The nominations for the 2026 Grammys are in and there is heaps of guitar talent shortlisted – albeit in the specialist categories.
Hey, it was ever thus, but take a look at the shortlist for year’s Best Rock Performance and you’ll find Australian punk-rock alive and kicking, with Amyl and the Sniffers up for U Should Not Be Doing That, and the Yungblud-led supergroup from Black Sabbath's farewell show, Back to the Beginning, nominated for their take on Changes.
Yungblud’s crazy big year sees Idols nominated for Best Rock Album, and Zombie for Best Rock Song. We’d say that’s where the smart money lies but who can say with the judges?
If Yungblud is the tip of the spear for rock’s next superstar generation then the Best Rock Album category still has a bit of the ‘90s about it, with Deftones’ immaculate Private Music and Linkin Park’s blockbuster comeback LP, From Zero, both in the running.
They’ll all be up against Gibson SG-toting sister act HAIM, who are nominated for I Quit, and new-school hardcore champs Turnstile, nominated for Never Enough – the title-track is in contention for Best Rock Song and Best Rock Performance. Open up that pit, yo.
Okay, heavy metal. Not that it is particularly metal to get excited about the Best Metal Performance award – well, not unless you’re actually nominated, then it might be kinda cool – but this year’s nominees include Dream Theater for Night Terror, the venerable John Petrucci’s extraterrestrial chops doing a number on the voters, while Mike Stringer’s Spiritbox are in the mix for Best Metal Performance.
There’s Sleep Token for Emergence and Ghost’s Lachryma, and, in a twist we did not see coming, Turnstile have turned metal with a nomination for BIRDS.
And then making a turn into Best Alternative Music Performance, where Seein’ Stars is in competition with Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers’ Wet Leg, who are up for mangetout. Representing Shecter guitars and Boss pedals (spiritually, if not in an official capacity), The Cure are nominated for Alone. Bon Iver and Hayley Williams will be keeping them company.
Wet Leg are proving that see-through neon B.C. Rich electric guitars are a charm. Moisturizer is deservedly up for Best Alternative Music Album. Can it pip The Cure’s Songs of a Lost World? Depends on what mood the voters were in.
Taking the fuzz and overdrive pedals out of the signal chain, let’s check in on Planet Bluegrass. Yessiree, Billy Strings is up for his superlative Highway Prayers. Not to editorialize or anything but he should be up for Best Metal Performance alongside Cryptopsy for their collaboration on the Blasphemy Made Flesh anniversary edition but there you go, there is no justice in this world – maybe there is if Gibson signature artist Sierra Hull wins for A Tip Toe High Wire.
Who knows. We will be happy if Buddy Guy gets his flowers for Ain’t Done With the Blues. If it was anyone other than the world’s greatest living blues guitarist, we’d say the Best Traditional Blues Album category would be keenly contested, what with the Taj Mahal and Keb’ Mo’ collab, Room on the Porch, Charlie Musselwhite’s Look Out Highway, and Young Fashioned Ways from Kenny Wayne Shepherd & Bobby Rush all in the envelope.
We’ll wrap this up soon but can a list like this be truly complete without at least one former GW columnist among the nominations? Of course not. Well, we’ve got two this year.
First, step on up, Molly Tuttle, whose So Long Little Miss Sunshine is nominated alongside Larkin Poe’s Bloom and Willie Nelson’s Last Leaf On The Tree for Best Americana Album.
And among the Contemporary Blues Album category we have current GW columnist and all-round blues guitar superstar Joe Bonamassa, who is up for Breakthrough, and up against an album he co-produced, Eric Gales’ A Tribute to LJK, on which Gales pays tribute to his big brother and mentor Emmanuel Lynn Gales, aka Little Jimmy King. Samantha Fish is also in the running for Paper Doll. Don’t rule out pedal-steel virtuoso Robert Randolph for Preacher Kids.
You can check out the full nominations over at the Grammys.
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