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Who were the biggest GRAMMY winners of the 50s and 60s?

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Ella Fitzgerald, Henry Mancini, Roger Miller, and Frank Sinatra are among the artists who won the most GRAMMY Awards in the '50s and '60s
Paul Grein
GRAMMYs
May 15, 2017 - 2:36 am

Who are the biggest GRAMMY winners for each decade from the 1950s to the 2010s? In our ongoing Music's Biggest Winners series, we'll take a look at the four artists (more in the case of ties) who received the most awards in each decade. You'll learn a little bit about the artists, their GRAMMY wins during the decade and other notable Recording Academy honors. Let's fire up the GRAMMY time machine and go back to the '50s and the '60s.

'50s

(Editor's note: The GRAMMY Awards originated in 1958, so this decade encompasses just two years of awards.)

Ella Fitzgerald, 4
The jazz legend won two GRAMMYs in 1958 and two more in 1959. In 1958 Ella Fitzgerald Sings The Irving Berlin Song Book was voted Best Vocal Performance, Female, while Ella Fitzgerald Sings The Duke Ellington Song Book won for Best Jazz Performance, Individual. Fitzgerald won the same two awards the following year for, respectively, her version of George and Ira Gershwin's "But Not For Me" and her album Ella Swings Lightly. Fitzgerald received a Recording Academy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1967. She died in 1996.

Duke Ellington, 3
Ellington's score for the Otto Preminger film Anatomy Of A Murder brought the jazz legend three GRAMMYs in 1959: Best Performance By A Dance Band, Best Sound Track Album — Background Score From A Motion Picture Or Television and Best Musical Composition First Recorded And Released In 1959 (More Than 5 Minutes Duration). Ellington received a Recording Academy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1966. He died in 1974.

André Previn, 3
Previn won a GRAMMY in 1958 for Gigi, which was voted Best Sound Track Album, Dramatic Picture Score Or Original Cast. He won two more in 1959. Porgy And Bess won for Best Sound Track Album, Original Cast — Motion Picture Or Television. "Like Young," a collaboration with David Rose, took Best Performance By An Orchestra. (The billing on the single was rather florid: "The Piano Magic Of André Previn Combined With The Lush Strings of David Rose.") The German-born musician received a Recording Academy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2010.

Frank Sinatra, 3
The legendary singer actually won his first GRAMMY in 1958 as an art director. His cover design for Frank Sinatra Sings For Only The Lonely was voted Best Album Cover. Come Dance With Me! won two awards in 1959: Album Of The Year and Best Vocal Performance, Male. Sinatra received a Recording Academy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1965, a Trustees Award in 1979 and a GRAMMY Legend Award in 1994. He died in 1998.

'60s

Henry Mancini, 16
Mancini's mark of 16 GRAMMYs in a decade stood unequalled for four decades, until two female artists tied it in the 2000s. (Mancini continues to hold the record for most GRAMMYs won in a decade by a male artist.) Mancini won a then-record five awards in 1961 for his music from the Blake Edwards movie Breakfast At Tiffany's, including the instant standard "Moon River." His biggest successes were "Moon River" and "Days Of Wine And Roses," both of which were double winners for Record and Song Of The Year. Mancini won six of these 16 awards as an artist, six as an arranger and four as a composer. Mancini died in 1994. He was awarded a Recording Academy Lifetime Achievement Award posthumously in 1995.

Roger Miller, 11
Miller received five GRAMMYs in 1964 and six in 1965. (The latter total broke Mancini's record of five GRAMMYs in one night.) Miller was the first artist in GRAMMY history to win five or more awards in one night more than once. He received nine of these 11 awards as an artist and two as a songwriter (for writing "Dang Me" and "King Of The Road"). The latter song won awards in both the Country & Western and Contemporary (R&R) Fields (as they were then called). Miller died in 1992.

Ray Charles, 9
Charles won four GRAMMYs in 1960, the most he ever amassed in one year during his lifetime. (He won five awards posthumously in 2004.) Of the nine GRAMMYs that Charles won in the '60s, six were for Rhythm & Blues, one for Pop and two for Best Vocal Performance, Male, with no genre specified. "Georgia On My Mind" and "Crying Time" both won two awards. Charles received a Recording Academy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1987. He died in 2004.

