“Who has won the most grammys?”
TITANSOFTRIVIA.COM
QUESTION OF THE DAY
DECEMBER 23, 2020
The answer to this one is George Solti, the longtime leader of Chicago Symphony Orchestra, with 31 awards. Not to be confused with the most nominated – which was Quincy Jones. But orchestra and soundtracks and children’s albums and all those other fringier categories aside – the grammys are the gold standard for mainstream, popular music. It is the award that careers are compared by, and it is also a stage for some pretty entertaining drama.
Fun Facts about the Grammys
1. The Grammy’s began in 1959
The first grammys awards ceremony took place on May 4th, 1959. Originally, the awards ceremony was an attempt to minimize rock ‘n roll within popular music. There was no rock ‘n roll category, but within just three years, this seems like an obvious contradiction. Rock ‘n roll WAS popular music. So the category, “Best Rock and Roll Recording” was added to the Grammy Award Categories. This is the primary reason that Elvis, the King of Rock ‘n Roll, never received a grammy in a primary category. He won three grammys early in his career, but they were all for gospel albums. There was no rock ‘n roll category when he broke out in 1956.
2. Not all the grammy awards are created equal
Winning one of the Big Four Grammy Award categories is considered to be the most prestigious. These are the only awards which are not restricted to any genre in specific. In 1981, Christopher Cross was the first artist to receive the “Big Four” (Record of the Year, Album of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best New Artist) in a single ceremony.
3. There are winners and there are WINNERS
Michael Jackson is the King of Pop, but he’s also the king of the grammys. He is the Male Artist who has won most Grammys in one night, eight in one night, in the year 1984. That’s a pretty crazy number. Overall, he had a whopping 38 nominations and 13 wins. But his eight wins was later matched in 1999 by Carlos Santana. His band, along with Rob Thomas of Matchbox Twenty, took home eight awards with the song and album Smooth. During his career, Carlos Santana has 14 nominations and 10 wins.
The second most number of grammys won all time is Stevie Wonder. He has been honored with 28 Grammys. He has also been presented with Lifetime Achievement Award. But there’s one guy who has earned a few more. See below.
4. And then there is George Solti
And who’s the guy who is in a total league of his won at the grammys? George Solti. The longtime leader of Chicago Symphony Orchestra, with 31 awards, is the titan of grammys. His achievements with two of the world’s outstanding arts organizations–at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and London’s Royal Opera at Covent Garden–have made him a colossal force on both sides of the Atlantic as well as in the surprisingly different worlds of operatic and orchestral music. It was in Chicago that musical history was made. Solti’s “Chicago sound” become a synonym for excellence. The big, decisive, exciting style–perhaps inspired by the “City of Big Shoulders” itself–was instantly recognizable. Under his direction of 22 years (from 1969 to 1991), the Chicago Symphony made more than 50 recordings, countless triumphant tours, and all the world took notice. “The central feature of the Solti-Chicago success was the sheer stunning quality of the playing, which few other groups could rival.”
5. Like Rock ‘n Roll, the category of Rap was acknowledged way too late
DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince (who is also known as actor Will Smith) were announced the first Grammy winners for a Rap Performance in 1989. Rap had been a huge force within music and mainstream and popular culture for at least five or six years prior, so waiting until 1989 seemed like a late miss. Even today, artists complain that rap does not get proper recognition, and that rap artists are typically not winners when in multi-category awards like Best New Artist. In fact, Snoop Dogg holds the record for the most nominations without a win. He’s been nominated 12 times, but he has lost every time.
6. Not everyone wants a grammy
Has anyone ever rejected the grammy? Yes, it has happened a couple of times. In 1991, Sinead O’Connor was awarded for Best Alternative Album for her album Not Want What I Haven’t Got. Her absence from the program, in combination with her letter passionately detailing why she wouldn’t participate in the ceremony, is still controversial cocktail conversation. By maintaining her absence, she protested against the ‘extreme’ commercialism of the Grammy Awards. Kanye West also skipped the ceremony when he earned multiple grammys, but he didn’t reject them. He just…had other places to be.