By: Andrew Vaughan

Ok, so full disclosure first: I really enjoyed the 2011 GRAMMYs. Good performances, some historic moments, and a great line up of new talent... especially Muse and Arcade Fire, who proved that rock and roll is in good and safe hands for the next ten years.

I did some research on my new Galaxy Tab between bits of the show, however, and couple of things struck me as odd and worthy of mention.

First off, Paul McCartney, whose Nashville show last year was easily the best concert I’d been to in ten years, won a Grammy for vocal performance for a live version of "Helter Skelter." Nothing strange in that, except that it turns out it’s the fist solo Grammy he’s won in 39 years. That’s right; 39 years. Shocking. Then I read that Neil Young won his second Grammy this year. Second? Surely not. Isn’t Young one of America’s great rock institutions, one of the most respected and loved artists for the past 50 years? And it gets worse - his first Grammy a couple of years ago wasn’t even for music; it was for art direction!

Ok, so he picked up Grammy Awards as a member of Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young, but as a solo act, Young didn't even get a nomination until the video of “This Note’s For You” was up for an award in 1989.

But look back for a second at Young’s solo career. The Gold Rush was released in 1970 and can still be called one of the best known singer/songwriter albums of all time. And that album was closely followed by 1972's Harvest, which contained such classic rock radio staples as "Old Man," "Heart Of Gold," and "The Needle And The Damage Done."

Unlike most of his contemporaries, Young survived punk’s onslaught and turned in a superb slice of raw rock and roll with the seminal Rust Never Sleeps album and its timeless "Hey Hey, My My (Out Of The Blue)," which received, again, no Grammy nomination.

Gracious to a fault last night, Young thanked the academy: "This is my first Grammy for music, and it's appreciated greatly," he said in his acceptance speech.

Neil Young may have had to wait a long time, but there are a numerous legends that were never rewarded by the Grammy voters for their music. The names might shock you: Buddy Holly, Led Zeppelin, The Who, Bob Marley, The Doors, Jimi Hendrix, Queen, The Grateful Dead, and even Chuck Berry.

Milli Vanilli, of course, did win a Grammy for Best New Artist in 1990. Now there’s something to think about.

Andrew Vaughan is a well-known and respected Nashville based writer. As a music critic his work has appeared in Billboard, Music Week, Mojo, "Q", the London Times, the Guardian, and Folk Roots. He was the founding director of Country Music International magazine and a regular guest on BBC Radio, BBC TV, and VH1.