Grammy Award
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Grammy Award | |
| Image:Gnome globe current event.svg 50th Grammy Awards | |
| Image:GRAMMY1.jpg The Grammy awards are named for the trophy: a small, gilded gramophone statuette. The trophy is made by Billings Artworks | |
| Awarded for | Outstanding achievements in the record industry |
| Presented by | National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences |
| Country | USA |
| First awarded | 1959 |
| Official website | |
|---|---|
The Grammy Awards (originally called the Gramophone Awards)--or "Grammys"--are presented annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States for outstanding achievements in the record industry. The awards ceremony features performances by prominent artists, and some of the more prominent Grammy Awards are presented in a widely-viewed televised ceremony. The current President of the Academy is Neil Portnow. The Grammys are considered the highest music honor, the U.S. record industry's equivalent to the Academy Awards (Oscars) for motion pictures.[citation needed]
Prior to the first live Grammys telecast in 1971 on ABC (CBS bought the rights in 1973 after moving the ceremony to Nashville, Tennessee; the American Music Awards were created for ABC as a result), a series of taped annual specials in the 1960s called The Best on Record were broadcast on NBC.
The award show is normally held in February. The 49th Grammy Awards ceremony took place on February 11, 2007 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. In 2008 the 50th Grammy Awards will take place on February 10 again at the Staples Center. Nominations were announced on December 6, 2007.
As of 2006, the eligibility period for the Grammy Awards begins October 1.
[edit] The Gramaphone
The actual trophy is manufactured exclusively by Billings Artworks in Ridgeway, CO. The trophies are all hand made and assembled. Years ago,the old smaller gramaphone 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. [1] The Grammy is assembled in pieces and finally finished off in gold plating. The trophies used for the broadcast are called "stunt" Grammys. Billing's keeps the actual awards in his studio until after the winners are announced at which time he engraves them and loads them into his van, drives them across country and personally delivers them to the academy. [2]
[edit] Categories
The "General Field" are four awards which are not restricted by genre, and are generally considered to be the most important.[citation needed]
- Record of the Year is awarded to the performer and the production team of a single song.
- Album of the Year is awarded to the performer and the production team of a full album.
- Song of the Year is awarded to the writer(s)/composer(s) of a single song.
- Best New Artist
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 conributions to the music industry.
[edit] Criticism
Certain musical artists have voiced personal issues with the nature of the Grammys. The singer of rock band Tool did not attend the Grammys ceremony to receive their award. Lead singer Maynard James Keenan explained his thoughts of the Grammys:
| “ | I think the Grammys are nothing more than some gigantic promotional machine for the music industry. They cater to a low intellect and they feed the masses. They don't honor the arts or the artist for what he created. It's the music business celebrating itself. That's basically what it's all about. | ” |
The Grammys are often criticized for failing to represent adequately the sentiments of the public. The Recording Academy and record companies are responsible for entering into nomination the works that they deem most deserving. 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. The nomination process requires that members vote only in their fields of expertise. They may nominate in the four general categories (Record of the Year, Album of the Year, Song of the Year and Best New Artist) and in no more than nine out of 31 fields on their ballots. Once the nominations are secured, Recording Academy members may then vote in the four general categories and in no more than eight of the 31 fields. Ballots are tabulated secretly by the major independent accounting firm Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu.[1]
There is much debate about whether or not this sort of nominating process is the result of commercial, political, or industry bias. Some conservative critics have argued that major award shows like the Grammys are merely the recording industry's attempt to congratulate themselves while advertising their products and ideas through the use of selection bias in the nomination and award process. Some critics argue that winners naturally reflect "the social, political and artistic preferences of the nominating and voting members." Other critics within and without the industry, question openly whether music award shows are relevant in today's digital society. Award shows like the Grammys appear generally to be relevant agents of change in the industry: Billboard Magazine regularly observes a spike in an artist or group's album after winning a Grammy Award. Such evidence, however, should naturally be considered in light of confirmation bias.
