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Like the Oscars, the Grammys, currently with a total of 105 categories within 30 fields of music (such as pop, gospel, and rap), are voted by peers - in this case voting members of the Recording Academy - not upon popularity (as with the BMAs and the AMAs) but by merit.
The awards are named for the trophy given for them, a small gilded statuette of a gramophone. The awards ceremony features performances by prominent artists, and some of the more prominent Grammys are presented in a widely-viewed televised ceremony.
The Grammy voters tend to be conservative, and are marketed to by record companies, who place great stock in some types of artists winning Grammys (accurately but cynically put as those which sell to "teenage girls and housewives"). Therefore, the main Grammys tend to go to either well-established acts or those which fall into the above categories. Hence, the Grammys are not taken seriously by some musicians or music fans.
In fact, some of the greatest acts in music history (such as Elvis Presley and The Rolling Stones) have only been awarded very few Grammys. On the other hand, The Beatles have won more Grammys than Elvis and The Stones combined. For example, they won for 1966's Song of the Year (" MichelleThe Beatles songs Michelle is the title of a love ballad by the Beatles, co-written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, which featured on their Rubber Soul album. The song departs from most of the Beatles' other recordings in that some of the lyrics are in"), 1967Events January January 4 British motorboat racer Donald Campbell dies while attempting a water speed record in Coniston Lake. January 4 Algerian revolutionary Mohammed Khider is shot in Madrid. January 6 Vietnam War: USMC and ARVN troops launch " Operatio's Album of the Year ( Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club BandPepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band is an album by the British band The Beatles. It is often called one of the most influential rock albums of all time by prominent critics and publications, including Rolling Stone''. It was recorded by The Beatles over a 12), and for 19961996 was a leap year starting on Monday (see link for calendar), and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty''. Events January January 5 Hamas operative Yahya Ayyash is killed by an Israeli-planted booby-trapped cell phone Jan's The Beatles AnthologyThe Beatles Anthology is the name of a documentary, a series of three albums, and a television miniseries which focus on the history of the popular rock band The Beatles. The television specials and video collection Literally thousands of hours of footage.
Of the "big three" music awards shows, the Grammys are the highest rated. Some music fans believe that the competition between these awards shows (and the controversies that come with it) only press the need for a unified awards system.
Unlike the Academy Awards (which the eligiblilty period lasts the entire calendar year from January 1 to December 31), the eligibility period for the Grammys is from the beginning of October in one year to the end of September the following, so September is considered the ChristmasChristmas (literally, the Mass of Christ) is a traditional holiday in the Christian calendar which takes place on the twenty-fifth day of December and celebrates the nativity of Jesus Christ. Christmas is also celebrated as a secular holiday throughout mu sales period of the music industry (in which artists generally release all their big album releases in order to qualify for next year's Grammy). So, for example, John LennonJohn Winston Ono Lennon ( October 9, 1940 December 8, 1980), is best known as a singer, songwriter, and guitarist for The Beatles. His creative career also included the roles of solo musician, political activist, artist and author. As half of the legendar & Yoko Ono's album Double Fantasy was released in November, 1980, a month-and-a-half too late to qualify for the 1981 Grammys, and thus eligible for the 1982 awards (it eventually won the Album of the Year Grammy).
A somewhat unappreciated Grammy record is held by session drummer Hal Blaine who played on 6 consecutive Record of the Year winners: Simon & Garfunkel in 1971 for "Bridge Over Troubled Water", 5th Dimension in 1970, for "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In", Simon & Garfunkel in 1969, for "Mrs. Robinson", 5th Dimension in 1968, for "Up, Up and Away", Frank Sinatra in 1967, for "Strangers in the Night", and Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass in 1966,for "A Taste of Honey".
The record for most Grammys won is held by the conductor Sir Georg Solti who receved a total of thirty-two awards before his death in 1997.
The Grammys currently air on CBS.
Awards include:
Alternative
Blues
Children's
Classical
Comedy
Composing and arranging
Country
Dance
Disco
Film/TV/Media
Folk
Gospel
Historical
Jazz
Latin
Musical Show
Music Video
New Age
Packaging and Notes
Polka
Pop
Production and engineering
R&B
Rap
Reggae
Rock
Spoken
Trad Pop
World