Grammy Award

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Grammy Award

Q: What is a Grammy Award?

A Grammy Award is any of a series of awards presented each year in the United States by either the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences or the Latin Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences. The Grammys, as they are commonly known, are meant to recognize spectacular work in the music industry.

Q: How did the Grammy Award get its name?

Since the first Grammy Awards ceremony in 1959, the statuette presented to winners is a gold-plated gramophone, also known as a phonograph or record player. The name Grammy is an homage to the gramophone and its revolutionary impact on the music industry.

Q: Who gives out the Grammy Awards?

The Grammy Awards are annually presented in the United States by the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences (NARAS). Each year, record companies and academy members submit entries for consideration. NARAS voting members select five nominees for each award, with each voter casting a ballot only in their field of expertise.

Q: When was the first Grammy Awards ceremony?

The first Grammy Awards ceremony was held in Los Angeles in 1959, and 28 awards were presented. Famous recipients included Ella Fitzgerald , Frank Sinatra , and the Kingston Trio .

Q: What is the Latin Grammy Award?

In 1997 the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences created the Latin Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences as a response to the booming Latin American music industry. Recordings eligible for the Latin Grammys may be released anywhere in the world, but they must be recorded in the Spanish or Portuguese language. The first Latin Grammy Awards ceremony was held in Los Angeles in 2000, with award winners including Shakira and Carlos Santana .

American music award

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Dec 20, 2024 • Article History

Related Topics:: Grammy Award for album of the year; Grammy Award for song of the year; Grammy Award for record of the year; Grammy Award for best new artist; EGOT

Notable Honorees:: Barack Obama; Martin Luther King, Jr.; Orson Welles; Jimmy Carter

See all related content

What is a Grammy Award?

How did the Grammy Award get its name?

Who gives out the Grammy Awards?

When was the first Grammy Awards ceremony?

What is the Latin Grammy Award?

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Grammy Award, any of a series of awards presented annually in the United States by the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences (NARAS; commonly called the Recording Academy) or the Latin Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences (LARAS; commonly called the Latin Recording Academy) to recognize achievement in the music industry. Winners are selected from more than 25 fields, which cover such genres as pop, rock, rap, R&B, country, reggae, classical, gospel, and jazz, as well as production and postproduction work, including packaging and album notes. Four general awards are also given for record, album, song of the year, and best new artist; in total more than 75 awards are presented. The honorees receive a golden statuette of a gramophone.

To be eligible for a Grammy from NARAS, the recording or music video must be released in the United States between October 1 of the previous year and midnight September 30 of the given Grammy year. Entries are submitted by record companies as well as members of the academy and are reviewed to determine eligibility and category placement. The voting members of NARAS, through a series of ballots, select five nominees for each award and ultimately the winner; the voters cast ballots only in their areas of expertise. The winners are announced during a televised ceremony.

The Grammy Awards were first presented by NARAS in Los Angeles in 1959, when 28 prizes were given. Winners included Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, and the Kingston Trio. The number of awards has increased as musical genres have emerged. Rock was first recognized as a genre by the academy at the 1980 ceremony and rap at the 1989 presentation. An award for best music video was first handed out in 1982 to acknowledge the growing influence of the medium. In 2011 NARAS radically restructured the Grammy category system and reduced the total number of awards from 109 to 78. Gender-based categories were eliminated, as were those that distinguished between solo and group efforts. Awards recognizing genres such as Hawaiian music, Native American music, and zydeco were folded into a single category, dubbed “regional roots music,” and instrumental categories were drastically scaled back. Further adjustments were made in subsequent years, and by 2017 the number of awards stabilized at 84.

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With the rise of Latin music, NARAS created LARAS in 1997. To be eligible for a Latin Grammy, a recording may be released anywhere in the world, but it must be recorded in the Spanish or Portuguese language between July 1 of the previous year and June 30 of the award year. The first Latin Grammy Awards ceremony was staged in Los Angeles in 2000, with Carlos Santana and Shakira among the winners.

