As part of the 2016 hennemusic Rock News Awards, the site is counting down the Top 10 Rock News Artists of the year.
Finalists for the 7th annual hennemusic Rock News Awards are chosen by readers: winners are determined by the combined total page views of the top 50 hennemusic rock news stories of the past twelve months.
The 2016 hennemusic Rock News Awards winners will be announced on Thursday, December 22.
2016 Rock News Artist Of The Year – Top 10
10 – SAMMY HAGAR
Rock News Artist of The Year No. 9 – DAVID LEE ROTH
Following a 2015 North American tour, David Lee Roth and Van Halen remained on hiatus as 2016 began.
Roth launched a new website and social media outlets in early February after mysteriously being offline for the past year: his sites went dark at the end of January 2015 without explanation…just days before Van Halen announced plans to release “Tokyo Dome Live In Concert.”
The rocker began season 3 of his online series The Roth Show in February, providing an opportunity to share his thoughts on a wide range of topics – from tattoos to hot rods to some vintage Van Halen road tales.
An early episode saw Roth issue a new acoustic blues song, “Ain’t No Christmas”, whose lyrics had some fans speculating that the tune sounded like it could represent the singer’s farewell to his days in Van Halen. Roth’s management initially shrugged it off, but the rocker offered a direct response, saying: “On second thought, if all work is autobiographic, maybe this song is about Van Halen...”
Roth opened up about the band’s future on an episode in May, declaring his sense that he and Van Halen will regroup to record and tour once again, although no timetable seemed to be in place.
The singer celebrated July 4 with a stream of his rare 2002 package “No Holds Bar-B-Que.”
Written, directed and produced by Roth and mostly filmed at his Pasadena, CA mansion, the video features a dizzying array of images and musical performances – with a diverse setlist that runs from techno to blues to mambo to swing – mixing some originals alongside covers by artists like Gerry Rafferty, ZZ Top, The Beatles, The Hombres, The Chemical Bothers and ELO, among others.
The Roth Show wrapped up its third season in August, following which his blog made headlines in late September when he asked for the public’s help in identifying a phone stalker that had been harassing him in recent months.
Roth has been noticeably quiet online since October, with no new updates to his website or social media accounts in recent months.
Guitarist Steve Vai revealed in October that there are still tentative plans for a reunion of the lineup featured on Roth’s 1986 debut solo album, “Eat ‘Em And Smile.”
The band were set to reunite in November 2015 when a Fire Marshall shut down a free 30th anniversary reunion performance at The Lucky Strike in Hollywood due to concerns over crowd size.
The event would have marked the first public performance in three decades by Roth, Vai, bassist Billy Sheehan, drummer Gregg Bissonette and keyboardist Brett Tuggle.
See also:
Search David Lee Roth at hennemusic
Search Van Halen at hennemusic
Van Halen and KISS top the 2015 hennemusic Rock News Awards
Van Halen sweep 2014 hennemusic Rock News Awards
Van Halen and Pearl Jam top the 2013 hennemusic Rock News Awards
Van Halen dominate the 2012 hennemusic Rock News Awards
Van Halen win two hennemusic Rock News Awards
Guns N’ Roses named hennemusic’s Rock News Artist of The Year
Jimmy Page’s 2011 plans named hennemusic’s Rock News Story Of The Year
