The
Grammy Awards (originally called the
Gramophone Awards)—or
Grammys—are presented annually by the
National Academy of Recording Arts and SciencesThe National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, Inc. is known variously as The Recording Academy or NARAS. Established in 1957, it is a U.S. organization of musicians, producers, recording engineers and other recording professionals dedicated to improving the quality of life and cultural...
of the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
for outstanding achievements in the music industry. The awards ceremony features performances by prominent artists, and some of the awards of more popular interest are presented in a widely-viewed televised ceremony.
The awards were established in 1958. Prior to the first live Grammys telecast in 1971 on
ABCThe American Broadcasting Company is an American television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. It first broadcast on television in 1948...
, a series of taped annual specials in the 1960s called
The Best on Record were broadcast on
NBCThe National Broadcasting Company is an American television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices in Burbank,California...
. The first Grammy Award telecast took place on the night of November 29, 1959, as an episode of the NBC anthology series
Sunday Showcase, which was normally devoted to plays, original TV dramas, and variety shows. Until 1971, awards ceremonies were held in both New York and Los Angeles, with winners accepting at one of the two.
Pierre CossettePierre Maurice Joseph Cossette was a television executive producer and Broadway producer who brought the Grammy Awards to television. Cossette was inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame in 2005...
bought the rights to broadcast the ceremony from the
National Academy of Recording Arts and SciencesThe National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, Inc. is known variously as The Recording Academy or NARAS. Established in 1957, it is a U.S. organization of musicians, producers, recording engineers and other recording professionals dedicated to improving the quality of life and cultural...
and organized the first live telecast.
CBSCBS Broadcasting Inc. is an American television network, one of television's original "big three", which also include NBC and ABC. Like NBC, CBS started out as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System...
bought the rights in 1973 after moving the ceremony to
Nashville, TennesseeNashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is the second most populous city in the state after Memphis. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state...
; the American Music Awards were created for
ABCThe American Broadcasting Company is an American television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. It first broadcast on television in 1948...
as a result.
The
52nd Grammy AwardsThe 52nd Annual Grammy Awards will take place on January 31, 2010. CBS will broadcast the event, which will take place again at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. The nominations for the Awards will be announced on December 2, 2009...
ceremony is scheduled to be held on January 31, 2010, and will be held at
Los AngelesLos Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the municipality of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123.445 inhabitants...
'
Staples CenterStaples Center is a multi-purpose sports arena in Downtown Los Angeles, California, United States. Adjacent to the L.A. Live development, it is located next to the Los Angeles Convention Center complex. It is suitable for large indoor events, including basketball, ice hockey, arena football and...
.
Gramophone trophy
The actual trophy is manufactured exclusively by
Billings Artworks in
Ridgway, ColoradoThe City of Ridgway is a Home Rule Municipality in Ouray County, Colorado, in the United States. The population was 713 at the 2000 census. The area is famous as the setting of the John Wayne's western movie True Grit, and others including How the West Was Won and Tribute to a Bad Man.The...
. The trophies are all hand made and assembled. Years ago, the old smaller gramophone had to be revamped because the metals were too soft and there were many problems with the trophy breaking. The trophy was made bigger and grander. The Grammy is assembled in pieces and finally finished off in gold plating. The trophies used for the broadcast are called "stunt" Grammys.
As of 2007, 7,578 Grammy trophies have been awarded.
Categories
The "General Field" are four awards which are not restricted by genre.
- Album of the Year
The Grammy Award for Album of the Year is one of the most prestigious award category at the Grammys. It has been awarded since 1959 and though it was originally presented to the artist alone, the award is now presented to the artist, the producer, the engineer and/or mixer and the mastering engineer...
is awarded to the performer and the production team of a full album.
- Record of the Year
The Record of the Year is one of the four most prestigious Grammy Awards presented annually. It has been awarded since 1959. The honorees through its history have been:*1959-1965: Artist only.*1966-1998: Artist and producer....
is awarded to the performer and the production team of a single song.
- Song of the Year
The Song of the Year is one of the four most prestigious awards in the Grammy Awards ceremony, if not in all of the American music industry. It has been awarded since 1959 to the composer of the song in question...
is awarded to the writer(s)/composer(s) of a single song.
