US-based blues guitarist Gary Clark Jr. has swept up three awards at the 62nd Annual Grammys for Best Contemporary Blues Album, Best Rock Performance and Best Rock Song. The guitarist was also nominated for Best Music Video, which went to rapper Lil Nas X and singer-songwriter Billy Ray Cyrus for their country-inspired hip-hop collaboration, Old Town Road.
Clark Jr. won the Best Contemporary Blues Album award for his latest record, This Land, and scooped the other two awards for the album's titular track.
The blues guitar legend beat several major names in the Best Rock Song category, including Tool with their epic album opener, Fear Inoculum and The 1975 with the electronic-infused Give Yourself A Try.
Tool did however win in the Best Metal Performance category with their 15 minute masterpiece, 7empest, edging out Killswitch Engage, I Prevail, Death Angel and Candlemass featuring Tony Iommi. Incidentally, 7empest also topped our reader-voted-for Best Riffs of the Decade.
Clark Jr. gave a blazing performance of This Land at the awards show, wielding a Gibson Flying V to deliver the track's catchy blues licks. In another monumental moment of the night, Aerosmith reunited with Run DMC for a highly energetic performance of Walk This Way.
Up against the likes of Rival Sons and Brittany Howard in the Best Rock Performance category, and Sugaray Rayford and Southern Avenue in the Best Contemporary Blues album category, it's clear that Gary Clark Jr. has firmly cemented his name as one of the most prominent in modern blues.
