IT’S AN HONOUR JUST BEING ... OH, NEVER MIND
They may be beloved musical icons, but they’ve never won a Grammy Award
Remember when the cast of the TV series Glee earned a Grammy nomination for their version of Journey’s Don’t Stop Believin’ at the 2011 Grammys?
Guess who never earned a nomination for Don’t Stop Believin’? Journey. The Rock ’n’ Roll Hall-of-Famers have never even earned a Grammy Award, and have only been nominated once in their career.
They’re one of many respected acts in music to have somehow been bypassed by the Grammys. The Rolling Stones, surprisingly, have only been awarded two Grammys, and Led Zeppelin finally picked it up its first Grammy in 2014.
Here are some other icons who can’t put these two words before their names: Grammy winner.
Diana Ross, 12 nominations: Stop in the name of love! How could this be? Maybe this counts for something: Ross did receive the Lifetime Achievement Award, a non-competitive honour, from the Recording Academy in 2012.
Snoop Dogg, 16 nominations:
Give this dog a bone!
Bob Marley, zero nominations:
The first reggae Grammy was presented in 1985, four years after Marley died. Still, we know he should have won or earned nominations for album, song and record while he was alive. Chuck Berry, zero nominations: Beethoven just rolled over in his grave.
The Beach Boys, four nominations: Good Vibrations brought bad vibrations when it lost in three categories in 1967.
Patsy Cline, zero nominations:
Cline died in 1963, just four years after the Grammys handed out its first award.
Jimi Hendrix, one nomination:
What stings more is that his sole nomination was for his instrumental performance of the Star-Spangled Banner and not an original song.
Queen, four nominations: Bob Seger and Chicago are to blame for beating out Bohemian Rhapsody and Another One Bites the Dust at the Grammys.
Notorious B.I.G., four nominations: It’s heartbreaking that Biggie lost two Grammys in 1998, which occurred almost a year after his death, to his friend Puff Daddy. But what’s worse? B.I.G.’s epic song Hypnotize lost best rap solo performance to Will Smith’s Men in Black.
Tupac Shakur, six nominations:
At least Tupac lost to the Fugees, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony and Eminem’s debut single, My Name is.
Depeche Mode, five nominations:
Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson out-danced Depeche Mode in the 2000s when the group was up for best dance recording in separate years.
Patti Smith, four nominations:
Sheryl Crow and Fiona Apple rocked harder than Smith, according to the Grammys, when Smith was nominated for best female rock vocal performance in two different years. Smith also lost to Carol Burnett and Jimmy Carter in the best spoken world album category.
Janis Joplin, two nominations: At least Joplin lost at the 1972 show to Carole King’s Tapestry and Aretha Franklin’s Bridge Over Troubled Water.
Nas, 13 nominations: Is there another rapper as lyrically deep as Nas? He’s almost the kind of artist the Grammys were created for, but he’s always walked away empty-handed.
Run-DMC, one nomination: In 1987, rap Grammys didn’t exist, so Run DMC competed in an R&B category with their Raising Hell album. But they kissed victory goodbye: Prince and the Revolution was also a nominee for their classic hit, Kiss.
A Tribe Called Quest, four nominations: This is somewhat of a consolation prize: Q -Tip won best dance recording with the Chemical Brothers for Galvanize.
Kenny Chesney, six nominations: Five out of Chesney’s six Grammy nominations were for his collaborations, so this year’s nomination for best country album marks a new high for the veteran singer. Maybe being solo will seal the deal.
Other well-known acts lacking
Grammy love: the Ramones, The Who, Björk, Guns N’ Roses, Iggy Pop, Morrissey, Buddy Holly, Oasis, Rush, The Kinks, The Strokes.