What is a Grammy? The history behind the music industry’s most prestigious awards

This year’s host for the Grammys, Trevor Noah, has called the music industry’s most prestigious awards ceremony “a concert for everybody.” According to him, everyone has to be a fan of the Grammys, “because you are invariably a fan of music.” It’s a chance for you to discover a new artist that you didn’t fully appreciate nor love for the reasons you should have and “who change your life.”

The live performances will make you ask yourself, “How is that human?” As well as seeing artists jamming to other artists that you would have never thought. Noah, hosting for his third time this year, gave the example of Bad Bunny mouthing along to a Taylor Swift song and being “just like ‘What?’”

With so many genres of music these days, the event brings together an eclectic range of musical talent filling the three-and-a-half-hour ceremony with electrifying performances by some of the industry’s biggest names. From the soulful ballads of R&B to the explosive energy of rap and hip-hop, you can expect it to showcase the full spectrum of musical expression. With expertly crafted orchestrations, intricate arrangements, and breathtaking solos, as Noah put it, “a concert for everybody” and one that no music lover will want to miss.

However, there was a time when musical artists weren’t formally recognized by their peers for their outstanding achievements while artists in other industries were with the Oscars and Emmys. That obviously is no longer the case, but while music is a far older art form than the movies or television, what was the impetus that finally got the industry to change its ways?

Grammys 2023: The history behind the music industry’s most prestigious awards

The Grammys originated after the Hollywood Walk of Fame project began in the 1950s. With the understanding that not everyone would receive such recognition, and thanks to the renewed interest in music and the recording industry, the Grammy Awards were created as a way to honour the most talented songwriters, composers and musicians in the music industry.

At the time, the Academy Awards, also known as the Oscars, and the Emmy Awards recognised the top artists in film and television, but there was no musical equivalent.

The Grammy Awards, which began as the Gramophone Awards, were first presented in Los Angeles in 1959 by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS), commonly called the Recording Academy, when 28 awards were handed out.

The overall number of categories each year has changed as some have been added and removed. Compare the first event to that in 2017, when the number of awards stabilised at 84.

Why are they called the Grammy Awards?

After deciding to go ahead with the awards, there was one major unknown: what to call them. One early idea was ‘Eddie’, after Thomas Edison, the inventor of the phonograph, but in the end ‘Grammy’, a shortened reference to gramophone, was chosen.

A mail-in contest was held to choose the name. Approximately 300 contestants submitted the name ‘Grammy’, but the name is credited to Rosejay “Jay” Elizabeth Danna, a secretary from New Orleans, as her letter was the first to be received in the mail, making her the winner of the contest.

Some handy information for the next music quiz you’re involved in.

Who’s hosting the 2023 Grammys?

Born on February 20, 1984, in Johannesburg, South Africa, Trevor Noah has overcome numerous obstacles to become one of the most recognisable faces in comedy today. Comedian, writer, producer, political commentator, brilliant host of satirical news program The Daily Show, his charm, intelligence and empathy ooze out every time he takes to the screen or is involved in a project. And if you can make it to the end of any of his comedy gigs without tears in your eyes then you need to go see a doctor.

Get the full story, and some very amusing footage, of our 2023 Grammy Awards host, Trevor Noah.