Despite their illustrious careers, these talented musicians have never brought home a Grammy award.
Katy Perry has racked up 13 Grammy nominations — and still hasn’t won one.
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Over the last several decades, awards shows such as the American Music Awards, the MTV Video Music Awards, and most notably, the Grammys have recognized the most talented musicians of the time. It is often assumed that all of the legendary hit-makers have taken home a statuette or two. But, there are actually quite a few iconic artists who seem to narrowly lose out year after year.
Here are 20 talented artists who, surprisingly, have never been awarded a Grammy .
Nominated 17 times since 1993, singer-songwriter Brian McKnight has yet to win his first Grammy according to Grammy.com, the official website for the Recording Academy. He lost his last nomination for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance to Prince in 2004.
At 16 nominations, the rapper is only one behind singer Brian McKnight, but the two have even more in common. Calvin Broadus, better known as Snoop Dogg, also received his first nod in 1993, and like McKnight, is still awaiting his first Grammy win.
She’s racked up 14 nominations since 1994, but talented country singer Martina McBride has been beat out each time. She lost her latest nomination in 2011 to Taylor Swift.
The Icelandic singer, songwriter, actress, record producer, and DJ has been nominated 14 times since 1993, but Björk hasn’t yet brought home a Grammy. Her most recent nomination in 2015 was for Best Alternative Music album. The band Alabama Shakes won the category.
His first nominations were in 2006 for the hit „Every Mile A Memory.“ But even after 14 nominations country singer Dierks Bentley hasn’t won a Grammy.
She’s been nominated 13 times over the last 10 years, but current „American Idol“ judge Katy Perry still doesn’t have a Grammy award to adorn her mantle. Perry has lost three times to Adele, in 2009,2012 and 2013.
With 13 nominations since 1996, rapper Nas is still sans Grammy. He had his four latest nominations in 2012, but was beat out by Jay-Z, Kanye, and Drake.
Believe it or not, the legendary Diana Ross has never won a Grammy. Her first of 12 nominations was in 1964 for „Baby Love,“ and she was nominated nearly every year from 1970 to 1982 without a win. The Recording Academy gave Ross a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012.
Nominated 12 times since 1996, Trevor Smith, Jr. aka Busta Rhymes hasn’t yet won his first Grammy. His last two nominations were for Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song in 2011. He lost to Kanye West in both categories.
From 2010 to 2015, Nicki Minaj was nominated for 10 Grammys. The rapper lost Best New Artist to Bon Iver in 2011, and to Kendrick Lamar in all three of her nominated categories in 2015.
Sia’s had nine nominations since 2012, but the singer-songwriter, record producer and music video director has yet to win a Grammy. She lost her 2017 nomination for Best Song Written For Visual Media in to Lin-Manuel Miranda.
The country singer and judge on „The Voice“ has been nominated seven times since 2010, but Blake Shelton has no Grammy wins. He most recently lost in 2015 to Little Big Town.
With six nominations, including one after his death, Tupac Shakur never won a Grammy. He lost his first nominations in 1995 to Coolio and Naughty by Nature, and lost his posthumous nomination to Eminem.
It’s hard to believe that the band Queen received only four Grammy nominations and never had a win throughout their run. Even though their last nomination was in 1980, artists like Panic! At the Disco are keeping their iconic music alive by recording covers and introducing Queen’s music to younger generations around the world.
Another legendary band with only four nominations and zero Grammy wins are the Beach Boys. They received three nominations in 1966 for their hit „Good Vibrations“ and their last nod came in 1988 for „Kokomo.“ The Beach Boys received a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Recording Academy in 2001.
It’s hard to believe that the former Smiths frontman who’s released 11 studio albums, two live albums, 11 compilation albums, and one extended play (EP) has only been nominated for one Grammy. Morrissey lost out in his 1992 Best Alternative Music Album nomination to Tom Waits.
Famous for his Las Vegas shows and for being a part of the infamous Rat Pack, Sammy Davis, Jr. received three nominations, but had no Grammy wins during his lifetime. He passed away in 1990, but finally earned a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Recording Academy in 2001.
Dean Martin, another Rat Pack crooner only received one Grammy nomination in his lifetime. He was nominated for his album „Everybody Loves Somebody“ in 1964, but lost to Louis Armstrong. Although Martin passed away in 1995, he was given a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Recording Academy in 2009.
It’s inconceivable that iconic hip-hop artists Run-D. M. C. have been nominated for just one Grammy. In 1986 they lost out to Prince for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group – the hip-hop category wasn’t added until 1989. They finally received a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Recording Academy in 2016.
His only nomination was in 1970 for his rendition of „Star Spangled Banner,“ but sadly Jimi Hendrix died that same year without winning a Grammy. In 1992, the Recording Academy posthumously gave Hendrix a Lifetime Achievement Award.
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