From humble beginnings to global phenomenon: Tracing the history of the Grammys

The most recent Grammy Awards was held on the 4th of February this year. The Grammys are considered the musical equivalent of the film industry’s Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars. Grammys are awarded by the National Recording Academy of the United States for outstanding achievements in the music industry and are among the most exciting events on the celebrity calendar, attracting large audiences every year. The annual awards ceremony usually takes place in February, and it dates back to the 1950s.

“This year The Grammy Awards celebrated its 66th ceremony, and the event was graced by some amazing artists, songs and performances” says James Whitten, Marketing Manager at musicGuard.

The first ceremony was held on 4th of May 1959. Most people are aware of The Grammys, yet few know the story of how this spectacular event started. To celebrate the 66th anniversary of the Grammys, leading music insurer musicGuard sheds light on the history of this global phenomenon.

From sidewalk to Staples Centre

In 1953 E. M. Stuart came up with a way to celebrate Hollywood by embedding five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars with celebrity names into a stretch of sidewalk, calling it the Walk of Fame. The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce asked for the help of major recording industry executives in compiling a list of people in the music business who should also be honoured with Walk of Fame stars. The music executives decided that their list of honourees was too long to fit on the Walk of Fame, so they formed the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences to focus solely on the recording industry.

That’s how in 1958 the academy created an award to honour those in the field of music and they called it the Grammy, referencing the gramophone, a widely used 20th century record player, chosen after a contest to name the award. On May 4th 1959, the first Grammy awards were held simultaneously at the Beverly Hilton Hotel and New York’s Park Sheraton Hotel, with awards in 28 categories.

Throughout the following decades the Grammys were held in four different cities – New York, LA, Nashville, and Chicago. Fast forward to 2008, when the Grammy ceremony found its home at the Crypto.com Arena, formerly known as Staples Centre. This marked a return to Los Angeles, the city that birthed the ceremony.

“The history of the Grammys is a symphony of talent, where each award is a part of an unshakable legacy of musical excellence” adds Whitten.

Read more about the history of the Grammys on:

https://www.musicguard.co.uk/history-of-the-grammys