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The American Music Awards show is one of several annual major American
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 music awards shows (among the others are the Grammy Award
Grammy Award

The Grammy Awards ?or Grammys?are presented annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States for outstanding achievements in the music industry....
s, the currently dormant Billboard Music Award
Billboard Music Award

The Billboard Music Awards, sponsored by Billboard magazine magazine was one of several annual United States music awards shows . It had been held annually in December until they went dormant in 2007....
s, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony).

AMAs were created by Dick Clark
Dick Clark (entertainer)

Richard Wagstaff "Dick" Clark is an American television, radio personality, game show host and businessman; he served as chairman and CEO of Dick Clark Productions, which he has sold part of in recent years....
 in 1973 to compete with the Grammys after the move of that year's show to Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee

Nashville is the Capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County, Tennessee. It is the second most populous city in the state after Memphis, Tennessee....
 led to CBS
CBS

CBS Broadcasting Inc. is an American radio network and television network. The name is derived from the initials of Columbia Broadcasting System, its former legal name....
 picking up the Grammy telecasts after its first two in 1971 and 1972 were broadcast on ABC.






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Encyclopedia


The American Music Awards show is one of several annual major American
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 music awards shows (among the others are the Grammy Award
Grammy Award

The Grammy Awards ?or Grammys?are presented annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States for outstanding achievements in the music industry....
s, the currently dormant Billboard Music Award
Billboard Music Award

The Billboard Music Awards, sponsored by Billboard magazine magazine was one of several annual United States music awards shows . It had been held annually in December until they went dormant in 2007....
s, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony).

History and overview


Conception

The AMAs were created by Dick Clark
Dick Clark (entertainer)

Richard Wagstaff "Dick" Clark is an American television, radio personality, game show host and businessman; he served as chairman and CEO of Dick Clark Productions, which he has sold part of in recent years....
 in 1973 to compete with the Grammys after the move of that year's show to Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee

Nashville is the Capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County, Tennessee. It is the second most populous city in the state after Memphis, Tennessee....
 led to CBS
CBS

CBS Broadcasting Inc. is an American radio network and television network. The name is derived from the initials of Columbia Broadcasting System, its former legal name....
 picking up the Grammy telecasts after its first two in 1971 and 1972 were broadcast on ABC. Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson

Michael Joseph Jackson is an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. The seventh child of the Jackson family, he debuted on the professional music scene at the age of 11 as a member of The Jackson 5 and began a solo career in 1971 while still a member of the group....
 and Donny Osmond
Donny Osmond

Donald Clark "Donny" Osmond is an United States singer, musician, actor and former teen idol. Osmond has also been a talk show and game show host, record producer, race car driver, and author....
 co-hosted the first award show with Rodney Allen Rippy
Rodney Allen Rippy

Rodney Allen Rippy is an American former child actor who appeared in Jack in the Box commercials of the 1970s. In the spots, he was seen trying to wrap his kid-sized mouth around the super-sized Jumbo Jack hamburger....
 and Ricky Segall.

Differences between the AMAs and Grammys

While the Grammys are awarded based on votes by members of the entertainment industry, the AMAs are determined by a poll of music buyers. The "big three" established awards shows (AMAs, Billboard Music Awards, and Grammys) compete for prestige and television
Television

Television is a widely used telecommunication mass-media for transmitting and receiving moving , either monochrome or color, usually accompanied by sound....
 ratings
Nielsen Ratings

Nielsen Ratings are audience measurement developed by the AC Nielsen Company, to determine the audience size and composition of broadcast programming....
, with the Grammys nominally rewarding quality and both the AMAs and Billboard Music Awards rewarding popularity. Stories of artists being pressured to participate in one awards show over the other have been fodder for tabloid
Tabloid

A tabloid is an industry term which refers to a smaller newspaper format per spread; to a weekly or semi-weekly alternative newspaper that focuses on local-interest stories and entertainment, often distributed free of charge ; or to a newspaper that tends to emphasize sensationalism crime stories, gossip columns repeating scandalous innuend...
 gossip and controversy.

The only other major difference between the Grammys and the AMAs is that the AMAs do not currently have an award for Best Single/Record but the Grammys do.

