Music Sound

Grammy Award

The Grammy Awards (originally called the Gramophone Awards), presented by the Recording Academy (an association of Americans professionally involved in the recorded music industry) for outstanding achievements in the recording industry, is one of four major music awards shows held annually in the United States (the Billboard Music Awards, the American Music Awards, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, make up the rest). However, the Grammys, usually held in February, (last of what are considered the "big three" music awards shows, including the BMA and AMA shows) are considered the approximate equivalent to the Oscars, in the music world.

Like the Oscars, the Grammys, which currently have 108 categories within 30 genres of music such as pop, gospel, and rap, are voted upon by peers (voting members of the Recording Academy) rather than being based upon popularity like the AMAs or sales and chart achievements like the BMAs.

The awards are named for the trophy which the winner receives—a small gilded statuette of a gramophone, handcrafted by Billings Artworks. The awards ceremony features performances by prominent artists, and some of the more prominent Grammys are presented in a widely-viewed televised ceremony.

Some feel that Grammys tend to go to either well-established artists or those being hyped by the recording industry. In fact, many popular artists such as Elvis Presley, The Beatles, Garth Brooks, Pink Floyd, Kenny Rogers, The Rolling Stones, Metallica, Van Halen, and Ozzy Osbourne have been awarded very few Grammys. Mariah Carey had only won two Grammy awards up until the awards of 2006; she now has won a total of five. Significant, long-lived rock bands like Led Zeppelin, Bon Jovi, Guns N' Roses, Def Leppard, AC/DC, and Motley Crue have received none. On the other hand, U2 has received 22 awards to date.

Of the "big three" music awards shows, the Grammys are the highest rated.

Unlike the Academy Awards, for which the eligibility period begins January 1, the eligibility period for the Grammys begins October 1, which results in September being considered the Christmas sales period for the music industry (in which artists generally release big albums to qualify for the next year's Grammy). For example, John Lennon & Yoko Ono's album Double Fantasy was released in November, 1980, a month-and-a-half too late to qualify for the 1981 Grammys; it was entered for the 1982 awards and eventually won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year.

The Grammys are currently broadcast on CBS. 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.

Grammy records

The record for most lifetime Grammys is held by Sir Georg Solti, who was the conductor of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra for twenty-two years. He personally won 31 Grammys 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.

Pat Metheny and the Pat Metheny Group have won 17 Grammys in total, including seven consecutive awards for seven consecutive albums. 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)

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"

Alison Krauss (as a solo artist, collaborator, producer and with Union Station) has taken home 20 Grammy Awards, the most of any female artist or any country artist. She is now tied for 7th on the all-time winners list.

Motown artist Stevie Wonder has won 24 awards, including 12 in the 1970s. Three of those awards were for Album of the Year for three consecutive albums.

Legendary Opera Diva Leontyne Price has won 18 awards.

Soul and R&B legend Aretha Franklin has won 11 awards for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, including 8 consecutive (and the first 8 ever awarded) awards in the category:

1968 - "Respect"
1969 - "Chain of Fools"
1970 - "Share Your Love With Me"
1971 - "Don't Play That Song"
1972 - "Bridge Over Troubled Water"
1973 - Young, Gifted, and Black
1974 - "Master of Eyes"
1975 - "Ain't Nothing Like The Real Thing"
1982 - "Hold On, I'm Comin'"
1986 - "Freeway of Love"
1988 - Aretha

The most Grammys won in a single night is eight -- a record shared by Michael Jackson (1983) and Carlos Santana (2000).

Michael Jackson:

• Record of the Year - Beat It
• Album of the Year - Thriller
• Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male - Thriller
• Best Rock Vocal Performance, Male - Beat It
• Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male - Billie Jean
• Best Rhythm & Blues Song - Billie Jean
• Best Recording For Children - E.T. The Extra Terrestrial
• Producer Of The Year (Non-Classical)

Santana:

• Record Of The Year - Smooth
• Album Of The Year - Supernatural
• Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal - Maria Maria
• Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals - Smooth
• Best Pop Instrumental Performance - El Farol
• Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal - Put Your Lights On
• Best Rock Instrumental Performance - The Calling
• Best Rock Album - Supernatural

