NAMM Announces Bass Magazine Awards Show at NAMM Show

NAMM, along with Bass Magazine, have announced a partnership heading into The 2026 NAMM Show. The 2026 Bass Magazine Awards Show will be part of the official NAMM show lineup and will be held on Thursday, Jan. 22 at The Observatory in Santa Ana, California.

The event boasts an audience of renowned bass players and musicians, industry experts, gear representatives, and fans from all over the globe. The 2026 Bass Magazine Awards Show will be honoring Les Claypool of Primus, Mike Dirnt of Green Day Marcus Miller, Laura Lee of Khrungbin, and Blu DeTiger. The annual awards show aims to celebrate and honor legends of the instrument, as well as the new wave of bass trailblazers. The evening will feature a full lineup of guest presenters and a night of performances.

“The NAMM Show will always deliver a variety of incredible events for our members, and the addition of the Bass Magazine Awards Show adds even more value to the 2026 NAMM Show as a must-attend event,” said John Mlynczak, NAMM president and CEO. “We are thrilled to embark on this partnership with Bass Magazine which will bring another incredible night of live music to the NAMM community.”

“There is nothing like The NAMM Show on this planet and being able to say we are officially part of such an amazing event is unreal,” said Jon D’Auria, editor-in-chief of Bass Magazine. “The Bass Magazine Awards Show is the biggest celebration for the Bass community and having the NAMM Show Team as a partner enables us to deliver the most incredible night of live music and awards we have ever produced.”

Bass Magazine’s 2025 Award recipients included: Sting, Justin Chancellor of Tool, John Patitucci, MonoNeon and Mohini Dey. Award presenters included Nathan East, Victor Wooten, Marcus Miller, Steve Bailey, Verdine White, Tal Wilkenfeld and Les Claypool. The evening featured performances by Tool, Patitucci, MonoNeon (ft. guest appearances by Les Claypool and guitar virtuoso Oz Noy), Dey and Scott Mulvahill.

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