15 of the Most Shocking Grammy Stats: Record-Holders, No Nominations & More
For those who religiously tune into the Grammys, we’ve all had moments of shock when an artist we love was snubbed or moments of glee when an unexpected winner pulled ahead.
Through its 65-year history, music’s biggest night has left people scratching their heads. Ahead of the 2024 Grammy Awards (airing live this Sunday, February 4 at 8/7c on CBS), we’ve compiled some of the most shocking Grammy stats, from nonsensical snubs and long overdue wins to impressive records and more.
Some albums, artists, and songs are so beloved and celebrated that you’d assume they have a shelf full of Grammy awards in their homes. However, the Recording Academy does not always reward artists that the public consensus feels are the greatest.
There are a lot of sociopolitical factors that go into awards show snubs — consider that for a long time, the majority of Grammy voters were white people, which impacted what genres of music and which artists were celebrated. And many artists are “anti-establishment” and wouldn’t see a Grammy nomination as praise in the first place.
Still, award nominations and wins across mediums are career propellers for many, so being included in the mix can be an important milestone.
The below artists have made some of the industry’s most impactful music throughout the decades. You’ll see there’s a lot of Beyoncé here. That is simply because she has made a lot of Grammy history (as has her husband, Jay-Z, and even their daughter, Blue Ivy Carter)!
Scroll through our gallery of some of the most surprising Grammys stats below, and keep your fingers crossed for your favorite artists this Sunday!
2024 Grammys, Sunday, February 4, 2024, 8/7c, CBS and Paramount+ with Showtime
1. Joni Mitchell has never performed at the Grammys
Despite being nominated 18 times and winning nine, the “Both Sides Now” singer has never performed on the Grammys stage. But that will change this year, as Joni Mitchell will make her Grammys performance debut at the 66th annual ceremony.
2. Grammy wins record-holder Beyoncé has never won Album of the Year
Beyoncé holds several Grammy records, and she even shares one with her husband, Jay-Z. But despite them all, she has never won Album of the Year.
With 32 wins under her belt, Beyoncé has won the most Grammys out of any artist in history. She broke this record at the 2023 Grammy Awards, which many felt would be her year to finally win Album of the Year. Shocked gasps could be heard throughout the Grammys audience when Harry Styles‘ Harry’s House was announced as the winner.
The “Break My Soul” singer has been nominated for Album of the Year four times. The first was for I Am…Sasha Fierce, losing to Taylor Swift‘s Speak Now. The second was for her 2013 self-titled album when she lost to Beck’s Morning Phase. The third was for Lemonade when she lost to Adele‘s 25, the British crooner’s second AOTY win. The fourth was for Renaissance.
As Adele said after dedicating 25‘s win to Bey at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards, “What the f**k does she have to do to win Album of the Year?”
3. Bob Marley was never nominated, but his children have won
Bob Marley and the Wailers are synonymous with Rastafari and reggae music, but they never received a nomination in Marley’s lifetime.
Six of Marley’s 11 children have been nominated for Grammys, and five of them have won. Stephen and Ziggy Marley are both eight-time winners, three of which are wins from their family band, Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers (comprised of Ziggy, Stephen, Cedella, and Sharon Marley). Damian Marley has won four as a solo artist, and Julian Marley has been nominated for two.
Their father was posthumously given a lifetime achievement award by the Grammys in 2001, 20 years after his death.
4. ABBA's first nomination came in 2021
ABBA’s iconic song “Dancing Queen” was inducted into the Recording Academy’s Grammy Hall of Fame in 2015, but it took nearly 50 years for one of Eurovision‘s most famous winners to get a Grammy nomination.
Their first nomination was in 2021 for “I Still Have Faith In You,” losing to “Leave the Door Open” by Silk Sonic. The song is from the album Voyage, which is up for Album of the Year this year, along with three other top categories (Record, Pop Duo/Group Performance, and Pop Vocal Album).
Additionally, Led Zeppelin was nominated for Best New Artist at the 12th Grammy Awards in 1970 and lost. They weren’t nominated again until 2014, when they won their first Grammy (two nominations that year).
5. Diana Ross has never won
Nor did her original group, The Supremes! Diana Ross has 13 solo nominations and Supremes has two, but the only Grammy recognition the disco legend has received is a Lifetime Achievement award in 2012. Certainly not a shabby prize, but that she has never won a Grammy during the annual show is a shock.
6. The Beach Boys never won as a group
One of music’s most influential bands, The Beach Boys only have four nominations total and no wins (three for “Good Vibrations,” one for “Kokomo”). But like Ross, the group was given a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Recording Academy in 2001.
Member Brian Wilson has won two Grammys on his own, however, with nine total nominations (including those in the group).
7. Sister Rosetta Tharpe & more artists with Lifetime Achievement Awards, but no Grammy wins
There are a slew of iconic musicians (soloists and groups) who have never won a Grammy, but the Recording Academy “made up” for it with Lifetime Achievement Awards, like with Ross and The Beach Boys.
