Grammy Award For Best Rock Instrumental Performance
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 (Orchestra, Group or Soloist). 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".
As of 2023, 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 (once as a member of the band Santana), The Flaming Lips, Steve Vai, and brothers Jimmie Vaughan and Stevie Ray Vaughan (each once as part of the duo Vaughan Brothers). At the 2009 awards, the tribute act Zappa Plays Zappa (led by Dweezil Zappa, son of Frank 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 (as well as the record for the most nominations without a win), 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
![A man in the forefront is playing an acoustic guitar and singing into a microphone stand; a woman is behind microphone stand in the background.](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5c/Paul_McCartney_with_Linda_McCartney_-_Wings_-_1976.jpg/170px-Paul_McCartney_with_Linda_McCartney_-_Wings_-_1976.jpg)
![A man in a white shirt standing behind a microphone stand and holding a guitar](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cc/Sting_ThePolice_2007.jpg/170px-Sting_ThePolice_2007.jpg)
![Five men performing on a stage; two are standing behind microphone stands and holding guitars, one is holding a microphone, one is standing behind a keyboard set, and the one furthest back on the stage is sitting behind a drum kit. Lights shine down from above, illuminating a multi-colored stage with geometric shapes.](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/93/Yes_concert.jpg/170px-Yes_concert.jpg)
![A man wearing a sleeveless white shirt holding a white guitar](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e3/Jeff_Beck_EnmoreTheatre.jpg/170px-Jeff_Beck_EnmoreTheatre.jpg)
![Black and white image of a man with shoulder-length hair and facial hair.](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ae/The_famous_mustache_and_goatee.jpg/170px-The_famous_mustache_and_goatee.jpg)
![A man wearing a green shirt and hat, looking down and playing a guitar.](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/93/Carlos_Santana_2.jpg/170px-Carlos_Santana_2.jpg)
![Head shot of a man wearing a brown-striped shirt](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ea/Eric_Johnson_cropped.jpg/170px-Eric_Johnson_cropped.jpg)
![A man wearing black clothing and a chain necklace, holding an electric guitar](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fe/Steve_Vai_%28Milan%2C_2005%297.jpg/170px-Steve_Vai_%28Milan%2C_2005%297.jpg)
![A man on a stage wearing blue jeans, a black shirt and eyeglasses. He is holding a black guitar, and part of a drum set and other audio and stage equipment can be seen in the background.](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b1/Eric_Clapton_1.jpg/170px-Eric_Clapton_1.jpg)
![A man standing behind a microphone stand; a blue light is shining on him and a colorful, picturesque effect appears in the background.](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a2/FlipsLive.jpg/170px-FlipsLive.jpg)
![Black and white image of a man behind a microphone stand holding a guitar; in the background is a man at a piano](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/80/Les_Paul_live_3.jpg/170px-Les_Paul_live_3.jpg)
![A man in dark clothing standing on a stage while holding a guitar in front of a crowd. Behind him is a man with his arm raised, holding a drum stick and sitting behind a drum set.](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a8/Bruce_Springsteen_20080815.jpg/170px-Bruce_Springsteen_20080815.jpg)
Each year is linked to the article about the Grammy Awards held that year.