Receipt of a Grammy of any sort usually results in greater record sales, as well as increased recognition to the artists. Among those who have received the most Grammys are Beyoncé (32 awards), Sir Georg Solti, Quincy Jones, Alison Krauss, Stevie Wonder, and Chet Atkins.

Grammy Award winners

Select Grammy Award winners are provided in the table.

Grammy Awards
year	record of the year^*	song of the year^**	album of the year	best new artist
^*Record of the year recognizes the performance and production of a song. From 1958 to 1964 it was awarded to the recording artist, from 1965 to 1997 to the artist and producer(s), and since 1998 to the artist, producer(s), and recording engineer(s)/mixer(s). Recording artist is listed above.
^**Song of the year recognizes the writing of a song and is awarded to the songwriter only. Recording artist is listed above.
^***Song was recorded by more than one artist during the eligibility period.
1958	"Nel blu dipinto di blu (Volaré)," Domenico Modugno	"Nel blu dipinto di blu ("Volaré)," Domenico Modugno	The Music from Peter Gunn, Henry Mancini	not awarded
1959	"Mack the Knife," Bobby Darin	"The Battle of New Orleans," Jimmy Driftwood	Come Dance with Me, Frank Sinatra	Bobby Darin
1960	"The Theme from 'A Summer Place,' " Percy Faith	"Theme from Exodus," Ernest Gold	The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart, Bob Newhart	Bob Newhart
1961	"Moon River," Henry Mancini	"Moon River," Henry Mancini	Judy at Carnegie Hall, Judy Garland	Peter Nero
1962	"I Left My Heart in San Francisco," Tony Bennett	"What Kind of Fool Am I?"^***	The First Family, Vaughn Meader	Robert Goulet
1963	"Days of Wine and Roses," Henry Mancini	"Days of Wine and Roses," Henry Mancini	The Barbra Streisand Album, Barbra Streisand	Ward Swingle (the Swingle Singers)
1964	"The Girl from Ipanema," Stan Getz and Astrud Gilberto	"Hello, Dolly!," Louis Armstrong	Getz/Gilberto, Stan Getz and João Gilberto	the Beatles
1965	"A Taste of Honey," Herb Alpert	"The Shadow of Your Smile (Love Theme from 'The Sandpiper')," Tony Bennett	September of My Years, Frank Sinatra	Tom Jones
1966	"Strangers in the Night," Frank Sinatra	"Michelle," the Beatles	A Man and His Music, Frank Sinatra	not awarded
1967	"Up, Up, and Away," the 5th Dimension	"Up, Up, and Away," the 5th Dimension	Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, the Beatles	Bobbie Gentry
1968	"Mrs. Robinson," Simon and Garfunkel	"Little Green Apples"^***	By the Time I Get to Phoenix, Glen Campbell	José Feliciano
1969	"Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In," the 5th Dimension	"Games People Play," Joe South	Blood, Sweat and Tears, Blood, Sweat and Tears	Crosby, Stills and Nash
1970	"Bridge over Troubled Water," Simon and Garfunkel	"Bridge over Troubled Water," Simon and Garfunkel	Bridge over Troubled Water, Simon and Garfunkel	the Carpenters
1971	"It's Too Late," Carole King	"You've Got a Friend," Carole King	Tapestry, Carole King	Carly Simon
1972	"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face," Roberta Flack	"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face," Roberta Flack	The Concert for Bangla Desh, George Harrison and Friends	America