The record for most Grammmys (5) won in a single night by a female artist is held by four artists: Beyoncé Knowles 2004, Norah Jones 2003, Alicia Keys 2002, Lauryn Hill 1999

Beyoncé:

• Best Female R&B Vocal Performance:

Beyoncé for "Dangerously In Love 2"

• Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals

Luther Vandross & Beyoncé for "The Closer I Get to You"

• Best R&B Song

Shawn Carter, Rich Harrison, Beyoncé Knowles & Eugene Record for "Crazy in Love" performed by Beyoncé featuring Jay-Z

• Best Contemporary R&B Album

Beyoncé for Dangerously in Love

• Best Rap/Sung Collaboration

Beyoncé featuring Jay-Z for "Crazy In Love"

Norah Jones:

• Record of the Year

Norah Jones for "Don't Know Why"

• Album of the Year

Norah Jones for Come Away With Me

• Best New Artist

Norah Jones

• Best Female Pop Vocal Performance

Norah Jones for "Don't Know Why"

• Best Pop Vocal Album

Norah Jones for Come Away With Me

Alicia Keys:

• Song of the Year

Alicia Keys for "Fallin'"

• Best New Artist

Alicia Keys

• Best Female R&B Vocal Performance

Alicia Keys for "Fallin'"

• Best R&B Song

Alicia Keys (songwriter) for "Fallin'"

• Best R&B Album

Alicia Keys for Songs in A Minor

Lauryn Hill:

• Album of the Year

Lauryn Hill for The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill

• Best New Artist

Lauryn Hill

• Best Female R&B Vocal Performance

Lauryn Hill for "Doo Wop (That Thing)"

• Best R&B Song

Lauryn Hill (songwriter) for "Doo Wop (That Thing)"

• Best R&B Album

Lauryn Hill for The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill

Christopher Cross (Grammy Awards of 1981) 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. As a side note, Norah Jones (Grammy Awards of 2003) won Record of the Year, Album of the Year; that same year her guitarist, Jesse Harris, won the Song of the Year for writing 'Don't Know Why'. Although Norah sang the song, she did not receive the Song of the Year Grammy because it is a songwriter's award.

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.

Award categories

Bold ones, known 'The Big Four', are the most prestigious awards of all.

Record of the Year
Album of the Year
Song of the Year
Best New Artist
Grammy Hall of Fame
Grammy Legend Award
Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award
Grammy Tech Award
Grammy Trustees Award

Alternative

• Best Alternative Music Album

Blues

Best Traditional Blues Album
Best Contemporary Blues Album

Children's

Best Album for Children
Best Musical Album for Children
Best Spoken Word Album for Children

Classical

Best Orchestral Performance
Best Classical Vocal Performance
Best Classical Performance, Operatic or Choral
Best Opera Recording
Best Choral Performance
Best Classical Performance - Instrumental Soloist or Soloists (with or without orchestra)
Best Instrumental Soloist(s) Performance (with orchestra)
Best Instrumental Soloist Performance (without orchestra)
Best Small Ensemble Performance (with or without conductor)
Best Chamber Music Performance
Best Classical Contemporary Composition
Best Classical Album
Best Classical Crossover Album
Best New Classical Artist

Comedy

Best Comedy Album
Best Spoken Comedy Album

Composing and arranging

Best Instrumental Composition
Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media (now in the "Film/TV/Media" field)
Best Score Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media (now in the "film/TV/media" field)
Best Arrangement
Best Instrumental Arrangement
Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s)
Best Vocal Arrangement for Two or More Voices

Country

Best Female Country Vocal Performance
Best Male Country Vocal Performance
Best Country Performance, Duo or Group - Vocal or Instrumental
Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal
Best Country Collaboration with Vocals
Best Country Instrumental Performance
Best Country & Western Recording
Best Country & Western Single
Best Country Song
Best Country Album
Best Bluegrass Album
Best New Country & Western Artist

Dance

Best Dance Recording (previously in "Pop")
Best Electronic/Dance Album

Disco

• Best Disco Recording

Film/TV/Media

Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media
Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media (previously in the "composing and arranging" field)
Best Score Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media (previously in the "composing and arranging" field)

Folk

Best Ethnic or Traditional Folk Recording
Best Traditional Folk Album
Best Contemporary Folk Album
Best Native American Music Album
Best Hawaiian Music Album

