I didn’t even know they had these and it seems a little late in the game, but Prog Magazine, a journal in the UK with a reported readership of about 25,000, sponsored their first Progressive Music Awards show. As the first, they understandably acknowledged a lot of the pioneers in the field, granting awards to Genesis, Carl Palmer and Pink Floyd. Giving Rick Wakeman the “Rock God” award and Peter Hammill the “Visionary” award won’t do much dispel Prog’s reputation for ostentatious grandiosity, although Hammill’s Visionary award is deserved.
More recent acts like Anathema and Steve Wilson (Porcupine Tree) were also acknowledged although Wilson’s “Guiding Light” award isn’t really the kind of tribute that rolls easily off the CV.
Rick Wakeman in Full Prog Regalia
With Progressive Rock being effectively shut out of the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame, somebody had to acknowledge this music. Only Genesis, Pink Floyd and Traffic have made the cut. How Yes, ELP, King Crimson have been ignored is one of the mysteries of the Hall of Fame since the beginning. Goldmine had a fun article on King Crimson’s exclusion a few months ago.
You can read more about the Progressive Music Awards in the BBC News.
~© 2012 John Diliberto ((( echoes )))