At the junction of Westmount Road, Eltham, South East London - was the Welcome Inn, where, as I teenager in the '70's I attended the infamous Sunday night disco's doing that silly dance to Status Quo! The Inn burnt down in 2006 and is now a block of flats - but it was also the place where a certain Status Quo first performed with Rick Parfitt in 1967. Consequently a Music Heritage Plaque from the Performing Rights Society was unveiled at the former venue in 2010. Both Francis Rossi and Parfitt attended the ceremony (pictured) with Rossi revealing that at that gig they supported the band which eventually became Deep Purple! I suppose it goes with the territory being a Wrinkly Rocker - but 2016 has been a real shocker for those in music we have loved and lost - the latest addition yesterday being Rick. We therefore dedicate today's Vid Of The Day to Parfitt - the very last time we saw them five year's ago - strangely enough just up the road at London's North Greenwich O2 Arena. R.I.P. Rick. AJ.

With just 7% currently separating the votes for the top band from the bottom band - today in our 2016 WRC Awards, we focus on our nominees in the Best International category. So we go back to one amazing Summer's weekend in early June where we not only saw the first gig ever at London's Olympic Park with AC/DC featuring Axl Rose on vocals, but also the next day where we took in the amazing Bruce Springsteen at Wembley Stadium. Throw in for good measure Black Stone Cherry's recent London Shepherd's Bush gig (pictured), and understandably the voting is very tight at the moment. So if you want to cast your vote for one of these awesome bands then simply go here!

Well the big day has finally arrived and all of us at the WRC would like to wish you a very Merry Christmas 2016. Today's Track Of The Day - although having the same sentiment as the much missed Greg Lake's 'I Believe In Father Christmas' - it's also about battling against adversity. Musician and new WRC member Paul Needs returned to making music in 2013 after months in hospital recovering from paralysis which led to him having to learn to walk again. Since then, he has been working from his home using a computer-based studio recording software and instruments to continue making music - hence today's TOTD 'It's Christmas?'

Bob & Jules are back on parade tonight on Rock On The Ridge here between 8pm and 10pm - but will they win again this year our WRC Award for Best Radio Show? So step forward their respected challengers: Kevin Beale's Blues On The Marsh, Rory Auskerry's Route 66 (pictured) and Jim McNeill's Blues Club Podcast! So if you want to vote for one of these excellent radio shows then simply go here!

Today's Vid Of The Day is Blank Parody's latest single ‘Locket Picture’, which premiered over at Kerrang recently. The track was produced by Jim Pinder who has worked with the likes of Fightstar and Bullet For My Valentine and mastered by Geoff Pesche (Pulp) at Abbey Road. The West Midlands 4-piece consist of Joby Fitzgerald (vocals) previously from the band Cytota, Freddie Shaw (bass) and stepbrothers Liam Howard (guitars) and Connor Hodgkiss (drums). ‘Locket Picture’ showcases exactly what they’re all about: plenty of hard hitting riffs and really strong choruses. The track was written by Joby and Liam during a difficult time where both of them were dealing with various personal issues surrounding loss and suffering. Their debut single ‘Dark Pretenders’ came out earlier this year and reached #1 in the Unsigned Top Charts and was played by Kerrang! Radio’s Johnny Doom after they featured on his TV show Amp’d.

Today's Track Of The Day is our recent interview with teenage guitar sensation Aaron Keylock who we caught at Islington's O2 Academy recently, as part of the Planet Rock Roadstars tour. Aaron's 'Cut Against The Grain' album is due to be released on 20th January next year and in a storming set sandwiched in between Federal Charm and SIMO - Keylock dipped in to old and new. For the record his setlist was: Falling Again, Sun's Gonna Shine, Medicine Man, Spin The Bottle, That's Not Me, All The Right Moves, Down and Against The Grain. With a SIMO interview also waiting in the wings - as well as our latest Wrinklycast here, please also check out our photo gallery here with WRC thanks to Laurence Harvey!

Today's Blues Club Podcast Track Of The Day has another two hours of non-stop Best in Blues with More Music and Less Chat, featuring New Releases, Classic Tracks, UK Independent Blues Broadcasters Association Presenters' Picks and much more. Music this week Includes tracks from The Rolling Stones, Kat Kings, Wily Bo Walker, Buddy Guy, RootBone, Joanne Shaw Taylor, Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings, John Doe Trio, Frankie Miller, Kathleen Pearson, Richard Townend & The Mighty Bosscats, Muddy Waters, Melissa Etheridge, The James Hunter Six, Sugar Ray and the Bluetones, Fats Domino, Kaz Hawkins, Jon Gindick, William Bell, Little Steve & the Big Beat, The Joey Gilmore Band, Tom Walker, Sari Schorr (pictured), Haymarket Riot, Martin Harley & Daniel Kimbro, R.D. Olson, Howlin' Wolf, Rebecca Downes, Mike Zito, Thorbjørn Risager & The Black Tornado, B. B. & The Blues Shacks and more.

Next in our 2016 WRC Awards countdown, we again focus on our nominees in the Best Festival category. Firstly, we look back to a wonderful sunny weekend at the end of July when we took in Maidstone's Ramblin' Man Fair (pictured). The weather was also kind for our BluesRockFest at the end of September (later than usual) which was headlined this year by Stevie Nimmo. However, the weather had changed by the time Hard Rock Hell X came around at the beginning of November - but the music was still red hot! So there you have it - if you want to cast your vote for one of these awesome festival's then simply go here!

Danny Worsnop, has signed a worldwide record deal with U.K. based independent label Earache Records for his upcoming debut solo album ‘The Long Road Home’. It's Danny's first solo release and sees a musical departure from his previous work and is due to be released on 17th February 2017, with the album's first single, 'Mexico' (Vid Of The Day) already at number 10 on the iTunes Hot Songs list. The album forges a deeper and often darker path through the British-born, Nashville-based musician's mind. Longtime fans will see a much more personal and reflective side to Worsnop, with brutally honest lyrical themes ranging from loss and heartache to his (often public) struggles with drugs and alcohol. Worsnop has also just announced a one-off special album launch show on Tuesday 14th February 2017 at London’s Lexington.

With Tuesday's Special e-mail bulletin creating a surge in voting in our 2016 WRC Awards - today we turn our attention back to our nominees in the Best Guitar Solo category. We saw Robin Trower at Islington Assembly Halls in October whilst we caught Innes Sibun (pictured) at Sari Schorr & The Engine Room's album launch at The Half Moon in Putney in September. Finally, we caught JD Simo at Islington's O2 Academy recently - watch our for an audio interview with SIMO coming soon. In the meantime if you want to vote for one of these brilliant guitarists then simply go here!

Blues master and 'one of the best, if not the best guitar player in the world' (said Joe Bonamassa), the amazing Mr. Eric Gales (Vid Of The Day) returns to Provogue/Mascot Label Group with a new album! 'Middle of the Road' is set to be released on 24th February 2017 in Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Japan, and on 24th March 2017 in the USA and Canada. 'Middle of the Road' is Eric Gales' fourth album on Provogue/Mascot Label Group and his most expressive album yet. The deeply personal and reflective record echoes where Eric is in his life right now, allowing him to open himself up and to really flourish.

Today's Route 66 Track Of The Day was their last live show before Christmas so they've pulled a cracker out of the hat for you. Host Rory Auskerry has new tracks from Deep Purple, Scotty Bratcher and Robert Jon & The Wreck. Rory also takes a look at a busy week for music news and drop some classic rock hits from AC/DC (pictured), The Black Crowes, Queen, T. Rex and Jerry Lee Lewis plus a few classy Christmas tunes as well!