- Best New Artist
The Grammy for Best New Artist has been awarded since 1960. Years reflect the year in which the Grammy Awards were handed out, for records released in the previous year. The award was not presented in 1967...
is awarded to a performer who releases, during the Eligibility Year, the first recording which establishes the public identity of that artist (which may not necessarily be their first proper release).
Other awards are given for performance and production in specific genres, as well as for other contributions such as artwork and video. Special awards are also given out for more long-lasting contributions to the music industry.
Nomination process
Record companies and individuals may submit recordings to be nominated. The entries are entered online and then a physical copy of the product must be sent to the
National Academy of Recording Arts and SciencesThe National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, Inc. is known variously as The Recording Academy or NARAS. Established in 1957, it is a U.S. organization of musicians, producers, recording engineers and other recording professionals dedicated to improving the quality of life and cultural...
. Once a work is entered, reviewing sessions are held by over 150 experts from the recording industry. This is done only to determine whether or not a work is eligible or entered into the proper category for official nomination. They may vote to nominate in the general field (
Record of the YearThe Record of the Year is one of the four most prestigious Grammy Awards presented annually. It has been awarded since 1959. The honorees through its history have been:*1959-1965: Artist only.*1966-1998: Artist and producer....
,
Album of the YearThe Grammy Award for Album of the Year is one of the most prestigious award category at the Grammys. It has been awarded since 1959 and though it was originally presented to the artist alone, the award is now presented to the artist, the producer, the engineer and/or mixer and the mastering engineer...
,
Song of the YearThe Song of the Year is one of the four most prestigious awards in the Grammy Awards ceremony, if not in all of the American music industry. It has been awarded since 1959 to the composer of the song in question...
and
Best New ArtistThe Grammy for Best New Artist has been awarded since 1960. Years reflect the year in which the Grammy Awards were handed out, for records released in the previous year. The award was not presented in 1967...
) and in no more than nine out of 30 other fields on their ballots. Only 5 acts can be nominated for each category. Following this process the votes are tabulated. The 5 recordings that earn the most votes become the nominees. There may be more than five nominees if there is a tie in the nomination process. After the nominations are announced final voting ballots are sent to Recording Academy members. They may then vote in the general field and in no more than eight of the 30 fields. Ballots are tabulated secretly by the major independent accounting firm
Deloitte Touche TohmatsuDeloitte Touche Tohmatsu is one of the largest professional services organizations in the world and one of the Big Four auditors, along with PricewaterhouseCoopers, Ernst & Young, and KPMG....
. Following the tabulation of votes the winners are announced at the Grammy Awards. The recording with the most votes in a category wins and it is possible to have a tie. Winners are presented with the Grammy Award and those who don't win are given a medal for their nomination. Academy members in the nomination process and final voting process are to vote based upon quality alone. They are not supposed to be influenced by sales, chart performance, personal friendships, regional preferences or company loyalty. The acceptance of gifts is prohibited. Members are urged to vote in a manner that preserves the integrity of the academy. The nomination and final voting processes requires that members vote only in their fields of expertise. The eligibility period for the 2010 Grammy awards is October 1, 2008 to August 31, 2009.
Leaders
With 31 Grammy Awards, Sir
Georg SoltiSir Georg Solti, KBE was a Hungarian-British orchestral and operatic conductor. He holds the record for having received the most Grammy awards, having personally won 31, including the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.- Early career :Solti was born György Stern in Budapest to a Jewish family; his...
is the male artist with the most Grammy wins.
Alison KraussAlison Krauss is an American bluegrass-country singer and fiddler. She entered the music industry at an early age, winning local contests by the age of ten and recording for the first time at fourteen. She signed with Rounder Records in 1985 and released her first solo album in 1987...
is the biggest winner among female artists with 26 awards.
U2U2 are a rock band that formed in Dublin, Ireland. The band consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr...