Gospel

Best Gospel Performance
Best Gospel Song
Best Gospel Performance, Traditional
Best Gospel Performance, Contemporary
Best Gospel Vocal Performance, Female
Best Gospel Vocal Performance, Male
Best Gospel Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group, Choir or Chorus
Best Soul Gospel Performance
Best Soul Gospel Performance, Traditional
Best Soul Gospel Performance, Contemporary
Best Soul Gospel Performance, Female
Best Soul Gospel Performance, Male
Best Soul Gospel Performance, Male or Female
Best Soul Gospel Performance by a Duo or Group, Choir or Chorus
Best Inspirational Performance
Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album
Best Rock Gospel Album
Best Traditional Soul Gospel Album
Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album
Best Southern, Country or Bluegrass Gospel Album
Best Gospel Choir or Chorus Album

Historical

• Best Historical Album

Jazz

Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Female
Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Male
Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Duo or Group
Best Jazz Instrumental Solo
Best Jazz Instrumental Album, Individual or Group
Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album
Best Jazz Fusion Performance
Best Original Jazz Composition
Best Jazz Vocal Album
Best Contemporary Jazz Album
Best Latin Jazz Album

Latin

Best Latin Recording
Best Latin Pop Album
Best Traditional Tropical Latin Album
Best Mexican/Mexican-American Album
Best Latin Rock/Alternative Album
Best Tejano Album
Best Salsa Album
Best Merengue Album
Best Salsa/Merengue Album

Musical Show

Best Musical Show Album
Best Sound Track Album or Recording of Original Cast From a Motion Picture or Television

Music Video

Best Short Form Music Video
Best Long Form Music Video
Best Concept Music Video
Best Performance Music Video
Video of the Year

New Age

• Best New Age Album

Packaging and notes

Best Album Cover
Best Album Cover - Classical
Best Album Cover - Other Than Classical
Best Album Cover, Graphic Arts
Best Album Cover, Photography
Best Recording Package
Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package
Best Album Notes
Best Album Notes - Classical

Polka

• Best Polka Album

Pop

Best Vocal Performance, Female
Best Vocal Performance, Male
Best Performance by a Vocal Group
Best Performance by a Chorus
Best Performance by a Vocal Group or Chorus
Best Instrumental Performance
Best Female Pop Vocal Performance
Best Male Pop Vocal Performance
Best Contemporary (R&R) Solo Vocal Performance - Male or Female
Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal
Best Contemporary Performance by a Chorus
Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals
Best Performance by an Orchestra - for Dancing
Best Performance by an Orchestra or Instrumentalist with Orchestra - Primarily Not Jazz or for Dancing
Best Pop Instrumental Performance
Best Pop Instrumental Performance with Vocal Coloring
Best Contemporary Song
Best Pop Vocal Album
Best Pop Instrumental Album

Production and engineering

Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical
Best Engineered Album, Classical
Best Engineered Recording - Special or Novel Effects
Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical
Producer of the Year, Non-Classical
Producer of the Year, Classical
Remixer of the Year, Non-Classical

R&B

Best Female R&B Vocal Performance
Best Male R&B Vocal Performance
Best R&B Solo Vocal Performance, Male or Female
Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals
Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance
Best R&B Instrumental Performance
Best Urban/Alternative Performance
Best Rhythm & Blues Recording
Best R&B Song
Best R&B Album
Best Contemporary R&B Album

Rap

Best Rap Performance
Best Rap Solo Performance
Best Female Rap Solo Performance
Best Male Rap Solo Performance
Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group
Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
Best Rap Song
Best Rap Album

Reggae

• Best Reggae Album

Rock

Best Female Rock Vocal Performance
Best Male Rock Vocal Performance
Best Rock Vocal Performance, Solo
Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal
Best Rock Instrumental Performance
Best Hard Rock Performance
Best Metal Performance
Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance Vocal or Instrumental
Best Rock Song
Best Rock Album

Surround Sound

• Best Surround Sound Album

Spoken

Best Spoken Word Album
Best Spoken Comedy Album

Traditional Pop

• Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album

World

Best World Music Album
Best Traditional World Music Album
Best Contemporary World Music Album

External links

• Official site
• Grammy message board discussion

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Music Sound, v. 2.0, by MultiMedia

This guide is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia.