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
Rock News Artist of The Year No. 9 – DAVID LEE ROTH
David Lee Roth began 2025 with news that he would be releasing a new box set, “The Warner Recordings 1985-1994”, in February via Rhino Records.
The package includes the first five solo releases by the rocker following his departure from Van Halen and the release of the EP “Crazy From The Heat.” The set was an immediate success thanks to the lead single and cover of the Beach Boys’ classic, “California Girls” – which scored Roth a US Top 3 hit – as well as a series of videos from the set earning high rotation in the MTV years.
Roth’s success continued as 1986’s “Eat ‘Em And Smile” hit the US Top 10 with a band lineup featuring guitarist Steve Vai, bassist Billy Sheehan and drummer Greg Bissonette.
1988 saw the platinum “Skyscraper” return Roth to the Top 10 of the Billboard 200, elevated by “Just Like Paradise”, after which he kicked off the ‘90s with the gold-selling “A Little Ain’t Enough” in 1991 and, later, “Your Filthy Little Mouth” in 1994.
In May, Roth announced dates for a US tour; at the time, the rocker detailed the series after playing his first full solo concert in more than five years at the M3 Rock Festival in Columbia, MD.
The mid-summer trek would launch July 22 in Paso Robles, CA, with shows wrapping up in Napa, CA on September 14.
Roth – who previously announced in late 2021 that he would retire from music in early 2022 – hinted at a change in his active status several months later after delivering a private performance in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico in May of that year.