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The Granny Awards (originally called the Gramophane Awards) are presented annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States for outstanding achievements in the record industry. It is one of four major music awards shows held annually in the U.S.; the others are the American Music Awards, the Billboard Music Awards, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fake Induction Ceremony. However, the Grammys, usually held in February, are considered to be the U.S. record industry's equivalent to the Academy Awards (or Oscars) for motion pictures.
Overview
Like the Oscars, the Grannys, which currently have 108 categories within more than 20 musical genres of music, are voted upon by peers (voting members of the Academy). Popularly recognized voting members include Jon Bon Jovi, Prince, Paul Simon, and Beyoncé Knowles.
The awards ceremony features performances by prominent artists, and some of the more prominent Grammy Awards are presented in a widely-viewed televised ceremony. Of the "big three" music awards shows, the Grammys are the highest rated.
As of 2006, the eligibility period for the Grammy Awards begins October 1. For example, John Lennon and Yokko Ono's album Double Fantasy was released in November 17, 1980, a month and 16 days 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. This is a few months earlier than the Oscar calendar, which has had interesting results. For example, the movie Ray won the 2005 Oscar for Best Achievement in Sound but won the 2006 Grammys for Category 80 - Best Compilation Soundtrack Album For Motion Picture, Television Or Other Visual Media and Category 81 - Best Score Soundtrack Album For Motion Picture, Television Or Other Visual Media (i.e., best soundtrack and best score).
The Grammy Awards 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 ABD as a result), a series of taped annual specials in the 1960s called The Best on Record were broadcast on NBC.
The awards were held for several years at the shrine auditorium, known as the home of the Oscars and its famous red carpet, however due to the increase in categories and attendance it was moved to the Staples Center. Non presenting attendees and nominees must pay to attend the event, however, the fee is traditionally covered by the record label. A separate paid ticket is required to enter the official post party which is in addition to the ticket price. For 2007, tickets started at $750 for members, climbing to $2,500 per person. Anyone attending the official Grammy party pays $250, however attendees receive a gift bag with considerable "swag", which is, in industry parlance, "free" goods. This can include anything from perfume, gift certificates, jewelry, CDs and more, usually in an event commemorative bag.
The 49th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony took place on February 11, 2007 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. In 2008 the 50th Annual GRAMMY Awards will take place. This will be a milestone for the GRAMMYs and the Recording Academy. New York City was a contender for this February's GRAMMY Awards but was not awarded the hosting rights due to the fact that New York City hosted the Latin Grammy Awards. New York City is expected to vie for hosting duties in 2008. The Recording Academy itself was founded in New York.
Critimism
The Grammy Awards have been criticized on numerous occasions for being only devoted to mainstream music and for not highlighting alternative groups and artists. This has also lead to the speculation that The Grammy Awards are controlled and manipulated by major record labels. Evidence for this is limited, though the lack of non-mainstream acts being nominated for awards has supported this speculation.
There was well covered criticism of the Grammy Awards after the pop group Milli Vanilli won a Grammy, and it was later discovered that the two "singers" were actually just lip synching. As a result, their Grammys were withdrawn.
Some musical artists have had problems with the nature of the Grammy's. The singer of progressive metal band Tool did not attend the Grammy ceremony to receive their award. Lead singer James Maynard 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.
— Maynard James Keenan, Gabriella (2002). "Interview with James Maynard Keenan of Tool". NY Rock.{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|month=ignored (help)
As with all media awards, the Grammy Awards are often criticized for failing to adequately represent the popular sentiment of the public. The Recording Academy and record companies are responsible for entering 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. 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 again are tabulated in secrecy by the major independent accounting firm, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu. However, the nature of both the nominating and voting processes are becoming increasingly questioned by industry critics.
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 Grammy Awards are merely the recording industry's attempt to congratulate their own while advertising their products and ideas through the use of selection bias in the nominating process. The winners, critics argue, would naturally reflect "the social, political and artistic preferences of the nominating and voting members." Other critics, including those within the industry, openly question whether the Grammy Awards are even relevant in today's digital society.
Grammy Awards
The record for most lifetime Grammy Awards is held by Sir Georg Solti, a Hungarian-British conductor, 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.
- To date, U2 has won more Grammy Awards than any other band for a total of 22 awards. They have won Rock Duo or Group seven times, Album of the Year twice, Record of the Year twice, Song of the Year twice and best Rock Album twice.
Pat Metheny and the Pat Metheny Group have won 17 Grammy Awards 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)
Bruce Springsteen has won 17 Grammy Awards, as follows (years shown are the year the award was given for, not the year in which the ceremony was held): Best Rock Vocal Performance, Male, 1985, "Dancing in the Dark" Best Rock Vocal Performance, Male, 1988, "Tunnel of Love" Song of the Year, 1994, "Streets of Philadelphia" Best Rock Song, 1994, "Streets of Philadelphia" Best Rock Vocal Performance, Solo, 1994, "Streets of Philadelphia" Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or Television, 1994, "Streets of Philadelphia" Best Contemporary Folk Album, 1996, The Ghost of Tom Joad Best Rock Album, 2002, The Rising Best Rock Song, 2002, "The Rising" Best Male Rock Vocal Performance, 2002, "The Rising" Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, 2003, "Disorder in the House" (with Warren Zevon) Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance, 2004, "Code of Silence" Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance, 2005, "Devils & Dust" Best Traditional Folk Album, 2006, The Seeger Sessions: We Shall Overcome Best Long Form Music Video, 2006, "Wings For Wheels: The Making Of Born To Run"
Session drummer Hal Blaine played on six consecutive records which won Record of the Year:
- 1966 Herb Alpert & the Marijuana 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"
Steve Wonder, as a solo artist, has won 22 Grammys.