Favorite Artist of the Year2009

In 1996, the AMAs instituted a new award, Favorite Artist of the Year, which was awarded to Garth Brooks
Garth Brooks

Troyal Garth Brooks is an American country music artist. His eponymous first album was released in 1989; it peaked at #2 in the US country album chart and reached #13 on the Billboard 200 pop album chart....
. Brooks gave a short speech essentially saying he didn't deserve the award in a year he didn't do anything, and left the award on the podium. The category was discontinue

International flavor

Although the American Music Awards is primarily for artists that originate from the United States, international artists like Elton John
Elton John

Sir Elton Hercules John Order of the British Empire is an England singer-songwriter, composer and pianist.In his four-decade career, John has been one of the dominant forces in rock and popular music, especially during the 1970s....
, Celine Dion
Celine Dion

C?line Marie Claudette Dion Order of Canada National Order of Quebec is a Canadian singer-songwriter and actor. Born to a large, impoverished family, Dion emerged as a teen star in the French-speaking world after her manager and future husband Ren? Ang?lil mortgaged his home to finance her first record....
, Shania Twain
Shania Twain

Shania Twain Order of Canada is a Canadian singer and songwriter in the country music and popular music genres. Her third album Come on Over is the List of best-selling albums worldwide of all time by a female musician and the best-selling album in the history of country music....
, George Michael
George Michael

Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou , best known as George Michael, is a two-time Grammy Award winning, England singer-songwriter, who has had a career as frontman of the duo Wham! as well as a soul music-influenced, solo Pop music musician....
, Rihanna
Rihanna

Robyn Rihanna Fenty , known as Rihanna , is a Barbados singer, fashion model, and former beauty queen. She also serves as the cultural ambassador for Barbados....
, Enrique Iglesias
Enrique Iglesias

Enrique Miguel Iglesias Preysler , better known as Enrique Iglesias, is a Spain singer-songwriter, model, and actor.Iglesias started his musical career with Mexico indie label Fonovisa, which helped turn him into one of the most popular artists in Latin America and in the Hispanic and Latino Americans market in the United States, sell...
, Shakira
Shakira

Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll known simply as Shakira, is a Colombian singer-songwriter, musician, record producer, dancer and philanthropist who emerged as a Prodigy in the music scene of Latin America in the mid-1990s....
 and the Spice Girls
Spice Girls

The Spice Girls are an English pop girl group formed in 1994. They consist of Victoria Beckham, Melanie Brown, Emma Bunton, Melanie Chisholm and Geri Halliwell....
 have also won awards on the show. Although this is in part of their large popularity in the United States.

Hosts

For the first decade or so, the AMAs had multiple hosts, each representing a genre of music. For instance, Glen Campbell
Glen Campbell

Glen Travis Campbell is a Grammy Award, Dove Award winning, and two time nominated Golden Globe Award United States country pop singer, guitarist and occasional actor....
 would host the country portion (Campbell, in fact, has co-hosted the AMAs more times than any other host or co-host), while other artists would co-host to represent his/her genre. In recent years, however, there has been one single host. For the 2008 awards, Jimmy Kimmel hosted for the fourth consecutive year.

From its inception in 1973 until 2003, the AMAs have been held in mid- to late-January, but were moved to November beginning in 2003 so as not to further compete with other major awards shows (such as the Golden Globe Award
Golden Globe Award

The Golden Globe Awards are presented annually by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association to recognize outstanding achievements in the entertainment industry, both domestic and foreign, and to focus wide public attention upon the best in film and television program....
s and the Academy Awards
Academy Awards

The Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers....
) and allows for ABC to have a well-rated awards show during November sweeps.

Artists with the most awards

The most American Music Awards for a group belongs to Alabama
Alabama (band)

Alabama is a Grammy Award-winning country music and southern rock band that originated in Fort Payne, Alabama, Alabama, United States. They were the most commercially successful country act in the 1980s and remain one of the bestselling American musical acts of all time....
 who have collected twenty-two awards. The record for a solo artist belongs to Whitney Houston
Whitney Houston

Whitney Elizabeth Houston is an United States singer, songwriter,actress, record producer, film producer, and former model . Houston rose to international fame in the mid-1980s and her crossover success opened doors for many other African American women to find success in booty shaking & pop music and movies....
 who has amassed twenty awards.

The record for the most American Music Awards won in a single year is held by both Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson

Michael Joseph Jackson is an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. The seventh child of the Jackson family, he debuted on the professional music scene at the age of 11 as a member of The Jackson 5 and began a solo career in 1971 while still a member of the group....
 (for 1983
1983 in music

Events*Publication of A Generative Theory of Tonal Music by Fred Lerdahl and Ray Jackendoff.*February 6 - Madonna released her first ever album after signing to Warner Bros.....
's Thriller
Thriller (album)

Thriller is the sixth studio album by American recording artist Michael Jackson. The album was released on November 30, 1982 by Epic Records as the follow-up to Jackson's critically and commercially successful 1979 album Off the Wall ....
), and Whitney Houston (for 1992
1993 in music

This is a summary of significant events in music in 1993....
's The Bodyguard Soundtrack
The Bodyguard (soundtrack)

The Bodyguard is the soundtrack from the The Bodyguard, released on November 17, 1992 on Arista Records and features six songs by Whitney Houston, as well as songs from various other noted artists of the time; the album was co-executive produced by Whitney Houston and Clive Davis....
), each with 8 awards to their credit (including the Award of Merit, with which both artists were honored in the respective years).

