“His deep commitment to innovation and artistic evolution places him among the most distinctive and influential musical architects of the last three decades”: Which '90s rock guitarist is set to be honoured at the NAMM show in January?

Billy Corgan is to be honoured at the NAMM show early next year.

The 41^st annual NAMM Technical Excellence and Creativity (TEC) awards are happening in January (on Thursday, 22 January, to be exact) at the show in Anaheim, California. The Smashing Pumpkins leader is to be awarded the TEC Innovation Award for, well, his “transformative impact on modern, guitar-driven music and his forward-thinking approach to tone shaping and sonic architecture.”

Of course, Billy doesn’t need anyone to blow smoke up his backside, but his work on the run of Pumpkins’ albums in the 1990s, when they were at the forefront of the grunge scene, is worth celebrating, you'd have to admit. And one thing you could never accuse him of is creative timidity – concept albums, rock operas and diversions into poetry are all there on his CV alongside more leftfield preoccupations like his involvement in wrestling promotion.

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“Billy’s fearless approach to production, imaginative pedal chains, analogue exploration, intricate layering and boundary-breaking studio techniques have influenced countless creators,” John Mlynczak, NAMM President and CEO said in a statement.

“His deep commitment to innovation and artistic evolution places him among the most distinctive and influential musical architects of the last three decades.”

It’s been a quiet year in terms of new music for Corgan, although last month he teamed up with the Lyric Opera of Chicago for an operatic ‘reimagining’ of the Pumpkins' 1995 album Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, on the occasion of its thirtieth anniversary.

Other than that, he’s been mostly seen in 2025 talking to other musicians on his The Magnificent Others podcast. And in contrast to countless other podcasts out there cluttering up YouTube, it turns out he’s actually quite good at listening and coaxing interesting material out of his guests.

Anyway, he’ll be in good company when he receives the TEC Innovation Award in January. Previous recipients of the honour include Joni Mitchell, Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder, Herbie Hancock and Pete Townshend, amongst others.