Vladimir Horowitz, 8
Horowitz won Album Of The Year — Classical twice in the 1960s, for Columbia Records Presents Vladimir Horowitz in 1962 and Horowitz At Carnegie Hall — An Historic Return in 1965. The Ukrainian-born pianist died in 1989. He was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award posthumously in 1990.

The 56th Annual GRAMMY Awards will be held Jan. 26, 2014, at Staples Center in Los Angeles and once again will be broadcast live in high-definition TV and 5.1 surround sound on CBS from 8–11:30 p.m. (ET/PT). For updates and breaking news, visit The Recording Academy's social networks on Twitter and Facebook. 

(Paul Grein, a veteran music journalist, writes for Yahoo Music.)

Peggy Lee at the 1st GRAMMY Awards

Peggy Lee at the 1st GRAMMY Awards

Photo: William Claxton/Courtesy Denmont Photo Management

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Sinatra To The Chipmunks: 7 Things To Know About The 1st GRAMMY Awards

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Go back to the very beginning and find out what happened at the inaugural GRAMMY Awards
Tim McPhate
GRAMMYs
Dec 15, 2017 - 10:49 am

Every awards show has to start somewhere and Music's Biggest Night is no different.

Frank Sinatra Introduces The GRAMMY

More than a decade before the annual GRAMMY Awards telecast debuted on CBS in 1973 for everyone to see, the GRAMMY Awards got off to a swingin' start back in 1959. Though no television cameras were present, there was plenty of awards, black-tie formal wear and star power to go around.

Take a journey back to where it all began and learn about seven things that happened at the 1st GRAMMY Awards.

1. 1st GRAMMYs, Two Locations

The inaugural GRAMMY Awards was a bicoastal affair. On May 4, 1959, a black-tie dinner and awards presentation was held at the Grand Ballroom of the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles. Hosted by comedian Mort Sahl, among the music elite in attendance were Rat Packers Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr. and Dean Martin, singing cowboy Gene Autry, singer Peggy Lee, Tin Pan Alley alum Johnny Mercer, composer Henry Mancini, and pianist/conductor André Previn. At the same time, Recording Academy members convened for a simultaneous function at the Park Sheraton Hotel in New York City.

Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr. at the 1st GRAMMY Awards

Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr. at the 1st GRAMMY Awards in Los Angeles
Photo: William Claxton/Courtesy Denmont Photo Management

2. The Chairman's First GRAMMY Win

Sinatra was at the top of his acting and music game in the late '50s, so it's no surprise he emerged as the top nominee at the 1st GRAMMY Awards. His six nominations included two nods for Album Of The Year for Come Fly With Me and Only The Lonely, Record Of The Year for "Witchcraft," and two nominations for Best Vocal Performance, Male. Though the Chairman of the Board didn't win any of these categories, he did pick up his first win for Best Album Cover for Only The Lonely.

3. Count Basie To Ella Fitzgerald: Double The GRAMMY Pleasure

Who were the big winners at the first show? A total of six artists shared that distinction with two wins each. Mancini, jazz bandleader Count Basie, singer Ella Fitzgerald, conductor Felix Slatkin, Italian singer/songwriter Domenico Modugno, and Alvin And The Chipmunks music group creator Ross Bagdasarian Sr. (aka David Seville) picked up two GRAMMYs.

4. Mancini's Album Of The Year Mark

As the composer of "The Pink Panther Theme," "Days Of Wine And Roses" and "Moon River," Mancini's ability to create memorable film and TV music was unrivaled. When the composer won Album Of The Year for The Music From Peter Gunn, he accomplished something that has yet to be duplicated in GRAMMY history. The Music From Peter Gunn, the music complement for the TV series that aired from 1958–1961, remains the lone television soundtrack to win the prestigious award. Three film soundtracks have been so recognized. Do you know which ones they are? (If you guessed Saturday Night Fever, The Bodyguard and O Brother, Where Art Thou?, you're right on the money.)

