Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance


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 . 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.
Two-time recipients include Eric Clapton, Carlos Santana, The Flaming Lips, Steve Vai, and brothers Jimmie Vaughan and Stevie Ray Vaughan. At the 2009 awards, the tribute act Zappa Plays 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, 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

YearPerforming artistWorkNomineesRef.
1980Wings
1981The Police
  • Dixie Dregs – Dregs of the Earth
  • Emerson, Lake & Palmer – "Peter Gunn"
  • Jean-Luc Ponty – "Beach Girl"
  • The Pretenders – "Space Invader"
    • 1982The Police
  • Dixie Dregs – Unsung Heroes
  • Robert Fripp – The League of Gentlemen
  • Kraftwerk – "Computer World"
  • Rush – "YYZ"
    • 1983A Flock of Seagulls
  • Dixie Dregs – Industry Standard
  • Maynard Ferguson – "Don't Stop 'til You Get Enough"
  • King Crimson – "Requiem"
  • Van Morrison – "Scandinavia"
    • 1984Sting
  • Allan Holdsworth – Road Games
  • Rainbow – "Anybody There"
  • Pete Townshend – "Unused Piano: 'Quadrophenia'"
  • Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble – "Rude Mood"
    • 1985Yes
  • Genesis – "Second Home by the Sea"
  • Lionel Hampton – "Vibramatic"
  • Edward Van Halen – "Donut City"
  • Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble – "Voodoo Child "
    • 1986
  • Big Guitars from Texas – "Guitar Army"
  • The Jon Butcher Axis – "The Ritual"
  • Yngwie Malmsteen – Rising Force
  • Northern Star – "Back to Earth"
  • Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble – "Say What!"
    • 1987Art of Noise featuring Duane Eddy
  • The Fabulous Thunderbirds – "Down at Antone's"
  • Eric Johnson – "Zap"
  • The Alan Parsons Project – "Where's the Walrus?"
  • Yes – "Amazing Grace"
    • 1988
  • Herbie Hancock with Dweezil Zappa & Terry Bozzio – "Wipe Out"
  • Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band – "Paradise by the 'C'"
  • Stevie Ray Vaughan & Dick Dale – "Pipeline"
  • Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble - "Say What!"
    • 1989
  • The Jeff Healey Band – "Hide Away"
  • Jimmy Page – "Writes of Winter"
  • Joe Satriani – Surfing with the Alien
  • Frank Zappa – Guitar
    • 1990
  • Steve Morse – High Tension Wires
  • Joe Satriani – "The Crush of Love"
  • Andy Summers – "A Piece of Time"
  • Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble – "Travis Walk"
    • 1991Jimmie Vaughan & Stevie Ray Vaughan
  • The Allman Brothers Band – "True Gravity"
  • Eric Johnson – Ah Via Musicom
  • Joe Satriani – Flying in a Blue Dream
  • Steve Vai – Passion and Warfare
    • 1992
  • The Allman Brothers Band – "Kind of Bird"
  • Danny Gatton – 88 Elmira St.
  • Rush – "Where's My Thing?"
  • Yes – "Masquerade"
    • 1993 & Double Trouble
  • Jeff Beck & Jed Leiber – "Hound Dog"
  • Dixie Dregs – Bring 'Em Back Alive
  • Santana – "Gypsy/Grajonca"
  • Joe Satriani – The Extremist
    • 1994
  • Aerosmith – "Boogie Man"
  • Jeff Beck & Jed Leiber – "Hi-Heel Sneakers"
  • Joe Satriani – "Speed of Light"
  • Tangerine Dream – "Purple Haze"
    • 1995Pink Floyd
  • Dixie Dregs – "Shapes of Things"
  • Rush – "Leave That Thing Alone"
  • Carlos Santana, Jorge Santana & Carlos Hernandez – "Luz Amore y Vida"
  • Joe Satriani – "All Alone"
    • 1996The Allman Brothers Band
  • The Jeff Healey Band – "Shapes of Things"
  • King Crimson – "Vrooom"
  • Santana with Vernon Reid – "Every Now and Then"
  • Steve Vai – "Tender Surrender"
    • 1997, Eric Clapton, Bonnie Raitt, Robert Cray, B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Dr. John & Art Neville
  • Booker T. & the M.G.'s – "Green Onions"
  • Eric Johnson – "Pavilion"
  • Joe Satriani – " My World"
  • Edward Van Halen & Alex Van Halen – "Respect the Wind"
    • 1998The Chemical Brothers
  • Robben Ford – "In the Beginning"
  • Eric Johnson – "S.R.V."
