Jethro Tull Wins First-Ever Hard Rock/Metal Grammy Over Metallica (1989)

The Recording Academy's 1989 decision to award the first-ever Hard Rock/Metal Grammy to Jethro Tull, a flute-driven prog-rock band, over Metallica's ...And Justice for All remains a jaw-dropping misstep. Metallica's album sold over 8 million copies in the U.S. alone, while Jethro Tull's Crest of a Knave moved fewer than 1 million. The academy's own voters reportedly had no metal nominees listed, highlighting systemic oversight.