Interesting facts about The Grammys
The Grammy Awards was established in 1958 by a group of music industry professionals. They saw the need to for the Grammy Awards so that popular music of the highest quality would receive a deserved recognition and to also curb the popularity the rock n’ roll genre that was gaining. This was an important step after the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences had been founded the previous year. The first ever Grammy Awards ceremony was held in 1959 and had an attendance of 500 guests. The Record of the Year Award was won by Domenco Mondugno’s Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blue, who still remains as the only non-English musician to win the Grammy’s highest honor. The first Grammy Awards ceremony was broadcasted by NBC as a special episode of Sunday Showcase.
It was not until 1971 when ABC bought the rights to air the ceremony that it was broadcasted live. For ceremony to be aired live, it had to be held in one location. CBS has been the home of Grammy awards having bought the rights to broadcast this ceremony since 1973. The Grammy Awards started with 28 categories, but as at now, there are 79 categories that are awarded annually. Rock n’ Roll genres are also honored after it was taken on board in 1962. The categories that carry the most popular appeal include; Record of the Year, Album of the Year, New Artist and Song of the year. These popular categories are sandwiched between live musical performances making the live broadcast exciting. The other Grammy Awards categories honor productions and performances from specific genres. Artistic and video contributions are also honored.
There are additional Grammys that are awarded to recognize the contributions and other significant activities of music recording industry. These honors include; The Lifetime Achievement Award: This award was added in 1962. It is awarded to musical artists and performers that have been outstanding and have made creative contribution to the musical industry. The recipients of this award include; Michael Jackson, Led Zepplin, Garfunkel and Simon, Johnny Cash, Aretha Franklin, Jimi Hendrix, B.B King, Billie Holiday, The Rolling Stones, Elvis Presley, Ella Fitzgerald and Frank Sinatra. The Trustee’s Award: This award was added in 1967 but since 1983, it has been limited to non-performers. Winners since 1983 include; Don Cornelius, Phil Ramone, Clive Davis, Norman Granz, Sam Philips, Dick Clark, Quincy Jones, Walt Disney, Ira & George Gershwin. The Technical Grammy Award: The recipients of this award are entities or individuals who have made a great technical contribution to the music industry. The Grammy Legend /Grammy Living Legend Award: It was added in 1990 and is awarded to honor artists who have over a long time period of time made a great contribution, made a significant impact and influence in the music recording industry. The recipients of this award include; Quincy Jones, Aretha Franklin, Michael Jackson, The Bee Gees, Elton John, Smokey Robinson and Liza Minelli.
The Grammy Hall of Fame Award: This award was added in 1973. It honors recordings that have been around for than 25 years and have stood the test of time in terms of both quality and history. The recipients of this award include; Ain’t Misbehavin’ by Fats Waller, Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy by the Andrews Sisters, Brown Eyed Girl by Van Morrison, Amazing Grace by the Dixie Hummingbird, The Christmas Song by Nat King Cole, Fever by Peggy Lee, Georgia on My Mind by Ray Charles and Satisfaction by The Rolling Stones. To be eligible to get Grammy nominations, any interested artists or their record companies must enter online and submit to the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences physical copies of their recordings. The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences has 150 music industry experts who are involved in conducting review sessions to determine the eligibility of the recording to the various available categories. The list is compiled and is then submitted to all members of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences who vote to determine the nominations for the Album of the Year, Record of the Year, Best New Artist and the Song of the Year and another maximum of nine fields on their ballot. The five top options or more in case of a tie in each category that has gotten the most votes becomes that year’s official Grammy nominees. The NARAS members then get the final ballots and are expected to vote for the Song, Record and Album of the Year, Best New Artist and vote for another maximum of eight other categories preferably the ones that are under their professional expertise.
The members of the NARAS are expected to be of high integrity and are not supposed to accept any form of favors and should just vote based on the quality of the recording while ignoring other factors such as music charts, sales and company, regional, or personal loyalties. After the process of voting is complete, the votes are tallied by Deloitte Touche TohMatsu, an accounting firm. The results are kept secret until the time that they are announced in the Grammy Awards ceremony.
Since the Grammy Awards was founded in 1958, the record-breaking winners include; Chicago Symphony Orchestra: This group has won the 60 awards which is the greatest number of Grammys won in history. Sir Georg Solti holds the record for the most Grammys ever awarded to an individual. He has won 31 Grammys out of 74 Grammy nominations. He was the classical conductor of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Quincy Jones holds the record of most Grammys won by a producer. He has 27 Grammys to his name out of 79 Grammy nominations. Stevie Wonder has won the Grammy 22 times and thus holds the record of most Grammys won by a male recording artist. The female recording artist who has won the greatest number of Grammy Awards is Alison Krauss with 26. Santana and Michael Jackson are tied for the record of most Grammys won in a single night. They have each won the Grammy 8 times in a single night. Michael Jackson also holds the record of the most nominations in a single night, with twelve in 1984.