It might be an awkward Thanksgiving around the Nelson household. Actually, probably not. They seem like the kind of clan that’s not especially competitive with each other and is more supportive … unless someone’s bogarting the water bong. Then someone might get put in a half Nelson, or a full Nelson.

Nonetheless, Willie Nelson and his son Lukas will be competing with each other in the Grammy’s new “Best Traditional Country Album” category come February 2026, and it will be one to watch.

When the Grammy nominations were announced Friday (11-7), Willie Nelson’s Rodney Crowell tribute album Oh What A Beautiful World, and Lukas Nelson’s first solo album American Romance both ended up being named for Best Traditional Country Album, along with from Charley Crockett’s Dollar A Day, Margo Price’s Hard Headed Woman, and Zach Top’s Ain’t In It For My Health. Rest assured, name recognition played a major role in the two Nelsons getting nominated together.

But a question many had when they saw this father/son nomination is if this has ever happened before? It’s extremely rare, but the answer is “Yes,” and it happened with someone who Willie Nelson and his fans happen to know well. It was Willie’s duet with Julio Iglesias in 1984 on “To All The Girls I’ve Loved Before” that resulted in Willie’s biggest hit internationally, and Julio’s biggest hit domestically. Then in 1998, Julio and his son Enrique competed against each other in the Grammy’s Best Latin Pop Album. Both ended up losing.

There have also been times when a husband and wife competed with each other in the same category. In fact, this has happened a whopping six times for hip-hop power couple Beyoncé and Jay-Z over the years, not exactly surprising since Beyoncé is the most nominated and awarded artist in Grammy history, and Jay-Z is not far behind.

Willie Nelson has been nominated 57 times for Grammy Awards himself, along with 12 wins, including Best Country Album for 2023’s A Beautiful Time. Willie’s also been nominated and awarded in multiple categories outside of country, including Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album, which he won in 2017 for Willie Sings Gershwin. He was also nominated for Best Bluegrass Album in 2024. This year, Willie is also competing in Best Americana Album for Last Leaf on the Tree, produced by his other son Micah.

For Lukas Nelson, this is his first ever nomination as a solo artist, though he shared in the win for the A Star Is Born soundtrack in 2019 for Best Compilation Soundtrack.

We’ll find out if either Nelson wins on February 1st at the 2026 Grammy Awards.