Willie Nelson and Lukas Nelson just crossed a line no father-son duo in country music had ever reached before — and the ripple effect will be talked about for years. ML
Willie Nelson and his son Lukas Nelson are making country music history at the 2026 Grammy Awards.
The father and son duo were both nominated for the prestigious award for Best Traditional Country Album, the newest category added for the 2026 awards. The 92-year-old country legend‘s latest album Oh What a Beautiful World was nominated alongside his 32-year-old son’s debut album American Romance, which released back in June.
While it’s rare, this is not the first time a father and son were nominated for the same category at the Grammy awards. Julio Iglesias, one of Willie’s best-known duet partners, was nominated with his son Enrique Iglesias for the Best Latin Pop Album at the 1998 Grammy Awards, per Rolling Stone.
Willie and Lukas Nelson’s previous Grammy wins and nominations
Willie is a 12-time Grammy-winning artist and has earned 57 nominations throughout his career. His 2024 album Last Leaf On The Tree is also nominated for Best Americana Album at the 2026 Grammys as well.
Photo by SUZANNE CORDEIRO on Getty Images© Photo by SUZANNE CORDEIRO on Getty Images
This is also not Lukas’ first Grammy award or win. Back in 2020, the singer previously won the Grammy for Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media for his work on A Star is Born.
Who else is nominated for Best Traditional Country Album at the Grammy Awards?
Along with Willie and Lukas Nelson, other nominees for the new country music category at the Grammys include Charley Crockett for Dollar a Day, Margo Price for Hard Headed Woman and Zach Top for Ain’t in It for My Health
Why was the Best Country Album category split at the Grammys?
The Recording Academy previously announced that the Best Country Album category would be split into two categories back in June. Instead of one category for country music, artists can now be nominated for either Best Contemporary Country Album and Best Traditional Country Album.
“The Academy’s top priority is to represent the music people that we serve each year,” the Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. said in a press release. That entails listening carefully to our members to make sure our rules and guidelines reflect today’s music and allow us to accurately recognize as many deserving creators as possible.”