  • Joe Satriani – "Summer Song"
  • Steve Vai – "For the Love of God"
    • 1999Pat Metheny Group
  • Everclear – "El Distorto de Melodica"
  • Propellerheads – "Take California"
  • Joe Satriani – "A Train of Angels"
  • Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band – "Trouble Is..."
  • Jimmie Vaughan – "The Ironic Twist"
    • 2000Santana featuring Eric Clapton
  • Jeff Beck – "What Mama Said"
  • Green Day – "Espionage"
  • Moby – "Bodyrock"
  • Steve Vai – "Windows to the Soul"
    • 2001Metallica with the San Francisco Symphony
  • Peter Frampton – "Off the Hook"
  • Phish – "First Tube"
  • Joe Satriani – "Until We Say Goodbye"
  • Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band – "Electric Lullaby"
    • 2002
  • The Allman Brothers Band – "High Falls"
  • Godsmack – "Vampires"
  • Joe Satriani – "Always with Me, Always with You"
  • Steve Vai – "Whispering a Prayer"
    • 2003The Flaming Lips
  • Gov't Mule – "Sco-Mule"
  • Tony Levin – "Apollo"
  • Joe Satriani – "Starry Night"
  • Slash – "Love Theme from The Godfather"
    • 2004
  • The Allman Brothers Band – "Instrumental Illness"
  • Linkin Park – "Session"
  • Robert Randolph & the Family Band – "Squeeze"
  • Steve Vai – "Essence"
    • 2005
  • The Allman Brothers Band – "Instrumental Illness"
  • Los Lonely Boys – "Onda"
  • Rush – "O Baterista"
  • Steve Vai – "Whispering a Prayer"
    • 2006 & Friends
  • Adrian Belew – "Beat Box Guitar"
  • Stewart Copeland – "Birds of Prey"
  • Joe Perry – "Mercy"
  • Steve Vai – "Lotus Feet"
    • 2007The Flaming Lips
  • Arctic Monkeys – "Chun-Li's Spinning Bird Kick"
  • Peter Frampton – "Black Hole Sun"
  • David Gilmour – "Castellorizon"
  • Joe Satriani – "Super Colossal"
    • 2008
  • Metallica – "The Ecstasy of Gold"
  • Rush – "Malignant Narcissism"
  • Joe Satriani – "Always with Me, Always with You"
  • Steve Vai – "The Attitude Song"
    • 2009Zappa Plays Zappa featuring Steve Vai & Napoleon Murphy Brock
  • David Gilmour – "Castellorizon"
  • Metallica – "Suicide & Redemption"
  • Nine Inch Nails – "34 Ghosts I–IV"
  • Rush – "Hope "
    • 2010
  • Booker T. Jones – "Warped Sister"
  • Brad Paisley – "Playing with Fire"
  • The Brian Setzer Orchestra – "Mr. Surfer Goes Jazzin'"
  • Steve Vai – "Now We Run"
    • 2011
  • The Black Keys - "Black Mud"
  • Los Lobos – "Do the Murray"
  • Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds – "Kundalini Bonfire"
  • Dweezil Zappa – "The Deathless Horsie"
    • Each year is linked to the article about the Grammy Awards held that year.