Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance

Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance
Awarded forQuality performances in the hard rock genre
CountryUnited States
Presented byNational Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences
First awarded1990
Last awarded2011
Websitegrammy.com

The Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance was an award presented to recording artists at the Grammy Awards from 1990 to 2011.

The academy recognized hard rock music artists for the first time at the 31st Grammy Awards in 1989. The category was originally presented as Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance Vocal or Instrumental, combining two of the most popular music genres of the 1980s.[1] Jethro Tull won that award for the album Crest of a Knave, beating Metallica, who were expected to win with the album ...And Justice for All. This choice led to widespread criticism of the academy, as journalists suggested that the music of Jethro Tull did not belong in the hard rock or heavy metal genres.[2][3] In response, the academy created the categories Best Hard Rock Performance and Best Metal Performance, separating the genres.

The band Living Colour was presented the first award for Best Hard Rock Performance in 1990. From 1992 to 1994, the award was presented as the Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance with Vocal. The bands Foo Fighters, Living Colour, and the Smashing Pumpkins share the record for the most wins, with two each. American artists were presented with the award more than any other nationality, though it was also presented to musicians or groups originating from Australia twice and from the United Kingdom once. Alice in Chains holds the record for the most nominations without a win, with eight.

The award was discontinued in 2012 due to a major overhaul of Grammy categories. In 2012 and 2013, quality hard rock performances were honored in the Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance category. However, in 2014, the category was split, returning the stand-alone Best Metal Performance category and recognizing quality hard rock performances in the Best Rock Performance category.[4] According to the Recording Academy, "It was determined that metal has a very distinctive sound, and hard rock more closely aligns with rock and can exist comfortably as one end of the rock spectrum."[4]

  1. ^ Pareles, Jon (February 23, 1989). "Grammys to McFerrin and Chapman". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 18, 2013. Retrieved August 22, 2010.
  2. ^ Hoffmann, Frank, ed. (2005). Encyclopedia of Recorded Sound. Vol. 1 (2 ed.). CRC Press. p. 542. ISBN 978-0-415-93835-8. Archived from the original on May 26, 2013. Retrieved August 22, 2010.
  3. ^ Holden, Stephen (February 14, 1990). "The Pop Life". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 18, 2013. Retrieved August 22, 2010.
  4. ^ a b "The Recording Academy Elects New National Officer and Approves Continuing Evolution of Grammy Awards Categories at Spring Trustees Meeting". Recording Academy. June 4, 2013. Archived from the original on June 12, 2013. Retrieved June 4, 2013.