by Jennifer A. Harris

Created on: February 01, 2010   Last Updated: February 13, 2010

Millions of viewers tune in each year to watch the annual music lovefest that is the Grammys. The parade of musical acts in eye-popping costumes, performing their nominated songs in flashy, spectacle-like presentations, has helped make the Grammys the most prestigious and possibly, the most watched televised music award show.  The story of how the Grammys began is just as colorful and interesting as one of its ceremonies.

A group of record label executives, trying to stave off the rising popularity of rock n' roll, decided to create an award that would recognize only “quality” pop music. So in 1958, The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences established the Gramophone Awards (eventually shortened to the Grammys).

The first taped ceremony was broadcast in 1959 as an episode of the NBC anthology series Sunday Showcase. It was then televised during the 1960s as The Best on Record, also on NBC. The Grammys went live in 1971 on ABC after television producer Pierre Cossette bought the broadcast rights to the award show from the NARAS. Subsequently, CBS bought the rights two years later in 1973 after moving the awards show to Nashville, Tennessee. While the Grammys have been broadcast from both Los Angeles and New York, it has aired live from Los Angeles since 2004.

When the first Grammy Award ceremony was held in 1959 at the Beverly Hills Hotel, only 28 categories existed. Astonishingly, only one nominee was named in each of the categories of Best Country and Western and Best Rhythm and Blues. Contrast this with 91 categories by 1997, finally recognizing many more diverse musical styles.

As prestigious as the Grammys are to the music industry (it is considered the equivalent of what the Academy Awards are to film), it’s detractors have criticized the awards ceremony as mainly self-congratulatory to the industry and a way for record companies to promote its artists and current music releases. Critics have also accused the Grammys of only paying attention to big sales of albums as opposed to the artistic merit, rewarding mainly those artists who were commercially successful.

Regardless, of the criticisms, the Grammys have lasted over 50 years. With Nielsen Ratings reporting an estimated 25.9 million viewers tuned into watch the Grammys on January 31, 2010, the Grammys prove the power of music and its ability to draw music lovers of all kinds to their television sets.

Sources: http://www.silver-dragon-records.com/rnr1.htm, wikipedia.org, USAToday.com

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