FLASHBACK: Jethro Tull, Metallica and the First Heavy Metal GRAMMY

The GRAMMYs are known for their infamous moments, but for rock/metal fans the world over, one of the award ceremony’s most infamous moments of them all happened February 22, 1989 when the very first GRAMMY award for Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance Vocal or Instrumental was given to Jethro Tull.

Jethro Tull:  Because nothing screams “metal” like the flute.

Of course, the heavy favorites (pun intended) was Metallica for their 1988 album …And Justice for All.  They were so favored Jethro Tull didn’t even attend the ceremony. Entertainment Weekly called it one of the biggest upsets in GRAMMY history, but frankly, it’s more of a mistake than anything.

Four years later when Metallica won the GRAMMY for Best Metal Performance for Metallica (The Black Album), they made sure to remind The Recording Academy of Arts and Sciences that they didn’t forget.

Erica Banas is a rock/classic rock blogger who once did a presentation in a college public speaking course about why The Rolling Stones were better than The Beatles.  (She received an A.)