5. Winners Recognized In 28 Categories

Speaking of winners, the 1st GRAMMY Awards crowned them in 28 categories. (By comparison, there are now 84 GRAMMY categories.) Six of the categories, representing nearly 25 percent of the entire field, were of the classical variety. In addition to Slatkin, the first GRAMMY classical winners included the Hollywood String Quartet, pianist Van Cliburn, guitarists Laurindo Almeida and Andrés Segovia, choir director Roger Wagner, and soprano Renata Tebaldi.

6. A Children's Song Gets A Record Of The Year Nod

"The Chipmunks Song," the cuddly brainchild of Bagdasarian, was among the nominees for Record Of The Year. Though it ended up not capturing the award, it holds the distinction of being the lone children's recording to be nominated in the category. (As mentioned earlier, the holiday song did net Bagdasarian two awards. It also earned Best Engineered Record — Non-Classical honors.)

7. Modugno's Foreign GRAMMY Record

The Italian singer/songwriter Modugno's "Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu (Volare)" ("In The Blue That Is Painted Blue") was a huge hit worldwide, landing at No. 1 in the United States. The smooth ballad earned both Song and Record Of The Year honors at the inaugural GRAMMYs. To date, it is the only foreign-language recording to win either of those categories. Can "Despacito" match the mark? The Luis Fonsi/Daddy Yankee/Justin Bieber smash is up for both categories for the 60th GRAMMY Awards.

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Who Won Album Of The Year At The 1st GRAMMY Awards?

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Henry Mancini wins Album Of The Year and Domenico Modugno takes home Record and Song Of The Year against these nominees
Crystal Larsen
GRAMMYs
May 15, 2017 - 2:36 am

(For a complete list of 54th GRAMMY Awards nominees, please click here.)

Music's Biggest Night, the 54th Annual GRAMMY Awards, will air live from Staples Center in Los Angeles on Sunday, Feb. 12, 2012, at 8 p.m. ET/PT on CBS.

In the weeks leading up to the telecast, we will take a stroll down music memory lane with GRAMMY Rewind, highlighting the "big four" categories — Album Of The Year, Record Of The Year, Song Of The Year, and Best New Artist — from past awards shows. In the process, we'll examine the winners and the nominees who just missed taking home a GRAMMY, while also shining a light on the artists' careers and the eras in which the recordings were born.

Join us as we take an abbreviated journey through the trajectory of pop music from the 1st Annual GRAMMY Awards in 1959 to last year's 53rd Annual GRAMMY Awards.

1st Annual GRAMMY Awards
May 4, 1959

Album Of The Year
Winner: Henry Mancini, The Music From Peter Gunn
Van Cliburn, Tchaikovksy: Concerto No. 1 In B-Flat Minor, Op. 23
Ella Fitzgerald, Ella Fitzgerald Sings The Irving Berlin Songbook
Frank Sinatra, Come Fly With Me
Frank Sinatra, Only The Lonely

At the first-ever annual GRAMMY Awards ceremony — so early in the GRAMMY game that the presentation didn't even air on TV — the great composer Henry Mancini began a string of 20 GRAMMY wins by taking the first Album Of The Year award. The Music From Peter Gunn began to show the real promise of both Mancini — who would become arguably the top film composer of his era — and his collaborations with writer/director Blake Edwards. The two would go on to create film and music magic with the Pink Panther series. The Peter Gunn title track became the first hit TV theme.

Among the competition, Sinatra had the rare feat of landing both of his 1958 albums in the running, likely cancelling out his chances for a win. Come Fly With Me was a jaunty upbeat album that was Sinatra's first with arranger Billy May. Only The Lonely was a concept song cycle arranged by Nelson Riddle. Both hold up as peaks in Sinatra's career. Ella Fitzgerald made the cut with one of her several songbook albums, this one dedicated to the legendary Irving Berlin. Finally, pianist Van Cliburn was coming off his historic April 1958 win at the first International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow, hailed as a cultural warm breeze in the bleak years of the Cold War.

