Finalists for the 12th 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 2021 hennemusic Rock News Awards winners will be announced on Friday, December 17.
2021 Rock News Artist Of The Year – Top 10
10 – RUSH
09 – THE DOOBIE BROTHERS
08 – DEEP PURPLE
07 – PINK FLOYD
06 – FLEETWOOD MAC
Rock News Artist of The Year No. 5 – JOURNEY
Journey kicked off 2021 with news that they would headline Chicago’s Lollapalooza in July at the city’s Grant Park.
A few weeks later, singer Arnel Pineda made headlines when he revealed that he still had hopes that Steve Perry would reunite with the band several decades after he last performed with the San Francisco-based outfit, even going so far as to tease Neal Schon and Jonathan Cain about inviting Perry to perform with them.
In February, Journey’s 1981 classic, “Don’t Stop Believin’”, passed 1 billion streams on Spotify, not long after it had been recognized among the songs named for induction into the 2021 Grammy Hall Of Fame.
By April, Schon and Cain had settled a legal dispute with former members Steve Smith and Ross Valory after Smith and Valory were fired by the pair a year earlier over an alleged effort to take control of the band’s name in what had been referred to as “an attempted corporate coup d'état.”
Following the pairs’ dismissal, Journey brought in former member Randy Jackson on bass and drummer Narada Michael Walden as their new rhythm section, with the lineup rounded out by Pineda and keyboardist/vocalist Jason Derlatka.
In June, Journey issued a new single, “The Way We Used To Be”, which marked their first new music since the 2011 album, “Eclipse.”
The band received news in July that their 1981 classic album, “Escape”, was certified with Diamond status in the US for sales of 10 million copies; the project achieved the milestone in sync with its 40th anniversary on July 17.
Journey welcomed the return of former member Deen Castronovo in late July, ahead of the group’s Chicago club date and appearance at Lollapalooza, essentially expanding the lineup to include two drummers;.Castronovo was previously a member from 1998-2015, but was let go after he faced legal trouble for some domestic and other issues.
Journey performed a set at the abbreviated We Love NYC homecoming concert in New York’s Central Park on August 21; the event was shut down due to severe weather ahead of Hurricane Henri’s anticipated landfall the following day.
Castronovo underwent surgery on two herniated discs in his back in September, which would require some recovery time before he could rejoin the band.
This month, Journey launched a six-show residency at the Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas which will wrap up their 2021 live schedule; the band will next be seen kicking off the Freedom 2022 North American tour in February.
See also:
Search Journey at hennemusic
Pink Floyd sweep the 2020 hennemusic Rock News Awards
The Rolling Stones sweep the 2019 hennemusic Rock News Awards
AC/DC and Pink Floyd win 2018 hennemusic Rock News Awards
The Eagles sweep the 2017 hennemusic Rock News Awards
AC/DC sweep the 2016 hennemusic Rock News Awards