, with 22, holds the record among bands, and the
Chicago Symphony OrchestraThe Chicago Symphony Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Chicago, Illinois. It is one of the five American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five". Founded in 1891, the Symphony makes its home at Orchestra Hall in Chicago and plays a summer season at the Ravinia Festival...
holds the record for any musical group with 60 wins.
| Rank |
1st |
2nd |
3rd |
| Artist |
Georg SoltiSir Georg Solti, KBE was a Hungarian-British orchestral and operatic conductor. He holds the record for having received the most Grammy awards, having personally won 31, including the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.- Early career :Solti was born György Stern in Budapest to a Jewish family; his...
|
Quincy JonesQuincy Delight Jones, Jr. is an American music conductor, record producer, musical arranger, film composer and trumpeter. During five decades in the entertainment industry, Jones has earned a record 79 Grammy Award nominations, 27 Grammys, including a Grammy Legend Award in 1991...
|
Alison KraussAlison Krauss is an American bluegrass-country singer and fiddler. She entered the music industry at an early age, winning local contests by the age of ten and recording for the first time at fourteen. She signed with Rounder Records in 1985 and released her first solo album in 1987...
|
| Total awards |
31 |
27 |
26 |
Criticism
Certain musical artists have voiced personal issues with the nature of the Grammys. Singer
Maynard James KeenanMaynard James Keenan is an American rock singer, songwriter, musician, record producer, winemaker, and actor. Originally from Ohio, Keenan spent his high school and college years in Michigan. After serving in the Army in the early 1980s, he attended Kendall College of Art and Design in Grand Rapids...
, of
progressive metalProgressive metal is a fusion genre: a mixture of progressive rock and heavy metal. Progressive metal blends the powerful, guitar-driven sound of metal with the complex compositional structures, odd time signatures, and intricate instrumental playing of progressive rock...
band
ToolTool is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1990. Since their inception, the band's line-up has included drummer Danny Carey, guitarist Adam Jones, and vocalist Maynard James Keenan. The current bassist is Justin Chancellor, who has been with the band since 1995...
did not attend the Grammys ceremony to receive their award. He explained his reasons:
The Grammys are often criticized for not representing public sentiment. Some critics have argued that major award shows like the Grammys are merely the recording industry's attempt to congratulate themselves while advertising their products. Some critics argue that winners naturally reflect "the social, political and artistic preferences of the nominating and voting members."
Additionally, many have criticized the Grammys for distributing more awards than necessary and that a large portion of the ceremony is "filler" to result in a longer engagement.
BonoPaul David Hewson, KBE , most commonly known by his stage name Bono, is an Irish singer and musician, best known for being the main vocalist of the Dublin-based rock band U2. Bono was born and raised in Dublin, Ireland, and attended Mount Temple Comprehensive School where he met his future wife,...
(
U2U2 are a rock band that formed in Dublin, Ireland. The band consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr...
) was critical of the Grammys early in his career, but later he began to appreciate their inclusiveness:
It was all there: anger, love, forgiveness, family, community and the deepest sense of history... Here was the full power of American music challenging my arrogance. I watched the rest of the show with new eyes. The Grammys invited jazzJazz is a musical art form which originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States from a confluence of African and European music traditions....
, countryCountry music is a blend of popular musical forms originally found in the Southern United States and the Appalachian Mountains...
, rockRock music is a genre of popular music that entered the mainstream in the 1960s. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, rhythm and blues, country music and also drew on folk music, jazz and classical music....
, soulSoul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
and classicalClassical music is the mainstream music produced in, or rooted in the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 9th century to present times...
into the same hall. No regard for demographic studies of what would deliver ratings, no radio call-out research-- a mad amalgam of the profound and the absurd and the creeping realization that one man's Mozart is another man's Vegas."
External links
Lists
- Grammy Awards winners at Grammy.com (searchable database)
- Grammy Awards nominees at MetroLyrics
MetroLyrics is the first lyrics-dedicated website to provide legal, licensed song lyrics, while compensating artists and song writers. It was founded in 2002 and has partnered with Gracenote in order to develop the licensing structure. MetroLyrics is the No.1 global lyrics website and was the...
(lists since 1958)
- Grammy Awards at IMDb (wins and noms in film/TV-related awards)