Additionally, many have criticized the Grammys for distributing many more awards than necessary, and that a large portion of the ceremony is "filler" to result in a longer engagement and for being nothing more than individuals patting themselves on the back like any other awards showcase. [3]
Trent Reznor (Nine Inch Nails) wrote on his blog December 6, 2007; While the music industry is doing everything they possibly can to go out of business, can we all make sure to rid ourselves of the Grammys, too? Out-of-touch old men jacking each other off. ENOUGH! Have a nice day (quote: "Trent Reznor")[4]
[edit] Popular culture
The long-time running animated show The Simpsons often mocks the Grammy Awards. In the episode "Homer's Barbershop Quartet", Homer Simpson won a Grammy for "Outstanding Soul, Spoken Word, or Barbershop Album of the Year" for his barbershop quartet singing with The B Sharps, but uses it as a tip for roomservice. The hotel worker exclaims "Ooooh, an award statue!" When he recognized the statue, he said, "Aww, it's just a Grammy", and throws it over a balcony. The Grammy is then thrown back up over the balcony by a character off camera yelling, "Hey don't throw your trash down here!" In a later episode, "The Mansion Family", Homer mentions again that he "never won an award that means something" after complaining for not getting any awards and being reminded that he once won a Grammy. he responds with "I mean an award that's worth winning!" A disclaimer then rolls at the bottom of the screen saying that "Mr. Simpson's opinions do not reflect those of the producers, who don't consider the Grammy an award at all".
In the episode "I'm With Cupid", Elton John gives Homer a Grammy, thanking him for the compliment, and Homer mumbles something and throws it away.
[edit] Grammy trivia
This section reflects trivia records about awards given. It should not be used for publication without first confirming it's validity. Editors have contributed to this section, but due to lack of information and the academy not listing every award they give, it is almost imposible to confirm certain facts. This section is merely trivia. The academy has a database that lists these awards, however for them to be listed as factual, editors would have to search each and every artist and confirm them against every other artist in the database in order to verify the truthfullness of the statements. Furthermore, the academy has not listed several artists or catagory winners because during the time that they won, their catagory may not have been acknowledged as notable, yet an award was given. Please read here for a guideline to this section [5]
[edit] Most Grammys in a lifetime
The record for the most Grammy Awards in a lifetime is held by Sir Georg Solti, a Hungarian-British conductor who conducted the Chicago Symphony Orchestra for twenty-two years. He personally won 31 Grammys[2] and is listed for 38 Grammys (6 went to the engineer and 1 to a soloist); he was nominated an additional 74 times before his death in 1997.
[edit] Most Grammy Awards won by a band
To date, U2 has won more Grammy Awards than any other band for a total of 22 awards.
[edit] Most Grammy Awards for consecutive albums
Pat Metheny and the Pat Metheny Group have won 17 Grammy Awards in total, including seven consecutive awards for seven consecutive albums.[3] Metheny held the record for Grammy wins in the most different categories as of the 2005 Grammy Awards:
- Best Jazz Fusion Performance (1983, 1984, 1985, 1988, 1990)
- Best Instrumental Composition (1991)
- Best Contemporary Jazz Performance/Album (1993, 1994, 1996, 1999, 2003, 2005)
- Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Individual or Group (1998, 2000)
- Best Rock Instrumental Performance (1999)
- Best Jazz Instrumental Solo (2001)
[edit] Most consecutive performances on albums that won the Grammy Award for Record of the Year
Session drummer Hal Blaine played on six consecutive records which won Record of the Year:
- 1966 Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass - "A Taste of Honey"
- 1967 Frank Sinatra - "Strangers in the Night"
- 1968 5th Dimension - "Up, Up and Away"
- 1969 Simon & Garfunkel - "Mrs. Robinson"
- 1970 5th Dimension - "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In"
- 1971 Simon & Garfunkel - "Bridge Over Troubled Water"
[edit] Most Grammy Awards as a male solo artist
Stevie Wonder has won more Grammy Awards in than any other artist in popular music with a total of 28[4] This does not include a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, which he has also received. Wonder is the only artist to have won Album of the Year awards for three consecutive albums.
[edit] Most Grammy Awards as a female solo artist
Alison Krauss, as a solo artist, collaborator, producer and with Union Station has won 20 Grammy Awards.
[edit] Most wins of the Grammy for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance
Aretha Franklin has won the Best Female R&B Vocal Performance Grammy a record 11 times, 8 of them consecutively.
