There are almost always some head-scratching omissions from the “In Memoriam” segment at the Grammys, and this year saw the omissions of longtime Slipknot drummer Joey Jordison, Megaforce Records founder Jon Zazula and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame drummer Graeme Edge of the Moody Blues among others.
Jordison was actually a Grammy winner with Slipknot for Best Metal Performance for the song “Before I Forget.” The band was also nominated six more times while Jordison was a member of the group as well. Jordison died on July 26, 2021 at the age of 46.
Edge, the longtime drummer and a poet for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band Moody Blues, was part of the song “Nights in White Satin” that has been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. Edge died at the age of 80 last November.
And while Jon Zazula was not a musician, his impact on the music world was massive as he is often credited with his wife Marsha, who also passed last year, with discovering Grammy-winning band and frequent Grammy performers Metallica. Megaforce Records has also ben an influential label within the metal world for years. Zazula died on Feb. 1 of this year at the age of 69.
Other notable omissions included acclaimed rock photographer Mick Rock, King Crimson and Foreigner musician Ian McDonald, Skid Row vocalist Johnny Solinger and Entombed singer LG Petrov.
Before the segment started, host Trevor Noah revealed that this was the place in the show where the Foo Fighters were supposed to play, but obviously backed out after the recent death of Taylor Hawkins. Before starting the “In Memoriam” performance, a video tribute to Hawkins played featuring performance footage.
Musicians recognized during the tribute included Meat Loaf and his longtime songwriting collaborator Jim Steinman, Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts, ZZ Top’s Dusty Hill, Screaming Trees singer Mark Lanegan, The Monkees’ Michael Nesmith and Woodstock organizer Michael Lang.
Rockers We’ve Lost in 2022
Rock + Metal Musicians Who Died in 2022