Record Of The Year
Winner: Domenico Modugno, "Nel Blu Dipinto Blu (Volare)"
Perry Como, "Catch A Falling Star"
Peggy Lee, "Fever"
David Seville And The Chipmunks, "The Chipmunk Song"
Frank Sinatra, "Witchcraft"

The first Record Of The Year winner was also the only foreign language release to win the award to date. Domenico Modugno became one of the first Italian international pop music stars, and rode the song that became popularly known as "Volare" to worldwide fame, even if he never quite achieved that level of success again. Sinatra also gained a nomination here with the irrepressible "Witchcraft," which appeared on neither of his nominated albums, giving a sense of the hot streak the Chairman was on. Lee made the group with the saucy "Fever," which would become her highest charting hit of the rock era. Como crooned his way onto the list with "Catch A Falling Star," one of three Top 10 singles he scored that year ("Magic Moments" and "Kewpie Doll" were the others). Finally, the Chipmunks, resurrected through a successful big-screen film franchise in recent years, snuck in with the novelty "The Chipmunk Song," written and performed by Chipmunks creator Ross Bagdasarian (whose stage name was David Seville), who also co-penned a signature hit for Rosemary Clooney with "Come On-A My House."

Song Of The Year
Winner: Domenico Modugno, "Nel Blu Dipinto Blu (Volare)"
Perry Como, "Catch A Falling Star"
Vic Damone, "Gigi"
Peggy Lee, "Fever"
Frank Sinatra, "Witchcraft"

No huge surprises here, with "Nel Blu Dipinto Blu (Volare)" (written by Franco Migliacci and Modugno), "Catch A Falling Star" (by Lee Pockriss and Paul Vance, who also wrote the Cuff Links hit "Tracy," among others as a team), "Fever" (by Eddie Cooley and John Davenport), and "Witchcraft" (by Cy Coleman and Carolyn Leigh, who was one of the top female composers of the Great American Songbook era with titles such as "Young At Heart" and "The Best Is Yet To Come" to her credit) reprising their Record Of The Year nominations. Vic Damone's "Gigi" (by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe), from the Vincente Minnelli film of the same name, rounded out the nominees.

Best New Artist
There was no Best New Artist category in 1958. The first award was presented at the 2nd Annual GRAMMY Awards, won by Bobby Darin.

Come back to GRAMMY.com Jan. 6 as we revisit the 5th Annual GRAMMY Awards. Meanwhile, visit The Recording Academy's social networks on Facebook and Twitter for updates and breaking GRAMMY news.

GRAMMY Rewind: 1962

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A Jazzy Celebration

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The Academy honors Jazz Appreciation Month with a playlist based on music from April-born jazz musicians
Neil Tesser
GRAMMYs
Dec 2, 2014 - 4:06 pm

Celebrating its 11th anniversary in 2012, Jazz Appreciation Month is the brainchild of Dr. John Edward Hasse, renowned jazz author and curator of the Smithsonian Institution's division of culture and the arts. In describing the idea behind the April celebration, Hasse says, "It occurred to me that jazz's biggest challenge was not a lack of talented, but a lack of audience and appreciation."  

With the Smithsonian Institution's backing, and the support of governmental agencies such as the National Endowment for the Arts and the U.S. Department of State, Hasse launched the first JAM in April 2001. Today, JAM is supported by more than 20 federal and nongovernmental partners, including the GRAMMY Foundation, and extends across all 50 states and to 40 countries.

As an extension of the annual Jazz Appreciation Month, this year GRAMMY-winning artist Herbie Hancock announced the launch of International Jazz Day, which will be held each year on April 30. The aim is to bring people together from all over the world to celebrate and support understanding of the art of jazz, its roots and its impact, while highlighting its role as a means of communication. Festivities for the inaugural event begin tomorrow and will feature concerts in Paris, New Orelans and New York.

But even if you're not in Paris, New Orleans or New York, it's pretty easy to recognize Jazz Appreciation Month — you just have to listen to the music. And if you program an hour or so of GRAMMY-winning jazz, all the better. With that, we take this angle to its logical extreme and draw our random JAM playlist from a group of jazz artists born in April. After all, no one is appreciated more than on their birthday.