1973	"Killing Me Softly with His Song," Roberta Flack	"Killing Me Softly with His Song," Roberta Flack	Innervisions, Stevie Wonder	Bette Midler
1974	"I Honestly Love You," Olivia Newton-John	"The Way We Were," Barbra Streisand	Fulfillingness' First Finale, Stevie Wonder	Marvin Hamlisch
1975	"Love Will Keep Us Together," Captain and Tennille	"Send in the Clowns," Judy Collins	Still Crazy After All These Years, Paul Simon	Natalie Cole
1976	"This Masquerade," George Benson	"I Write the Songs," Barry Manilow	Songs in the Key of Life, Stevie Wonder	Starland Vocal Band
1977	"Hotel California," the Eagles	"Love Theme from 'A Star Is Born' (Evergreen)," Barbra Streisand; "You Light Up My Life," Debby Boone (tied)	Rumours, Fleetwood Mac	Debby Boone
1978	"Just the Way You Are," Billy Joel	"Just the Way You Are," Billy Joel	Saturday Night Fever, the Bee Gees	A Taste of Honey
1979	"What a Fool Believes," the Doobie Brothers	"What a Fool Believes," the Doobie Brothers	52nd Street, Billy Joel	Rickie Lee Jones
1980	"Sailing," Christopher Cross	"Sailing," Christopher Cross	Christopher Cross, Christopher Cross	Christopher Cross
1981	"Bette Davis Eyes," Kim Carnes	"Bette Davis Eyes," Kim Carnes	Double Fantasy, John Lennon and Yoko Ono	Sheena Easton
1982	"Rosanna," Toto	"Always on My Mind," Willie Nelson	Toto IV, Toto	Men at Work
1983	"Beat It," Michael Jackson	"Every Breath You Take," the Police	Thriller, Michael Jackson	Culture Club
1984	"What's Love Got to Do with It," Tina Turner	"What's Love Got to Do with It," Tina Turner	Can't Slow Down, Lionel Richie	Cyndi Lauper
1985	"We Are the World," USA for Africa	"We Are the World," USA for Africa	No Jacket Required, Phil Collins	Sade
1986	"Higher Love," Steve Winwood	"That's What Friends Are for," Dionne Warwick, Elton John, Gladys Knight, and Stevie Wonder	Graceland, Paul Simon	Bruce Hornsby and the Range
1987	"Graceland," Paul Simon	"Somewhere Out There," Linda Ronstadt and James Ingram	The Joshua Tree, U2	Jody Watley
1988	"Don't Worry, Be Happy," Bobby McFerrin	"Don't Worry, Be Happy," Bobby McFerrin	Faith, George Michael	Tracy Chapman
1989	"Wind Beneath My Wings," Bette Midler	"Wind Beneath My Wings," Bette Midler	Nick of Time, Bonnie Raitt	Milli Vanilli (revoked)
1990	"Another Day in Paradise," Phil Collins	"From a Distance," Bette Midler	Back on the Block, Quincy Jones	Mariah Carey
1991	"Unforgettable," Natalie Cole with Nat King Cole	"Unforgettable," Natalie Cole with Nat King Cole	Unforgettable: With Love, Natalie Cole	Marc Cohn
1992	"Tears in Heaven," Eric Clapton	"Tears in Heaven," Eric Clapton	Unplugged, Eric Clapton	Arrested Development
1993	"I Will Always Love You," Whitney Houston	"A Whole New World (Aladdin's Theme)," Peabo Bryson and Regina Belle	The Bodyguard, Whitney Houston	Toni Braxton
1994	"All I Wanna Do," Sheryl Crow	"Streets of Philadelphia," Bruce Springsteen	MTV Unplugged, Tony Bennett	Sheryl Crow
1995	"Kiss from a Rose," Seal	"Kiss from a Rose," Seal	Jagged Little Pill, Alanis Morissette	Hootie and the Blowfish
1996	"Change the World," Eric Clapton	"Change the World"^***	Falling into You, Celine Dion	LeAnn Rimes
1997	"Sunny Came Home," Shawn Colvin	"Sunny Came Home," Shawn Colvin	Time Out of Mind, Bob Dylan	Paula Cole
