People love music, especially recorded music. In the world music market, digital download is a primary revenue stream for recorded music, increasing to $6.7 billion in 2015 according to IFPI, International Federation of the Phonographic Industry in Zurich. And people carry their music with them everywhere via radio, mobile phone, Apple iPod or other Mp3 players. The National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences (NARAS, commonly called the Recording Academy) is the organization behind the annual Grammy ceremony as well as ongoing year-round events.
The GRAMMY Awards (originally called Gramophone Award), as a preeminent awards show, is music's biggest night. The first Grammy Awards ceremony was held on May 4, 1959, to honor the musical accomplishments by performers for the year 1958. Twenty-eight prizes were given out back then and winners included Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, and the Kingston Trio. Following the 2011 ceremony, The Academy overhauled many Grammy Award categories for 2012. Four general awards which are the most popular categories that can draw people to the award show are Record Of The Year, Album Of The Year, Song Of The Year, and Best New Artist. You will find below this paragraph a simple table recounting a few of the most popular award categories going back since the award's inception and who won them for that year.
The only two artists to win all four of these awards are Christopher Cross, who won all four in 1980, and Adele, who won the Best New Artist award in 2009 and the other three in 2012. The 59th Grammy Award ceremony to decide the winners for the 2016 award categories will be broadcast live by the CBS Television Network on Sunday, December 12.
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The Grammys 'Big Four' standard awards over the years
Year |
Record of the Year |
Song of the Year |
Album of the Year |
Best New Artist |
| 1958 | "Nel blu dipinto di blu (Volaré)" - Domenico Modugno | "Nel blu dipinto di blu ("Volaré)" - Domenico Modugno | The Music from Peter Gunn - Henry Mancini | No Award Given |
| 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?" - recorded by various | 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 | No Award Given |
| 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" - recorded by various | 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; |
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 - recorded by various | 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 | US - 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 (Donald Glover) | "This Is America" - Childish Gambino | Golden Hour - Kacey Musgraves | Dua Lipa |
| 2019 | "Bad Guy" - Billie Eilish | "Bad Buy" - Billie Eilish O'Connell & Finneas O'Connell, songwriters (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" - Dernst Emile II, H.E.R. & Tiara Thomas, songwriters (H.E.R.) | Folklore - Jack Antonoff, Aaron Dessner & Taylor Swift | Megan Thee Stallion |
| 2021 | "Leave The Door Open" - Silk Sonic | "Leave The Door Open" - Brandon Anderson, Christopher Brody Brown, Dernst Emile II & Bruno Mars, songwriters (Silk Sonic) | "We Are" - Jon Batiste | Olivia Rodrigo |
| 2022 | "About Damn Time" - Lizzo | "Just Like That" - Bonnie Raitt, songwriter (Bonnie Raitt) | "Harry's House" - Harry Styles | Samara Joy |
| 2023 | "Flowers" - Miley Cyrus | "What Was I Made For? [From The Motion Picture \"Barbie\"]" - Billie Eilish O'Connell & Finneas O'Connell, songwriters (Billie Eilish) | "Midnights" - Taylor Swift | Victoria Monét |
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A History of Grammy Awards Winners in Popular Award Categories