BOSS Honors Adam Granduciel of The War on Drugs for His Contribution to Innovative Guitar Performance, Production, and Songwriting

For Immediate Release

Rebecca Genel
Global PR/Media Relations Manager
Roland Corporation
(323) 890-3718
Rebecca.Genel@roland.com

Los Angeles, CA, January 15, 2026—(NAMM, Room 202, Level 2) BOSS announces Adam Granduciel as the recipient of the BOSS 2026 Lifetime Achievement Award. The Roland and BOSS Lifetime Achievement Awards celebrate artists whose creative impact and musical legacy have been shaped in part through long-standing use of BOSS gear. BOSS will recognize Granduciel during The NAMM Show 2026 in Anaheim, CA, on Friday, January 23, at 4:30 P.M., from Roland’s booth, Room 202.

As leader of Grammy Award-winners The War on Drugs, Adam Granduciel has steadily emerged as one of this century’s great rock and roll synthesists, removing the gaps between the underground and the mainstream, between the obtuse and the anthemic, and making records that wrestle a fractured past into a unified and engrossing present, leading The New York Times to hail the band as “among the defining rock linchpins of the 21st century so far.”

Throughout his career, Granduciel has relied on BOSS pedals both live and in the studio, using their versatility and reliability to shape performances that resonate across intimate venues and global festival stages alike.

Granduciel said, “My first BOSS pedal was the BF-2 Flanger, followed by the DS-1 Distortion, and eventually the DD-7 Digital Delay. I played guitar all day and night, but it wasn’t until age twenty that I really got into recording myself. The BOSS BR-8 opened up a whole new world for me. I also discovered the SG-1 Slow Gear through the BR-8 - the famous slow attack effect. I used it on everything for years and eventually found a real one in Switzerland years later. I used it constantly, especially during the live psychedelic intro to “Under the Pressure.” I could go on for hours about how BOSS and Roland products have shaped my musical life and continue to inspire me to keep plugging in and trying new stuff.”

As a recipient of the BOSS Lifetime Achievement Award, Adam Granduciel joins a distinguished group of past honorees including Jeff “Skunk” Baxter, Andy Summers, Steve Vai, Danny Kortchmar, Yngwie Malmsteen, Johnny Marr, and Steve Stevens.

For decades, BOSS has maintained a close relationship with artists who challenge conventions and redefine their instruments. Established to honor those enduring creative partnerships, the annual Lifetime Achievement Award reflects BOSS’s ongoing commitment to supporting musicians whose work leaves a lasting imprint on the sound of modern music.

Explore the history of the Roland and BOSS Lifetime Achievement Awards.

About BOSS
BOSS, a division of Roland Corporation, has achieved legendary status among guitarists, bassists, and vocalists with a diverse, world-leading product lineup of creative tools with exceptional sound, intuitive control, and rugged durability. Since 1977, BOSS's famous compact pedals have been used daily by everyone from beginners to touring professionals, with over 140 unique models introduced and over 18 million units sold to date. BOSS also leads the way with innovative gear in numerous other categories, from amplifiers, multi-effects processors, and loopers to wireless systems, vocal effects, tuners, metronomes, rhythm machines, recorders, and more. For more information, visit www.boss.info. Follow BOSS on Facebook, X (@BOSSInfoGlobal), and Instagram (@BOSSInfoGlobal).