1998	"My Heart Will Go On (Love Theme from 'Titanic')," Celine Dion	"My Heart Will Go On (Love Theme from 'Titanic')," Celine Dion	The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, Lauryn Hill	Lauryn Hill
1999	"Smooth," Santana featuring Rob Thomas	"Smooth," Santana featuring Rob Thomas	Supernatural, Santana	Christina Aguilera
2000	"Beautiful Day," U2	"Beautiful Day," U2	Two Against Nature, Steely Dan	Shelby Lynne
2001	"Walk On," U2	"Fallin'," Alicia Keys	O Brother, Where Art Thou?, various artists	Alicia Keys
2002	"Don't Know Why," Norah Jones	"Don't Know Why," Norah Jones	Come Away with Me, Norah Jones	Norah Jones
2003	"Clocks," Coldplay	"Dance with My Father," Luther Vandross	Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, OutKast	Evanescence
2004	"Here We Go Again," Ray Charles and Norah Jones	"Daughters," John Mayer	Genius Loves Company, Ray Charles and various artists	Maroon 5
2005	"Boulevard of Broken Dreams," Green Day	"Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your Own," U2	How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, U2	John Legend
2006	"Not Ready to Make Nice," Dixie Chicks	"Not Ready to Make Nice," Dixie Chicks	Taking the Long Way, Dixie Chicks	Carrie Underwood
2007	"Rehab," Amy Winehouse	"Rehab," Amy Winehouse	River: The Joni Letters, Herbie Hancock	Amy Winehouse
2008	"Please Read the Letter," Robert Plant and Alison Krauss	"Viva la Vida," Coldplay	Raising Sand, Robert Plant and Alison Krauss	Adele
2009	"Use Somebody," Kings of Leon	"Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)," Beyoncé	Fearless, Taylor Swift	Zac Brown Band
2010	"Need You Now," Lady Antebellum	"Need You Now," Lady Antebellum	The Suburbs, Arcade Fire	Esperanza Spalding
2011	"Rolling in the Deep," Adele	"Rolling in the Deep," Adele	21, Adele	Bon Iver
2012	"Somebody That I Used to Know," Gotye featuring Kimbra	"We Are Young," Fun. featuring Janelle Monáe	Babel, Mumford & Sons	Fun.
2013	"Get Lucky," Daft Punk featuring Pharrell Williams and Nile Rodgers	"Royals," Lorde	Random Access Memories, Daft Punk	Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
2014	"Stay with Me," Sam Smith	"Stay with Me," Sam Smith	Morning Phase, Beck	Sam Smith
2015	"Uptown Funk," Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars	"Thinking Out Loud," Ed Sheeran and Amy Wadge	1989, Taylor Swift	Meghan Trainor
2016	"Hello," Adele	"Hello," Adele and Greg Kurstin	25, Adele	Chance the Rapper
2017	"24K Magic," Bruno Mars	"That's What I Like," Bruno Mars	24K Magic, Bruno Mars	Alessia Cara
2018	"This Is America," Childish Gambino	"This Is America," Childish Gambino	Golden Hour, Kacey Musgraves	Dua Lipa
2019	"Bad Guy," Billie Eilish	"Bad Guy," Billie Eilish	When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?, Billie Eilish	Billie Eilish
2020	"Everything I Wanted," Billie Eilish	"I Can't Breathe," H.E.R.	Folklore, Taylor Swift	Megan Thee Stallion
2021	"Leave the Door Open," Silk Sonic	"Leave the Door Open," Silk Sonic	We Are, Jon Batiste	Olivia Rodrigo
2022	"About Damn Time," Lizzo	"Just Like That," Bonnie Raitt	Harry's House, Harry Styles	Samara Joy
2023	"Flowers," Miley Cyrus	"What Was I Made For," Billie Eilish	Midnights, Taylor Swift	Victoria Monét

