Finalists for the 16th annual hennemusic Rock News Awards are chosen by readers: the Rock News Story Of The Year is determined by page views, while the Rock News Artist Of The Year is based on the combined total page views of the top 50 hennemusic rock news stories of the past twelve months.
The 2025 hennemusic Rock News Awards winners will be announced on Wednesday, December 24.
2025 Rock News Artist Of The Year – Top 10
10 – GUNS N’ ROSES
09 – DAVID LEE ROTH
08 – BILLY IDOL
Rock News Artist of The Year No. 7 – THE DOOBIE BROTHERS
In January, The Doobie Brothers detailed plans to release a new album, “Walk This Road”, on June 6 via Rhino Records.
The 10-track studio album will see former Doobie Brother Michael McDonald rejoin the band alongside Patrick Simmons, Tom Johnston and John McFee both in the recording studio, writers room and on a 2025 global tour.
“Getting back in with the guys and playing again is great,” says McDonald. “In my heart I’ve always been a Doobie Brother. We’ve all remained friends over the years. We’ve all been enjoying it tremendously, even more than we thought we would.”
The spring saw The Doobie Brothers share more previews of “Walk This Road,” including the tracks “Learn To Let Go” and “Angels & Mercy” ahead of the June release of the first new album by the foursome in over 40 years, with Simmons, Johnston and McFee being honored at the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
While on the road across North America, the group taped their NPR Tiny Desk debut, with a set of reimagined iconic hits that would surface online on November.
After an enthusiastic start, Johnston told the audience: "It's not like this at gigs. We just played up in New York at Jones Beach last night and y'all are outdoing them. It's pretty cool."
Pick up some Doobie Brothers for your collection here.