Led Zeppelin won the Best Rock Album for Celebration Day
New Delhi:
Led Zeppelin won a Grammy this year. That shouldn't be surprising but for the fact that it was The Biggest Band In The World's first - that's right, very first - Grammy. EVER. In 1970, Led Zeppelin were nominated for Best New Artist. They were never again nominated till this year, winning Best Rock Album for Celebration Day. If you, like us, are asking how this can be, here are 15 other artists ignored at the Grammys:
Jimi Hendrix
Incredible as it sounds, guitar god Hendrix, one of the most celebrated musicians in the history of music, never won a Grammy - though he did win several Hall of Fame Grammys (not the same thing at all). He was honoured for Lifetime Achievement in 1992, over 20 years after he died in 1970.
Bob Marley
The prophet of reggae is beloved as much for anthems such as No Woman No Cry, Buffalo Soldier, Could You Be Loved and Jamming as for his preaching of peace and racial equality. Bob Marley died of cancer in 1981 but remains an icon of both music and pop culture, feted on film and in literature. Bizarrely, the only Grammy he ever received was the Lifetime Achievement award in 2001.
Queen
Iconic frontman Freddie Mercury and gang's incredible talents received three Grammy nominations - two for Bohemian Rhapsody and one for Another One Bites The Dust - but never won. They don't even feature on the Lifetime Achievement list.
The Who
Despite being one of the most influential rock bands of all time and progenitors of anthems like My Generation and The Kids Are Alright, the only Grammy honour The Who have on their resume is the Lifetime Achievement award they received in 2001.
The Doors
Even if you're not really a rock fan, chances are you've heard Roadhouse Blues and Light My Fire. The Doors, fronted by the golden-voiced but ill-fated Jim Morrison, were a supernova in the world of music as the Sixties transitioned into the Seventies. Morrison died in 1971 and The Doors disbanded in 1973, but generations of rock fans kept the sound alive at school music festivals and smoky pubs. Yet, The Doors never won a Grammy apart from the Lifetime Achievement award they belatedly received in 2007.
The Velvet Underground
In 1982, musician Brian Eno said famously that while the first The Velvet Underground album sold only 30,000 copies, each one of the 30,000 people who bought the album started a band. Lou Reed's revolutionary The Velvet Underground has been elevated to the status of legend by critics, fans and fellow musicians, yet their visionary influence never earned them a Grammy and Lou Reed himself won just a single award - for Best Long Form Video.
Guns N' Roses
Axl Rose, Slash and the tour de force that was '80s-era Guns N' Roses and credited by critics and fans alike for spearheading a rock revival and fending off an overwhelming onslaught from hip-hop and dance. They were nominated thrice in three successive years but always went home Grammy-less and are still waiting for their Lifetime Achievement honour.
Cat Stevens
Get this - the man behind Wild World and The First Cut Is The Deepest has not only never won a Grammy, he's never even been nominated for one. He is also conspicuously absent from the list of Lifetime Achievement honorees.
Diana Ross
The Queen of Soul's incredible success with all-female band The Supremes rivaled that of The Beatles and paved the way for the rise of female superstars and black power. Yet she never won a Grammy, either solo or as part of The Supremes. She received a long overdue Lifetime Achievement award in 2012.
Deep Purple
Who hasn't grown up listening to Smoke On The Water, right? One-third of "the unholy trinity of British hard rock and heavy metal" with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, Deep Purple are among the most revered bands in history. But they remain sadly Grammy-less. Meanwhile, The Baha Men won a Grammy for Who Let The Dogs Out in 2000.
Oasis
Nineties' Brit rockers Oasis, cited as inspiration by modern stars such as Coldplay and The Killers, were nominated thrice, losing Best Rock Song for the superhit Wonderwall to Tracy Chapman's Give Me One Reason. Their last nomination was in 1999 and, given that brother Noel and Liam Gallagher are now sworn enemies, it's unlikely we'll see Oasis at the Grammys anytime soon.
Journey
Don't Stop Believing has found its way into the annals of not just music but also of TV - The Sopranos, Glee - and of film - The Wedding Singer, Rock Of Ages. There is nobody who has not heard this song. Except the good folks at the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences who give out Grammys.
Snoop Dogg
Snoop Dogg/Lion/whatever he calls himself currently is the Leonardo DiCaprio of the Grammys - nominated over and over again but never winning. A superstar in legion of rappers, Snoop has earned 16 Grammy nominations over the years - the most ever, a dubious record shared with R&B artist Brian McKnight.
Tupac Shakur
Nominated seven times, the fallen hero of rap never went home with a Grammy. Tupac died in 1996, in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas, but remains one of the best-selling musicians of all time.
