What do you call a drummer with a street named after him? 

Brent Fitz. 

That’s no joke: the Winnipeg-born drummer was celebrated Friday by having part of the St. James-area street where he grew up — and learned to rock out — named in his honour. 

The stretch of Bellavista Crescent between Voyageur Avenue and Rogan Drive now has the honorary name Brent Fitz Way.

For Fitz, whose music career has seen him travel the world and share stages with major artists like Slash, Alice Cooper and Streetheart, the renaming of the street he calls his “superpower” is still sinking in. 

“I’m just a proud little St. James kid,” he told CBC’s Up to Speed guest host Julie Buckingham on Thursday. “It is a little surreal.” 

Despite often being away from the city and his parents moving away from the street a few years ago, Fitz said he makes a point of visiting each time he comes home. 

“I have a little moment. I have a little drive and it literally gives me that energy,” he said. “It’s so amazing.” 

Fitz credits his upbringing in the area as being fundamental to his success — in music and in life. 

“Everything I learned from that street and that neighbourhood and this city is all the tools I’ve been using forever,” he said. 

Fitz said he first learned of the honorary naming proposal when he talked with Mayor Scott Gillingham right after playing a May 5 show with Can-rock legends Triumph at Canada Life Centre. 

At Friday’s naming ceremony, Gillingham called Fitz “an inspiration,” showing kids they can aspire to do great things, as Fitz stood nearby, wearing a black T-shirt with the words “made in Winnipeg” on the front.

“This neighbourhood helped shape a young man who dreamed big, worked hard and went on to become one of the most respected drummers in rock music,” said Gillingham, calling Fitz “a Winnipegger who has achieved remarkable things without ever forgetting where his journey began.” 

Fitz thanked his family and first piano teacher for instilling a love for music in him.

“I love this city. I love everything that it’s taught me,” he said. “It’s the people and the experiences.… I hope I’m a good servant to the city and I appreciate the gift,” he said to applause.

Fitz performs with Streetheart and his own band, Toque, on Saturday at the Burt Block Party outdoor event at the Burton Cummings Theatre.