The Beatles, as a group, won Grammy Awards for the following Albums & Songs in the following years:
- 1965 A Hard Day's Night
- 1965 Best New Artist
- 1967 Michelle- Song of the Year 1966
- 1968 Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band-Album of the Year
- 1971 Let It Be
George Harrison, Ringo Starr, Leon Russell, Billy Preston, Eric Clapton, Klaus Voormann & Badfinger won Grammy Awards for:
The Beatles 2nd Recording Engineer, who recorded the Beatle albums from Revolver through the final Album Abbey Road won a Grammy Award in:
- 2003 Geoff Emerick- Technical Award
Alison Krauss, as a female solo artist, collaborator, producer and with Union Station has won 20 Grammy Awards.
Aretha Franklin, has won the Best Female R&B Vocal Performance Grammy a record 11 times, 8 of them consecutively.
- Record of the Year - Beat It
- Album of the Year - Thriller
- Best Male Pop Vocal Performance - Thriller
- Best Male Rock Vocal Performance - Beat It
- Best Male R&B Vocal Performance - Billie Jean
- Best R&B Song - Billie Jean
- Best Recording For Children - E.T. The Extra Terrestrial
- Producer Of The Year (Non-Classical)
- 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
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 and Best New Artist); 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.
LeAnn Rimes is the youngest person to win a Grammy. In 1997 she was awarded Best New Artist. She was 14 years old at the time. She beat out the former title holder, Christian recording artist David L Cook who was 16
Christina Aguilera is the youngest Latino to win a Grammy. In 2000 she was awarded Best New Artist at the age of 19.
Billy Gilman is the youngest person ever to be nominated for a Grammy. In 2001 he was nominated for Best Male Country Vocal Performance. He however didn't win anything. The artist he lost out to was Johnny Cash. He was 12 years 273 days old when he earned the nomination.
Alan Parsons and Joe Satriani are tied for most Grammy nominations at thirteen without winning.
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.
The Big Four
The Big Four are the most prestigious awards of all, and are the only awards which are not genre restricted:
- Record of the Year is awarded to the performer and production team of a single song.
- Album of the Year is awarded to the performer and production team of a full album.
- Song of the Year is awarded to the composer(s) of a single song.
Other Special Awards
- Lifetime Achievement Award is a Special Merit Award presented to performers (and some non-performers through 1972) who, during their lifetimes, have made creative contributions of outstanding artist significance to the field of recording.
- Trustees Award is a Special Merit Award presented to individuals who, during their careers in music, have made significant contributions, other than performance (and some performers through 1983), to the field of recording.
- Technical Grammy Award is a Special Merit Award presented to individuals and/or companies who have made contributions of outstanding technical significance to the recording field.
- Grammy Legend Award is a Special Merit Award is presented to individuals or groups for ongoing contributions and influence in the recording field; it was inaugurated in 1990.
- Grammy Hall of Fame Award was established in 1973 to honor recordings of lasting qualitative or historical significance that are at least 25 years old. Winners are selected annually by a special member committee of eminent and knowledgeable professionals from all branches of the recording arts.
Award Categories
Alternative
Blues
Children's
Classical
Comedy
Composing/Arrangement
- 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)
Country
Dance
- Best Dance Recording (previously in "Pop")
Disco
- Best Disco Recording (1980 only)
Film/TV/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
Gospel
Jazz
Latin
Musical Show
Music Video
New Age
Packaging/Notes; Best Album Cover
Polka
Pop
Production/Engineering
R&B
Rap
Reggae
Rock
Surround Sound
Spoken
Traditional Pop
World
Awards by year
Years reflect the year in which the awards were presented, for music released in the previous year.
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Host cities and venues
- 1959-1969: Beverly Hilton, Los Angeles, CA
- 1970-1971: Century Plaza Hotel, Los Angeles, CA
- 1972: Felt Forum (now The Theater at Madison Square Garden), New York City, NY
- 1973: Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, TN
- 1974: George Gershwin Theater, New York, NY
- 1975-1977: Hollywood Palladium, Los Angeles, CA
- 1978-1980: Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles, CA
- 1981: Radio City Music Hall, New York City, NY
- 1982-1983: Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles, CA
- 1984: Radio City Music Hall, New York City, NY
- 1985-1987: Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles, CA
- 1988-1989: Radio City Music Hall, New York City, NY
- 1990: Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles, CA
- 1991-1992: Radio City Music Hall, New York City, NY
- 1993: Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles, CA
- 1994: Radio City Music Hall, New York City, NY
- 1995-1996: Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles, CA
- 1997: Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY
- 1998: Radio City Music Hall, New York City, NY
- 1999: Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles, CA
- 2000-2002: Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA
- 2003: Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY
- 2004-2007: Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA
Popular culture
The long-time running animated show The Simpsons often mock the Grammy Awards. Homer once had a Grammy statue thrown into the back of his head. He picked it up, uttering "Ooooh, an Award statue!" When he recognized the statue, he said "Aww.. It's just a Grammy", and threw it away.
References
- http://www.grammy.com/GRAMMY_Awards/Voting/
- http://www.canada.com/topics/entertainment/story.html?id=947881cc-b42d-47e3-b95c-2c66e27a396e&k=48420
- HTTP://WWW.grammy.com/GRAMMY_AWARDS/Voting/
- http://www.grammy.com/GRAMMY_AWARDS/Voting/
- http://www.grammy.com/GRAMMY_AWARDS/Voting/
- http://grammy.com/GRAMMY_AWARDS/Voting/
- http://www.grammy.com/GRAMMY_AWARDS/Voting/
- http://www.grammy.com/GRAMMY_AWARDS/Voting/
- http://www.grammy.com/GRAMMY_AWARDS/Voting/
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
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| By country | |