Sister Rosetta Tharpe is a pioneer of rock ‘n’ roll music, but she only received one Grammy nomination and didn’t win. She didn’t receive a Lifetime Achievement Award until 2020, 47 years after her death.
Here are more legendary artists with Recording Academy Lifetime Achievement Awards, but no Grammy wins:
Chuck Berry: 0 nominations, Lifetime Achievement Award in 1984
Jimi Hendrix: 1 nomination, Lifetime Achievement Award in 1992
Patsy Cline: 0 nominations, Lifetime Achievement Award in 1995
Sammy Davis Jr.: 3 nominations, Lifetime Achievement Award in 2001
Dean Martin: 1 nomination, Lifetime Achievement Award in 2009
Run-D.M.C.: 1 nomination, Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016
Queen: 4 nominations, Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018
8. Taylor Swift has won Album of the Year three times
In quite the feat, Taylor Swift is the only woman in history to achieve this honor, as well as the first woman to win the category two and then three times. The only other artists who have won AOTY three times are Stevie Wonder, Paul Simon, and Frank Sinatra. Swift could break her own record again if her latest album, Midnights, wins AOTY this Sunday.
Sinatra was the first two-time and three-time winner ever. He won in 1960, and then two years in a row in 1966 and 1967. Wonder also won back-to-back in 1974 and 1975, then again in 1977.
9. Kanye West & Jay-Z are tied for most wins by a rap artist
The rappers have 21 wins each, but Jay-Z leads in total nominations (Kanye has 75).
Kanye West has competed against himself in categories multiple times before. In 2012, he had two nominations and two wins in the Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song categories (the winners were “Otis” and “All of the Lights,” respectively). The same year, he had two albums nominated for Best Rap Album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (which won) and his collab album with Jay-Z, Watch the Throne).
As a solo artist, Jay-Z has only been nominated for Album of the Year once (for 4:44), which is surprising given his status as one of rap’s greatest artists. One of his most lauded albums, The Blueprint, was nominated for three, but didn’t win any.
10. Legendary albums were never nominated
Some bands and solo artists have earned years of praise for albums considered to be some of music’s all-time greats. Many of those albums were never even nominated for a Grammy.
One example is Pink Floyd’s (above) Dark Side of the Moon, which never got a single nod. Their other seminal album, The Wall, got them their first Grammy noms (AOTY included), but it didn’t win any.
Another is Joni Mitchell‘s Blue, which is listed on greatest albums lists time and again.
11. The youngest Grammy winner ever was 8 years old
The Peasall Sisters sang on the O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack that won Album of the Year in 2002. The sister act of Leah, Hannah and Sarah Peasall were 8, 11 and 14, respectively, when they won.
Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s daughter, Blue Ivy Carter, became the second-youngest Grammy winner in history when “Brown Skin Girl” won Best Music Video.
12. Lady Gaga & Ariana Grande's "Rain on me" win was a Grammys first
Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande became the first all-female duo/group to win Best Pop Duo/Group Performance in 2021 for “Rain On Me.” Doja Cat and SZA made it a two-year streak with “Kiss Me More” in 2022.
13. Beyoncé & Megan Thee Stallion's "Savage" win was another first
The same year as Gaga and Grande’s win, Beyoncé and Megan Thee Stallion became the first all-female pair to win Best Rap Performance. They won for the “Savage” remix.
14. Morten Lindberg held the record for most nominations without a win until 2020
Sound engineer Morten Lindberg was nominated for 28 Grammys before he finally won his first. His first was in 2006, and he won in 2020. He held the record for most nominations without a win at several points in his career. Now, Brian McKnight and Snoop Dogg are tied at 17.
15. Artists with no wins/nominations
Some of history’s most influential artists across genres have been nominated a slew of times, but never took home the trophy, despite some being Hall of Famers.
Here are some final surprising artists who have been nominated, but have never won a Grammy:
Brian McKnight: 17 nominations
Snoop Dogg: 16 nominations
Björk: 16 nominations
Martina McBride: 14 nominations
Dierks Bentley: 14 nominations
Toshiko Akiyoshi (Jazz Musician): 14 nominations
Joe Satriani (of Deep Purple, which has never been nominated): 15 nominations
Katy Perry: 13 nominations
Busta Rhymes: 12 nominations
Nicki Minaj: 10 nominations
Sia: 9 nominations
Blake Shelton: 8 nominations
Kenny Chesney: 6 nominations
Arctic Monkeys: 6 nominations
Tupac Shakur: 6 nominations
Robyn: 5 nominations
The Notorious B.I.G.: 4 nominations
Guns N’ Roses: 3 nominations
Kate Bush: 3 nominations
Billie Holiday: 2 nominations
Nina Simone: 2 nominations
The Who: 2 nominations
Jim Morrison: 1 nomination
Journey: 1 nomination
And some shocking beloved music acts that have never been nominated at all include Ramones, The Kinks, The Doors, Oasis, and the Spice Girls.
