Finalists for the 11th annual hennemusic Rock News Awards are chosen by readers: the Rock News Story Of The Year is determined by page views, while the Rock News Artist Of The Year is based on the combined total page views of the top 50 hennemusic rock news stories of the past twelve months.
The 2020 hennemusic Rock News Awards winners will be announced on Thursday, December 17.
2020 Rock News Artist Of The Year – Top 10
10 – MOTLEY CRUE
09 – JOHN FOGERTY
08 - THE ROLLING STONES
Rock News Artist of The Year No. 7 – RUSH
Rush began 2020 by sharing the news that drummer Neil Peart passed away on January 7 following a three-and-a-half year battle with an aggressive form of brain cancer, Glioblastoma, five years after the Canadian band’s final concert in Los Angeles in 2015.
The shocking news followed word from bassist and frontman Geddy Lee in 2018 that Peart – who maintained a low profile throughout the group’s career – had retired from drumming.
“A Night For Neil”, a tribute event to the late rocker in his former hometown of St. Catharines, ON, was scheduled for May before being moved to April 2021 due to the pandemic.
A number of performance tributes to Peart surfaced throughout the year, including ones by Anthrax drummer Charlie Benante and Fu Manchu.
Lee joined Bryan Adams, Avril Levigne and Sarah McLachlan, among others, in April for a cover of the Bill Withers classic, “Lean On Me”, in support of the Canadian Red Cross response to COVID-19 in Canada.
May brought the release of multiple 40th-anniversary editions of their seventh studio album, “Permanent Waves”; the package was rounded out with live footage from a 1980 tour in support of the record – check out previously-unavailable versions of "The Spirit Of Radio" and "Freewill" from the set.
In June, Peart was honored with the naming of a pavilion in his Canadian hometown, as St. Catharines city council unanimously voted to name the Neil Peart Pavilion at Lakeside Park as a local tribute.
The drummer could also be heard narrating “Growth Rings”, a newly-released short film by the rocker with Edge Factor founder Jeremy Bout that takes a look at the way music marks moments in people’s lives.
September saw an all-star tribute to Peart take place as part of a livestream event during the Modern Drummer Festival.
Hudson Music announced The Neil Peart Drumset Scholarship in November; the Percussive Arts Society will annually award four drummers the opportunity for online drumset lessons from well-known artists/educators.
The original drum set used by Peart during his early years with Rush became available this month via an online auction by Bonhams in Los Angeles; the kit was used between 1974-77 and signed by the music legend.
See also:
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