[edit] Most Grammy nominations in different categories
Béla Fleck has been nominated in more categories than any other musician, namely country, pop, jazz, bluegrass, classical, folk, and spoken word, as well as composition and arranging. Longtime Flecktone Victor Wooten is the only artist to be nominated for a Grammy on an independent record label for his 1997 jazz album Yin & Yang.
[edit] Youngest person to win a Grammy
LeAnn Rimes is the youngest person to win a Grammy, at 14 years old. In 1997 she was awarded Best New Artist, succeeding former title holder David L Cook, who was 16 when he won. It should also be noted that she was the first Country Artist to win the Best New Artist Grammy.
[edit] Most Grammys won by a record producer in one night
The most Grammys won by a record producer in one night is five. At the 49th Annual Grammy Awards in 2007 Rick Rubin won Record of the Year, Album of the Year and Best Country Album for the Dixie Chicks. He was awarded best Rock Album for the Red Hot Chili Peppers and he also won Producer of the Year, Non Classical.
[edit] Most Grammys won by a Male Artist in one night
The most Grammys won by a Male Artist in one night is eight, which has been accomplished by Michael Jackson in 1984 and Carlos Santana in 2000.[5]
[edit] Most Grammys won by a Female Artist in one night
The most Grammys won by a Female Artist in one night is five, which has been accomplished by five different artists: Lauryn Hill in 1999, Alicia Keys in 2002, Norah Jones in 2003, Beyonce in 2004 and The Dixie Chicks in 2007.
[edit] Nomination records
- Quincy Jones holds the record for the most Grammy nominations with 79
- Alan Parsons and Joe Satriani are tied for most Grammy nominations without winning, with thirteen.
- Billy Gilman is the youngest person ever to be nominated for a Grammy. In 2001 he was nominated for Best Male Country Vocal Performance, losing out to Johnny Cash. He was 12 years, 273 days old when he earned the nomination.
[edit] Only artist to have won the "Big Four" Grammy Awards at a single ceremony
Christopher Cross is the only artist to receive the "Big Four" (Record of the Year, Album of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best New Artist) in a single ceremony in 1981.
[edit] Award ceremony locations by year
Years reflect the year in which the awards were presented, for music released in the previous year.
Grammy Awards by year |
|---|
| 1959 | 1960 | 1961 | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 |
- 1970-1971: Century Plaza Hotel, Los Angeles
- 1972: Felt Forum (now The Theater at Madison Square Garden), New York City
- 1973: Ryman Auditorium, Nashville
- 1974: George Gershwin Theater, New York City
- 1975-1977: Hollywood Palladium, Los Angeles
- 1978-1980: Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles
- 1981: Radio City Music Hall, New York City
- 1982-1983: Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles
- 1984: Radio City Music Hall, New York City
- 1985-1987: Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles
- 1988-1989: Radio City Music Hall, New York City
- 1990: Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles
- 1991-1992: Radio City Music Hall, New York City
- 1993: Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles
- 1994: Radio City Music Hall, New York City
- 1995-1996: Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles
- 1997: Madison Square Garden, New York City
- 1998: Radio City Music Hall, New York City
- 1999: Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles
- 2000-2002: Staples Center, Los Angeles
- 2003: Madison Square Garden, New York City
- 2004-present: Staples Center, Los Angeles
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.grammy.com/GRAMMY_Awards/Voting/
- ^ http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D0CE2DD163DF930A15751C0A9659C8B63
- ^ http://www.ejazznews.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=123
- ^ He has won 25 categorys he has been in, including three two-Award wins for Album of the Year in 1973, 1974 and 1976; at that time, a self-produced artist like Wonder received two Grammys, as artist and producer, for winning that Award.
- ^ http://archives.cnn.com/2000/SHOWBIZ/Music/02/23/grammy.awards.02/ CNN article on 2000 Grammys
[edit] External links
- Official site
- Los Angeles Times listing of Grammy awards nominees in all categories: 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004
American music award shows | |
|---|---|
| Major ceremonies | American Music Award • Billboard • Grammy • Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction |
| Other ceremonies | ACM • BET • BET Hip Hop • Billboard Latin • CMA • Dove Award • Kids' Choice • Latin Grammy • MTV VMA • NAACP Image • People's Choice • Radio Music • Soul Train • Teen Choice |
Grammy Awards by year |
|---|
| 1959 | 1960 | 1961 | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 |
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