Latin Grammy Award winners

Select Latin Grammy Award winners are provided in the table.

Latin Grammy Awards
year	record of the year*	song of the year**	album of the year	best new artist
*Record of the year recognizes the performance and production of a song and is awarded to the recording artist, producer(s), and engineer(s)/mixer(s). Recording artist is listed above.
**Song of the year recognizes the writing of a song and is awarded to the songwriter only. Recording artist is listed above.
2000	"Corazón espinado," Santana featuring Maná	"Dímelo (I Need to Know)," Marc Anthony	Amarte es un placer, Luis Miguel	Ibrahim Ferrer
2001	"El alma al aire," Alejandro Sanz	"El alma al aire," Alejandro Sanz	El alma al aire, Alejandro Sanz	Juanes
2002	"Y solo se me ocurre amarte,"Alejandro Sanz	"Y solo se me ocurre amarte," Alejandro Sanz	MTV Unplugged, Alejandro Sanz	Jorge Moreno
2003	"Es por ti," Juanes	"Es por ti," Juanes	Un día normal, Juanes	David Bisbal
2004	"No es lo mismo," Alejandro Sanz	"No es lo mismo," Alejandro Sanz	No es lo mismo, Alejandro Sanz	Maria Rita
2005	"Tú no tienes alma," Alejandro Sanz	"Tú no tienes alma," Alejandro Sanz	Cantando histórias, Ivan Lins	Bebe
2006	"La tortura," Shakira	"La tortura," Shakira	Fijación oral, Vol. 1, Shakira	Calle 13
2007	"La llave de mi corazón," Juan Luis Guerra	"La llave de mi corazón," Juan Luis Guerra	La llave de mi corazón, Juan Luis Guerra	Jesse & Joy
2008	"Me enamora," Juanes	"Me enamora," Juanes	La vida...es un ratico, Juanes	Kany García
2009	"No hay nadie como tú," Calle 13	"Palabras del silencio," Luis Fonsi	Los de atrás vienen conmigo, Calle 13	Alexander Acha
2010	"Mientes," Camila	"Mientes," Camila	A son de Guerra, Juan Luis Guerra	Alex Cuba
2011	"Latinoamérica," Calle 13	"Latinoamérica," Calle 13	Entren los que quieran, Calle 13	Sie7e
2012	"¡Corre!," Jesse & Joy	"¡Corre!," Jesse & Joy	MTV Unplugged, Juanes	3BallMTY
2013	"Vivir mi vida," Marc Anthony	"Volví a nacer," Carlos Vives	Vida, Draco Rosa	Gaby Moreno
2014	"Universos paralelos," Jorge Drexler featuring Ana Tijoux	"Bailando," Enrique Iglesias featuring Descemer Bueno and Gente de Zona	Canción andaluza, Paco de Lucía	Mariana Vega
2015	"Hasta la raíz," Natalia Lafourcade	"Hasta la raíz," Natalia Lafourcade	Todo tiene su hora, Juan Luis Guerra	Monsieur Periné

2016	"La bicicleta," Carlos Vives and Shakira	"La bicicleta," Andrés Castro, Shakira, and Carlos Vives	Los dúo 2, Juan Gabriel	Manuel Medrano
2017	"Despacito," Luis Fonsi featuring Daddy Yankee	"Despacito," Luis Fonsi featuring Daddy Yankee	Salsa Big Band, Rubén Blades with Roberto Delgado & Orquesta	Vicente García
2018	"Telefonía," Jorge Drexler	"Telefonía," Jorge Drexler	¡México por siempre!, Luis Miguel	Karol G
2019	"Mi persona favorita," Alejandro Sanz with Camila Cabello	"Calma," Pedro Capó	El mal querer, Rosalía	Nella
2020	"Contigo," Alejandro Sanz	"René," Residente	Un canto por México, vol. 1, Natalia Lafourcade	Mike Bahía
2021	"Talvez," Caetano Veloso and Tom Veloso	"Patria y Vida," Yotuel, Gente De Zona, Descemer Bueno, Maykel Osorbo, and El Funky	Salswing!, Rubén Blades and Roberto Delgado & Orquesta	Juliana Velásquez
2022	"Tocarte," Jorge Drexler	"Tocarte," Jorge Drexler	Motomami, Rosalía	Angela Álvarez and Silvana Estrada

The Editors of Encyclopaedia BritannicaThis article was most recently revised and updated by Meg Matthias.