7 interesting facts about the Grammy Awards

When you think of the Grammy Awards, you think of music, the glamour, the big four categories, and the golden gramophone. 

Year in and year out, the Grammy Awards maintains its position as music’s biggest award in the world with its core mission as a Recording Academy “to recognise excellence in the recording arts and sciences, cultivate the wellbeing of the music community, and ensure that music remains an indelible part of our culture.”

Behind all the jaw-dropping performances, highlights, and speeches you see, there are a few interesting facts about the Grammy Awards that you might not know of. 

Let’s examine these facts together. 

1. The makeup of the trophy

An interesting fact about the Grammy Awards made of a trademarked alloy called “Grammium” is that it costs about 800 dollars and requires roughly 15 hours to hand-make. The trophy which weighs about five pounds is plated with 24-karat gold. 

2. Duration of its existence

The Grammy Awards started in 1959 to celebrate the best music from the previous year. At the very first ceremony, Henry Mancini won Album of the Year for Music From Peter Gunn.

Since then, the Grammys have become bigger and more famous. Today, they are the most important music awards in the world.

3. The origin of its name 

The name ‘Grammy Awards’, formerly known as the Gramophone Awards, was inspired by the record player that used to play vinyl records, back in the day. 

4. Nomination of presidents

Even U.S. Presidents can win the Grammy Awards. Jimmy Carter won one in 2007 for the audiobook “Our Endangered Values: America’s Moral Crisis,” and Barack Obama won two for “Dreams from My Father” and “The Audacity of Hope.” Even former First Lady Michelle Obama is not exempted. She has won two Grammys. 

5. The Legend of Grammys

People say Beyoncé is the queen of the Grammys. This is because she holds the record for the most Grammy wins by a female artist and has been nominated about 88 times. So far, she’s taken home over 32 Grammy awards.  

Despite this, some of her fans think she’s been overlooked a few times. One big example is when her album “Lemonade” didn’t win Album of the Year. Instead, Adele won, but even she thought Beyoncé deserved it. In her speech, Adele said she believed Lemonade should have taken the top prize.

READ ALSO: 67th Grammys: Tems wins Best African Music Performance category

6. First live broadcast

Ella Fitzgerald was the first woman and artist to perform on the Grammys stage when it was first shown on TV in 1959. 

A year earlier, she became the first African-American woman to win a Grammy Award. Since then, many famous musicians like Stevie Wonder, Shania Twain, and Elton John have performed at the Grammys. 

Every year, the show brings memorable performances and celebrates the best in music.

7. It’s transcends music

When we think of the Grammys Awards, we usually think about music. But did you know they also acknowledge and honour other types of audio, like spoken word recordings, comedy albums, and music videos?

A perfect example of this is how Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, and Jimmy Carter have all won Grammy Awards – not for singing, but for their spoken word recordings.