Most American Music Awards won by category
Favorite Country Band, Duo or Group: (16) Wins
  • Alabama
    Alabama (band)

    Alabama is a Grammy Award-winning country music and southern rock band that originated in Fort Payne, Alabama, Alabama, United States. They were the most commercially successful country act in the 1980s and remain one of the bestselling American musical acts of all time....
Favorite Country Female Artist: (12) Wins
  • Reba McEntire
    Reba McEntire

    Reba Nell McEntire is an United States country music singer, performer and actress. Sometimes referred to as "The Queen of Country", she is known for her lively stage-shows and pop-tinged ballads....
Favorite Country Male Artist: (9) Wins
  • Garth Brooks
    Garth Brooks

    Troyal Garth Brooks is an American country music artist. His eponymous first album was released in 1989; it peaked at #2 in the US country album chart and reached #13 on the Billboard 200 pop album chart....
Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist: (8) Wins
  • Luther Vandross
    Luther Vandross

    Luther Ronzoni Vandross was an United States rhythm and blues and soul music singer-songwriter, and record producer. During his career, Vandross sold over twenty-five million albums and won eight Grammy Awards including Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance four times....
Favorite Adult Contemporary Artist: (5) Wins
  • Celine Dion
    Celine Dion

    C?line Marie Claudette Dion Order of Canada National Order of Quebec is a Canadian singer-songwriter and actor. Born to a large, impoverished family, Dion emerged as a teen star in the French-speaking world after her manager and future husband Ren? Ang?lil mortgaged his home to finance her first record....
Favorite Latin Artist: (5) Wins
  • Enrique Iglesias
    Enrique Iglesias

    Enrique Miguel Iglesias Preysler , better known as Enrique Iglesias, is a Spain singer-songwriter, model, and actor.Iglesias started his musical career with Mexico indie label Fonovisa, which helped turn him into one of the most popular artists in Latin America and in the Hispanic and Latino Americans market in the United States, sell...
Favorite Soul/R&B Band, Duo, or Group: (4) Wins
  • Gladys Knight and the Pips
  • Earth, Wind and Fire
Favorite Pop/Rock Female Artist: (4) Wins
  • Olivia Newton-John
    Olivia Newton-John

    Olivia Newton-John Order of Australia, Order of the British Empire is an England, Australian singer and actor. She is an avid activist for both environmentalism issues and breast cancer awareness....
  • Whitney Houston
    Whitney Houston

    Whitney Elizabeth Houston is an United States singer, songwriter,actress, record producer, film producer, and former model . Houston rose to international fame in the mid-1980s and her crossover success opened doors for many other African American women to find success in booty shaking & pop music and movies....
Favorite Soul/R&B Female Artist: (4) Wins
  • Aretha Franklin
    Aretha Franklin

    Aretha Louise Franklin is an American singer, songwriter and pianist commonly referred to as "The Queen of Soul". Although renowned for her soul recordings, Franklin is also adept at jazz, rock and roll, blues, Pop music, Rhythm and Blues and Gospel music....
  • Mariah Carey
    Mariah Carey

    Mariah Carey is an United States singer-songwriter, record producer and actress. She made her recording debut in 1990 under the guidance of Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola, and became the first recording artist to have her first five singles top the U.S....
Favorite Alternative Artist: (4) Wins
  • Linkin Park
    Linkin Park

    Linkin Park is an American Rock music band from Agoura Hills, California, California. Since its formation in 1996, the band has sold more than 50 million albums and won two Grammy Awards....
Favorite Pop/Rock Male Artist: (3) Wins
  • Michael Bolton
    Michael Bolton

    Michael Bolton , is an United States singer-songwriter and a former heavy metal music singer, best known for his soft rock ballads and tenor vocals....
  • Eric Clapton
    Eric Clapton

    Eric Patrick Clapton Order of the British Empire is an English blues-rock guitarist, singer, songwriter and composer. He is "probably most famous for his mastery of the Stratocaster guitar." Clapton has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Yardbirds, of Cream , and as a solo performer, being the only person to...
  • Barry Manilow
    Barry Manilow

    Barry Manilow is an United States singer-songwriter, musician, arrangement, record producer and conducting, best known for such recordings as "I Write the Songs", "Mandy ", "Weekend in New England" and "Copacabana "....


Complete list of winners


External links

  • , official site
  • , a scathing critique of the 2001 awards show