"Ritmo En El Corazon" (iTunes>)
Ray Barretto

Among the first congueros to play with a real jazz feel, the Nuyorican Barretto (April 29) was the main man for mainstream jazzers needing authentic Afro-Cuban percussion in the '50s and '60s. But he won his only GRAMMY in quite a different arena, joining with the great Cuban songstress Celia Cruz for the folkloric heat of Ritmo En El Corazon, which won the Best Tropical Latin Performance GRAMMY in 1989.

"Mongo's Blues" (iTunes>)
Michel Camilo

Sir Michel (April 4) — who has been knighted by his native Dominican Republic — made the first album under his own name in 1985. But even before he gained attention for his flashy and fiery piano work, listeners knew his tune "Why Not?" thanks to a hot recording with lyrics by the Manhattan Transfer. Camilo honored a true hero of Latin music, percussionist Mongo Santamaria, with this composition on Live At The Blue Note, which won the Best Latin Jazz Album GRAMMY in 2003.

"Libertad" (iTunes>)
Caribbean Jazz Project

The Gathering was the Caribbean Jazz Project's third album for the Concord Jazz label, and garnered them their lone GRAMMY win for Best Latin Jazz Album in 2002. Led by co-principal/flautist Dave Valentin (April 29) and GRAMMY-winning founder Dave Samuels, the album is both accessible and adventurous, evidenced by the romantic and musical themes of "Libertad."

"Anatomy Of A Murder" (iTunes>)
Duke Ellington

Often considered the greatest jazzman ever, and indisputably jazz's greatest composer, Ellington (April 29) won the first three of his 11 GRAMMYs for Anatomy Of A Murder in 1959, including Best Performance By A Dance Band. When film director Otto Preminger decided that his blockbuster adaptation of the best-selling novel needed an original jazz soundtrack, he went to the source. The resulting music remains a high-water mark of jazz in film.

"Cheek To Cheek" (iTunes>)
Ella Fitzgerald

The quintessential jazz singer, Fitzgerald (April 25) won 13 GRAMMYs during her career — including an impressive seven from 1958–1962. Her first two statues came in 1958, the GRAMMYs' inaugural year, for Ella Fitzgerald Sings The Irving Berlin Song Book, which included a grand arrangement of "Cheek To Cheek," and Ella Fitzgerald Sings The Duke Ellington Song Book. Symbolic of her stylistic breadth, Fitzgerald took home one GRAMMY in pop and one in jazz. 

"A Change Is Gonna Come" (iTunes>)
Herbie Hancock 

Hancock (April 12) added GRAMMYs 13 and 14 to his résumé in 2010. He released his star-studded The Imagine Project that year, which spawned two GRAMMY wins for "A Change Is Gonna Come" and "Imagine" for Best Improvised Jazz Solo and Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals, respectively. The latter song features appearances by Jeff Beck, India.Arie, Pink, and Oumou Sangare, among others, and was Hancock's first GRAMMY win in the Pop Field. 

"Miles Ahead" (iTunes>)
Joe Henderson 

Tenor saxophonist Henderson (April 24) was an insider's favorite — a jazz musician's jazz musician. His indelible in-and-out phrasings finally resulted in four GRAMMYs in the '90s, thanks to a series of inspired theme albums for Verve Records — including 1993's So Near, So Far (Musings For Miles), his homage to the late Miles Davis. The album itself earned Henderson one GRAMMY; his lustrous solo in "Miles Ahead" earned him another for Best Jazz Instrumental Solo.

"God Bless The Child" (iTunes>)
Billie Holiday

Holiday (April 7) never won a GRAMMY. She died in 1959, barely two years after The Recording Academy was founded. But "Lady Day" has no less than six recordings in the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame, including "God Bless The Child," which was inducted in 1976. Holiday wrote the lyrics for this 1941 recording, and they still resonate today as evidenced by George Benson, Al Jarreau and R&B vocalist Jill Scott's cover that won a GRAMMY in 2006.

