The Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance Vocal or Instrumental was an award presented at the 31st Grammy Awards in 1989 to honor quality hard rock/metal works (albums or songs). The Grammy Awards, an annual ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, are presented by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without regard to album sales or chart position."
The Academy recognized hard rock music artists for the first time in 1989 under the category Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance Vocal or Instrumental, combining two of the most popular music genres of the 1980s. Jethro Tull was given that award for the album Crest of a Knave, beating Metallica, who were expected to win with the album ...And Justice for All. This choice led to widespread criticism of the Academy, as journalists suggested that Jethro Tull's music did not belong in the hard rock or heavy metal genres. In response, the Academy created the categories Best Hard Rock Performance and Best Metal Performance, separating the genres. The incident is often considered an example of the Grammy Awards being out of touch with popular sentiment, and was even named the biggest upset in Grammy history by Entertainment Weekly.
From 2012, the combined Hard Rock/Metal category will return following a major overhaul of Grammy Awards categories. The separate Best Hard Rock Performance and Best Metal Performance categories will be merged into the slightly renamed Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance category.
Read more about Grammy Award For Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance Vocal Or Instrumental: Award, Controversy and Aftermath
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