Rock Music Grammy Nominees and Winners 2013

The 55th Annual Grammy Awards were held in Los Angeles on February 10, 2013. And for a change, rock artists weren't just delegated to their own specific category. In fact, Jack White's Blunderbuss and the Black Keys' El Camino each received a nomination for Album of the Year, the night's biggest prize. In case you're wondering, rock artists have had decent luck in recent years winning the Album Grammy: U2 won in 2006 for How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, and Arcade Fire walked away with the trophy five years later for The Suburbs.

Here is a list of all the nominees in the rock field. (The winner is listed in bold.)

Best Rock Performance

• Alabama Shakes - "Hold On" (Purchase/Download)
• The Black Keys - "Lonely Boy" (Purchase/Download)
• Coldplay - "Charlie Brown" (Purchase/Download)
• Mumford & Sons - "I Will Wait" (Purchase/Download)
• Bruce Springsteen - "We Take Care of Our Own" (Purchase/Download)

Bruce Springsteen has won 20 Grammys, and he's up for three more thanks to his 2012 album Wrecking Ball. For Best Rock Performance, he'll be squaring off with the likes of the Black Keys (who have three Grammys) and Coldplay (who have won seven Grammys). Alabama Shakes are the new kids on the block -- Boys & Girls is their debut -- while Mumford & Sons were nominated for six Grammys prior to this year, never once winning.

Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance


• Anthrax - "I'm Alive" (Purchase/Download)
• Halestorm - "Love Bites (So Do I)" (Purchase/Download)
• Iron Maiden - "Blood Brothers" (Purchase/Download)
• Lamb of God - "Ghost Walking" (Purchase/Download)
• Marilyn Manson - "No Reflection" (Purchase/Download)
• Megadeth - "Whose Life (Is It Anyways?)" (Purchase/Download)

The Grammys have a habit of favoring older acts, but in the case of Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance, that tendency extends, in one case, to older songs. Iron Maiden are in the running for a live version of "Blood Brothers," which first appeared on 2000's Brave New World. They'll be battling it out with two bands who are part of the so-called "Big Four" of metal: Anthrax and Megadeth. Also worth noting is that this category is only one of two to feature a rock band with a female lead singer. That would be Lzzy Hale of Halestorm. (The other is Alabama Shakes, who are fronted by Brittany Howard.)

Best Rock Song


• The Black Keys - "Lonely Boy" (Purchase/Download)
• Mumford & Sons - "I Will Wait" (Purchase/Download)
• Muse - "Madness" (Purchase/Download)
• Bruce Springsteen - "We Take Care of Our Own" (Purchase/Download)
• Jack White - "Freedom at 21" (Purchase/Download)

Best Rock Song is given to the songwriter, whereas Best Rock Performance is awarded to the artist. Three of the five nominees in this category repeat from Best Rock Performance, with the two exceptions being Muse's "Madness" and Jack White's "Freedom at 21." Muse won a Best Rock Album Grammy for The Resistance, while White has already won one Best Rock Song Grammy for "Seven Nation Army."

Best Rock Album


• The Black Keys - El Camino (Purchase/Download)
• Coldplay - Mylo Xyloto (Purchase/Download)
• Muse - The 2nd Law (Purchase/Download)
• Bruce Springsteen - Wrecking Ball (Purchase/Download)
• Jack White - Blunderbuss (Purchase/Download)

The Grammys have only been giving out Best Rock Album for the last 18 years. Three of this year's nominees have won the prize previously: Springsteen, Muse and Coldplay. Ironically, though, it's the other two nominees in the field that are also up for Album of the Year.

Rock Artists Nominated in Other Categories


• Alabama Shakes: Best New Artist
• The Black Keys: Record of the Year ("Lonely Boy") and Album of the Year (El Camino) (Note: Black Keys frontman Dan Auerbach won a separate Grammy for Producer of the Year, Non-Classical.)
• The Lumineers: Best New Artist and Best Americana Album (The Lumineers)
• Mumford & Sons: Album of the Year (Babel), Best Americana Album (Babel), and Best Song Written for Visual Media ("Learn Me Right" [from Brave] (Note: Mumford & Sons won Album of the Year.)
• Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross: Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media (The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo) (**Winner**)
• U2: Best Long Form Music Video (From the Sky Down)
• Jack White: Album of the Year (Blunderbuss)