"Moment To Moment" (iTunes>)
Freddie Hubbard

Hubbard (April 7) was brash, headstrong and exhilarating — a trumpet virtuoso in a lineage preceded by Lee Morgan, Dizzy Gillespie and Louis Armstrong. He also grabbed an early foothold on the fusion of rock and jazz that marked the Age of Aquarius, leaving his hard-bop roots in the dust to win his only GRAMMY in 1972 for Best Jazz Performance By A Group for First Light, which featured "Moment To Moment" and other bright new jazz sounds.

"Walk On The Water" (iTunes>)
Gerry Mulligan

Mulligan (April 6) first made his mark as one of Miles Davis' collaborators in the creation of cool jazz, and then as an innovative and virtuosic baritone saxophonist. But what won him his only GRAMMY for Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Big Band in 1981 were the lightly swinging arrangements written for Walk On The Water.

"I Feel Pretty" (iTunes>)
André Previn

Previn (April 6) is a quadruple threat — the pianist has won awards for classical, pop, jazz, and musical show recordings. He covered the latter two bases with his 1960 album of music from one of the all-time Broadway hits, "West Side Story," which won a GRAMMY for Best Jazz Performance Solo Or Small Group. Previn was honored with a Recording Academy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2010. 

"Jelly Belly"
Mongo Santamaria

Who is the only percussionist whose name serves as a punch line in a Mel Brooks movie?  That would be Santamaria (April 7), the Cuban-born master conguero/composer who was a forerunner in fusing Latin rhythms with soul jazz. This exemplar of jazz communication is taken from the GRAMMY-winning album Dawn, which marked the first GRAMMY nod for the then-new label Fania Records, soon to be a Latin music powerhouse. (The movie was Blazing Saddles.)  

Which jazz artists will you celebrate this month? Drop us a comment and share some of the artists who will make your playlist.

(Neil Tesser has broadcast, written about and helped program jazz in Chicago for more than 35 years. His work has appeared in Jazziz, USA Today, Rolling Stone, and The New York Times, and now online at Examiner.com. Tesser received a GRAMMY nomination in 1985 for Best Album Notes for The Girl From Ipanema — The Bossa Nova Years.)

 

Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Beyoncé, Mariah Carey

Photos: WireImage.com

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Michael Jackson, Beyoncé, Jay-Z: 25 GRAMMY Record Setters | Black History Month

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From wins and nominations to momentous firsts and incredible feats, take a look at 25 GRAMMY records set by African-Americans
Paul Grein
GRAMMYs
Feb 8, 2018 - 3:50 pm

African-American artists have been making history at the GRAMMYs since the awards were first presented on May 4, 1959. Ella Fitzgerald and Count Basie each took home two awards that night.

Watch: Kendrick Lamar Wins Best Rap Album

And they have continued to be at the forefront right through this year, when Kendrick Lamar scooped up five GRAMMYs (bringing his total to date to an even dozen).

To help celebrate Black History Month, here are 25 GRAMMY records set by African-American artists. Note: This isn't just a list of the first African-American winners in various categories — though those milestones are meaningful in their own right. These are instances where an African-American artist or producer set a record in competition with everybody.

1. Michael Jackson

The first artist to win eight GRAMMYs in one night: Michael Jackson (1983). In that Thriller of a year, Jackson also became the first artist to amass 12 nominations in one night.

Michael Jackson Wins Record Of The Year

2. Quincy Jones

Artist with the most GRAMMY nominations: Quincy Jones (79). Jones landed his first noms in 1960; his most recent in 2001.

3. Beyoncé And Jay-Z

The only couple where both individuals have received 20 or more GRAMMYs: Beyoncé and Jay-Z. At last count, she has amassed 22 GRAMMYs. He has won 21.

Beyoncé wins Best Urban Contemporary Album GRAMMY

4. Beyoncé

The youngest artist to amass 20 career GRAMMYs: Beyoncé, who was 33 when she picked up her 18th, 19th and 20th GRAMMYs at the 2014 awards. She broke a record that was held by Kanye West, who was 35 when he collected his 19th, 20th and 21st GRAMMYs at the 2012 awards.

5. Mariah Carey

The youngest artist to receive nominations in each of the four General Field categories (Record, Album and Song Of The Year and Best New Artist): Mariah Carey, who was 20 when she was nominated in all four categories for 1990. She won for Best New Artist.

