By the mid-1990s, rock was in full force. If there was any question about the genre’s viability, that was dashed by the middle of the decade. Rock stars lined the posters of young people from Portland, Maine, to Portland, Oregon. It was all about that buzzy guitar.
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While some rock fans can quibble with awards shows and who garners the trophies, the mid-1990s boasted a lot of big-name rock stars of the day. And that’s just what we wanted to highlight here. Indeed, these are three classic rock Grammy Award-winners from 1994 we still stan.
Stone Temple Pilots
In the mid-1990s, something new was happening with rock music. Put in the past was the party rock of bands like Mötley Crüe, and put front and center was the dreary, cerebral rock music of grunge artists. When it came to the West Coast, that meant two cities: Seattle and San Diego. It’s the latter where Stone Temple Pilots came from. And in 1993, they traveled to New York for the Grammys and to pick up the trophy for Best Hard Rock Performance with Vocal for their catchy yet corrosive tune, “Plush”.
Meat Loaf
While music fans got to know Meat Loaf in the late 1970s when he released his debut LP, Bat Out of Hell, it was in the mid-90s when he enjoyed a rather significant resurgence. Indeed, in 1994, the Dallas, Texas-born artist garnered the Grammy Award for Best Rock Vocal Performance, Solo, for his now-iconic tune, “I’d Do Anything For Love (But I Won’t Do That)”. First off, what does that title even mean? Second, how did he make something so epic and operatic? Either way, he was decorated for it.
U2
The 1990s were so eclectic when it came to rock music that the Grammys had to institute a whole new category—Best Alternative Music Performance. And in 1994, it was the Irish rock band U2 that took home the award for that one. Bono and company took home the trophy for their 1993 LP, Zooropa, which featured songs like “Dirty Day” and “The Wanderer” featuring Johnny Cash.
Photo by Jim Steinfeldt/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
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