Everyone knows that award shows aren’t always fair, but sometimes an artist is so exceptional, we can’t believe that they have not been recognized with the top awards in their field. Here are seven artists who have been inexplicably passed over for the music industry’s top award.
1. Queen
This iconic British rock band, headed by Freddie Mercury, is a piece of pop culture history. Bohemian Rhapsody was once voted the favorite song of the UK, but Queen has yet to be honored with a Grammy for their work — even though Metallica won a Grammy for a Queen cover.
2. Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall “Jimi” Hendrix is one of the few musicians who really changed the direction of pop music. His rendition of The Star Spangled Banner at the Woodstock music festival became a signal moment in music history. He’s been honored with a statue in the Capitol Hill district of Seattle, but Hendrix failed to win a Grammy before dying tragically young of a heroin overdose.
3. Kiss
American hard rock/heavy metal band Kiss (sometimes styled as KISS) has made a fortune for founder Gene Simmons, who took branding to previously unseen heights. They are one of the best-selling bands of all time, with over 100 million records sold. They presented an award at the 38th Annual Grammy Awards, but haven’t gotten a statuette to take home.
4. Tupac Shakur
Tupac Shakur died suddenly after being shot on September 7, 1996, on his way out of a Mike Tyson match on the Las Vegas strip. His work, though, has long survived him, and his legacy is secure. Since his death, Shakur has been honored by Rolling Stone as one of the 100 most influential musicians, and he’s been inducted into the Hip Hop Hall of Fame, but he’s never won a Grammy.
5. Guns N’ Roses
Los Angeles hard rock band Guns N’ Roses is considered a pioneer of the genre, and they’re still going strong nearly 30 years later, even though Axl Rose is the only remaining member of the original line-up. They’re credited with returning rock music to the mainstream, but they can’t count a Grammy among their many achievements.
6. Rush
Canadian band Rush is music for intelligent people, weaving sci-fi, fantasy, history, and philosophy together in their progressive rock ballads. The band has gold, platinum, and multi-platinum albums; They’ve had seven Grammy nominations without a single win.
7. Toby Keith
Country star Toby Keith has gone from strength to strength, even founding his own label when previous label Dreamworks closed shop in 2005. He’s had sixty singles on the Billboard Country charts, but has yet to receive the Grammy nod.
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