The Grammys And It's Controversial History
Take a stroll down Grammy memory lane into it's history and controversies.

Every year, the world's music stars joust for awards that stand testament to their good work throughout that year. Among these awards, there's none more prestigious than the Grammys. Since 1958, the best artists from different genres have received this honor as voted by their peers and other music professionals.

For a long time, I never could understand how the winners were decided. Perhaps you're in a similar boat, and cannot figure out what on earth is going on at the Grammys. In this article, I open the floodgates.

I'll discuss some Grammy history, explain how it works, do some gossip, and close with the top three most successful artists when it comes to Grammy wins. You're already excited, aren't you? So am I...

History

In 1957, the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, usually called the Recording Academy, was founded. Finally, music stars and professionals would start getting the recognition they deserved. Until then, only movie stars enjoyed this with the Academy Awards (now Oscars) for film and the Emmy Awards for television. That all changed with the arrival of the Grammys, first known as the Gramophone Awards in 1958.

The Grammys started with twenty-eight categories but has grown to more than eighty different categories. The first award event took place in May 1959, and heralded a new era for music in the United States, and all over the world. Since then, the Grammys have only grown bigger and more prestigious.

How it Works

Members of the academy and registered media businesses are invited to submit entries for consideration in over eighty categories across thirty different genres for the Grammy Awards. More than three hundred specialists sieve the entries and determine which ones are eligible. Voting academy members then make the final judgments.

During the first round of voting, which decides the nominees, members may only vote in their particular field of expertise. There are also four general categories of the awards—Album of the Year, Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best New Artist. These four general categories are open to voting by any voting member of the academy regardless of expertise. Here's a fun fact for you: only two artists, Adele and Christopher Cross, have won all four general categories.

Once the nominations are ready and publicly announced, the second round of voting begins. Voting academy members will cast ballots for up to 15 genre-specific categories in addition to the four overall categories. Independent accounting company Deloitte usually serves as the electoral commission. They tally the votes, then keep the results secret until the evening of the awards.

There are also some special awards such as the Grammy Hall of Fame Award, the Grammy Trustees Award, the MusiCares Person of the Year Award, and a few others. These special awards recognize people who have contributed to the music industry in some way other than making music. Voting members also do the voting for these awards.

The Grammys have been criticized for being non-transparent, though, so make of that what you will.

The Grammys complicated history doesn't take away from the spotlight and careers it's played a hand in growing.

Controversy

From the very beginning, the Grammys have been immersed in controversy. Many see the institution of the Recording Academy as a move by top music executives to set a benchmark of good music in opposition to the rise of rock. When you consider that rock was only recognized as a genre in 1980, twenty-two years after the award began, the story does sound plausible.

The Grammys have also been accused of only recognizing commercially successful songs. Racism and lack of diversity have also been mentioned in the same breath as the Grammys. With each attack, the Recording Academy has survived and adapted. Today, after over sixty years, the Grammys paint a completely different picture. In the face of controversy after controversy, the Grammys have continued to grow. I say that's at least one trait to emulate…

Top Three Grammy-winning Artists

So who are the most successful artists when it comes to winning Grammys? We all have our favorite stars, but some of the names on this list might surprise you. Let's look at the top three artists with the most Grammy wins...

Is it time for the Grammys to upgrade how it classifies music genres and how it picks it's winners?

Sir Georg Solti

I bet you didn't see this coming, did you? Sir Georg Solti stands out from the rest of the pack with an astonishing thirty-one Grammys in the bag. This classical music conductor won his first Grammy in 1962 and didn't stop winning until 1997 when he died.

Sir Georg Solti has a massive collection of over two hundred and fifty recordings, among them forty-five complete opera sets. If you're not a classical music enthusiast, this might not mean much to you, but winning thirty-one Grammys is no easy feat. Fair play to you, Sir Georg.

Quincy Jones

The second person on our list is another name not many Gen Z music lovers will know. Quincy Jones first made his name as a music composer for movies, earning himself an Emmy and eight Oscar nominations, albeit winning once. In a stellar career, he also produced music for massive stars like Frank Sinatra, Celine Dion, and Michael Jackson.

His exceptional work spanning over seventy years has earned him eighty Grammy nominations and twenty-eight wins. The Grammys do not only award the stars on stage, but the people who make magic happen behind the scenes as well, and Quincy Jones is a testament to that.

Beyonce

You've probably heard this name somewhere before. Beyonce is one of the biggest artists of our generation, and perhaps of all time. She's tied with Quincy Jones on twenty-eight Grammy wins and out on her own as the most nominated with eighty-eight. Those are insane numbers, but she has been that amazing.

She rose to fame as far back as 1998 and has stayed at the top to this very day, selling over two hundred and fifty million records along the line. She's also the most decorated female artist of all time. It's no wonder she's called the Queen.

Final Thoughts

We've gone from a classical music conductor to a music producer with jazz roots to a female RnB artist. That, in itself, is a testament to the diversity of the Grammys. Starting a lifetime ago in 1958, the Recording Academy has grown to become the standard for music in our time.

The controversy hasn't died out completely, though. Big names like Drake and The Weeknd have publicly called out the award for lack of transparency and diversity. Previous criticism has helped the Academy wax stronger. Will this trend continue or will the Academy finally wilt under the pressure? You and I can only watch...