Mariah Carey Wins Best New Artist

6. Stevie Wonder

The only artist in GRAMMY history to win Album Of The Year with three consecutive studio albums: Stevie Wonder. He achieved this extraordinary three-peat with Innervisions (1973), Fulfillingness' First Finale (1974) and Songs In The Key Of Life (1976).

7. Stevie Wonder

The first artist to win Album Of The Year with an entirely self-produced album: Stevie Wonder (Innervisions).

8. Stevie Wonder

The youngest artist to win his third GRAMMY for Album Of The Year: Stevie Wonder, who was just 26 when he won for the third time with Songs In The Key Of Life.

9. Ray Charles

The artist with the longest span of Album Of The Year nominations: Ray Charles. His noms in the category span 43 years, from Genius + Soul = Jazz (1961) to Genius Loves Company (2004).

10. Ella Fitzgerald

The first woman to receive an Album Of The Year nomination: Ella Fitzgerald, who was nominated in 1958, the awards' first year, for Ella Fitzgerald Sings The Irving Berlin Song Book.

11. Roberta Flack

The first artist to win back-to-back awards for Record Of The Year: Roberta Flack ("The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face," 1972, and "Killing Me Softly With His Song," 1973).

Roberta Flack Wins Record of the Year

12. The 5th Dimension

The first group or duo to win twice for Record Of The Year: The 5th Dimension. The vocal quintet won for "Up, Up And Away" (1967) and "Aquarius/Let The Sunshine In (The Flesh Failures)" (1969).

13. Ray Charles

The artist with the longest span of Record Of The Year nominations: Ray Charles. His noms in the category span 44 years, from "Georgia On My Mind" (1960) to "Here We Go Again," a collaboration with Norah Jones (2004).

14. Thom Bell

The first producer to win for Producer Of The Year, Non-Classical: Thom Bell (1974, the first year the award was presented).

15. Quincy Jones

The first producer to win twice for Producer Of The Year, Non-Classical: Quincy Jones. He shared his second award with Michael Jackson. Jones was also the first producer to win three times in the category.

Quincy Jones Wins Producer Of The Year

16. Babyface

The only producer to win four times for Producer Of The Year, Non-Classical: Babyface. He shared the first of these awards with his partner, L.A. Reid.

17. Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis

The producer(s) with the most nominations for Producer Of The Year, Non-Classical: Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis. The hit-making team amassed 11 noms from 1986–2005. They won the award for 1986.

18. Aretha Franklin

Most consecutive awards in any category: Aretha Franklin, eight consecutive awards for Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female (1967–1974). The streak kicked off with the immortal "Respect." They don't call her the "Queen Of Soul" for nothing.

19. Ella Fitzgerald

The first woman to receive a GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement Award: Ella Fitzgerald (1967).

20. Lauryn Hill

The first woman to win five GRAMMYs in one night: Lauryn Hill (1998). Her awards included Album Of The Year for The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill.

21. Beyoncé

The first woman to win six GRAMMYs in one night: Beyoncé (2009). Her awards included Song Of The Year for "Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)."

22. Ray Charles

Most posthumous GRAMMYs in one night (five): Ray Charles (2004). His awards included Album Of The Year for Genius Loves Company.

23. Pinetop Perkins

The oldest artist to win a GRAMMY: Pinetop Perkins, who was 97 when he won Best Traditional Blues Album for Joined At The Hip (2010).

24. Elizabeth Cotten

The oldest female artist to win a GRAMMY: Elizabeth Cotten, who was 90 when she won Best Ethnic Or Traditional Folk Recording for Elizabeth Cotten Live! (1984). (She was 26 days older than Betty White was when she won the 2011 award for Best Spoken Word Album (Includes Poetry, Audio Books & Storytelling). Hey, days count in GRAMMY record-setting.)

25. Deleon Richards

The youngest individual artist to receive a GRAMMY nomination: Deleon Richards, who was just eight when she was nominated for Best Soul Gospel Performance — Female for her album Deleon (1985).

(Paul Grein is a veteran music journalist and historian whose work appears regularly at Yahoo.com and Hitsdailydouble.com.)

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