a win), with fourteen.
The award was discontinued before the 2012 awards due to a major overhaul of Grammy categories. All instrumental performances in the rock category were shifted to either the newly formed Best Rock Performance or Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance categories.
Recipients
Year Performing artist(s) Work Nominees Ref.1980Wings
1981 The Police
1982 The Police
1983 A Flock of Seagulls
1984 Sting
1985 Yes
1986
1987 Art of Noise featuring Duane Eddy
1988
1989
1990
1991 Jimmie Vaughan & Stevie Ray Vaughan
1992
1993 & Double Trouble
1994
1995 Pink Floyd
1996 The Allman Brothers Band
1997 , Eric Clapton, Bonnie Raitt, Robert Cray, B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Dr. John & Art Neville
1998 The Chemical Brothers
1999 Pat Metheny Group
2000 Santana featuring Eric Clapton
2001 Metallica with the San Francisco Symphony
2002
2003 The Flaming Lips
2004
2005
2006 & Friends
2007 The Flaming Lips
2008
2009 Zappa Plays Zappa featuring Steve Vai & Napoleon Murphy Brock
2010
2011
Each year is linked to the article about the Grammy Awards held that year.
See also
List of Grammy Award categories List of instrumental bands List of rock instrumentals
References
General Note: User must select the "Rock" category as the genre under the search feature.
Specific
External links Official site of the Grammy Awards