The Notorious B.I.G
Just a year after Tupac was shot dead, fellow rap and hip-hop pioneer Biggie Smalls also fell victim to a drive-by shooting in Los Angeles. Biggie was nominated four times at the Grammys -thrice posthumously - but never won.
Jimi Hendrix
Incredible as it sounds, guitar god Hendrix, one of the most celebrated musicians in the history of music, never won a Grammy - though he did win several Hall of Fame Grammys (not the same thing at all). He was honoured for Lifetime Achievement in 1992, over 20 years after he died in 1970.
Bob Marley
The prophet of reggae is beloved as much for anthems such as No Woman No Cry, Buffalo Soldier, Could You Be Loved and Jamming as for his preaching of peace and racial equality. Bob Marley died of cancer in 1981 but remains an icon of both music and pop culture, feted on film and in literature. Bizarrely, the only Grammy he ever received was the Lifetime Achievement award in 2001.
Queen
Iconic frontman Freddie Mercury and gang's incredible talents received three Grammy nominations - two for Bohemian Rhapsody and one for Another One Bites The Dust - but never won. They don't even feature on the Lifetime Achievement list.
The Who
Despite being one of the most influential rock bands of all time and progenitors of anthems like My Generation and The Kids Are Alright, the only Grammy honour The Who have on their resume is the Lifetime Achievement award they received in 2001.
The Doors
Even if you're not really a rock fan, chances are you've heard Roadhouse Blues and Light My Fire. The Doors, fronted by the golden-voiced but ill-fated Jim Morrison, were a supernova in the world of music as the Sixties transitioned into the Seventies. Morrison died in 1971 and The Doors disbanded in 1973, but generations of rock fans kept the sound alive at school music festivals and smoky pubs. Yet, The Doors never won a Grammy apart from the Lifetime Achievement award they belatedly received in 2007.
The Velvet Underground
In 1982, musician Brian Eno said famously that while the first The Velvet Underground album sold only 30,000 copies, each one of the 30,000 people who bought the album started a band. Lou Reed's revolutionary The Velvet Underground has been elevated to the status of legend by critics, fans and fellow musicians, yet their visionary influence never earned them a Grammy and Lou Reed himself won just a single award - for Best Long Form Video.
Guns N' Roses
Axl Rose, Slash and the tour de force that was '80s-era Guns N' Roses and credited by critics and fans alike for spearheading a rock revival and fending off an overwhelming onslaught from hip-hop and dance. They were nominated thrice in three successive years but always went home Grammy-less and are still waiting for their Lifetime Achievement honour.
Cat Stevens
Get this - the man behind Wild World and The First Cut Is The Deepest has not only never won a Grammy, he's never even been nominated for one. He is also conspicuously absent from the list of Lifetime Achievement honorees.
Diana Ross
The Queen of Soul's incredible success with all-female band The Supremes rivaled that of The Beatles and paved the way for the rise of female superstars and black power. Yet she never won a Grammy, either solo or as part of The Supremes. She received a long overdue Lifetime Achievement award in 2012.
Deep Purple
Who hasn't grown up listening to Smoke On The Water, right? One-third of "the unholy trinity of British hard rock and heavy metal" with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, Deep Purple are among the most revered bands in history. But they remain sadly Grammy-less. Meanwhile, The Baha Men won a Grammy for Who Let The Dogs Out in 2000.
Oasis
Nineties' Brit rockers Oasis, cited as inspiration by modern stars such as Coldplay and The Killers, were nominated thrice, losing Best Rock Song for the superhit Wonderwall to Tracy Chapman's Give Me One Reason. Their last nomination was in 1999 and, given that brother Noel and Liam Gallagher are now sworn enemies, it's unlikely we'll see Oasis at the Grammys anytime soon.
Journey
Don't Stop Believing has found its way into the annals of not just music but also of TV - The Sopranos, Glee - and of film - The Wedding Singer, Rock Of Ages. There is nobody who has not heard this song. Except the good folks at the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences who give out Grammys.
Snoop Dogg
Snoop Dogg/Lion/whatever he calls himself currently is the Leonardo DiCaprio of the Grammys - nominated over and over again but never winning. A superstar in legion of rappers, Snoop has earned 16 Grammy nominations over the years - the most ever, a dubious record shared with R&B artist Brian McKnight.
Tupac Shakur
Nominated seven times, the fallen hero of rap never went home with a Grammy. Tupac died in 1996, in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas, but remains one of the best-selling musicians of all time.
The Notorious B.I.G
Just a year after Tupac was shot dead, fellow rap and hip-hop pioneer Biggie Smalls also fell victim to a drive-by shooting in Los Angeles. Biggie was nominated four times at the Grammys -thrice posthumously - but never won.
