Today in History: From The Chipmunks to Sinatra; 5 points to remember the inaugural Grammy Awards
The Grammy Awards has become the epitome of recognition in the musical industry over the last 59 years. Here are five points to commemorate its first edition.
Every awards ceremony has to start somewhere, right?
Well, 59 years ago to the day was the first time the highlight of the musical calendar year, the Recording Academy Grammy Awards, was held.
They were originally known as the Gramophone Awards and were held at two separate locations on the same day. One of the events was hosted by Mort Sahl.
It was only fitting that the legendary Frank Sinatra received six nominations (only winning one) while six separate individuals won two awards each.
To mark the inaugural ceremony, here are five points to take away from the day that the most prestigious musical award ceremony began:
1. Held at two separate locations
The only time the awards have simultaneously been held at two locations, they were held on opposite sides of the country.
The awards were held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California on the West Coast and the Park Sheraton Hotel in New York City on the East Coast.
The event in Beverly Hills was hosted by comedian Mort Sahl and attended by the musical elite while at the same time Recording Academy members convened for a function at the Park Sheraton Hotel in New York City.
2. Six double-winners
A total of six artists shared the distinction of the most coveted winner with two wins each. Henry Mancini, Count Basie, Ella Fitzgerald, Felix Slatkin, Domenico Modugno, and Ross Bagdasarian Sr. (aka David Seville) picked up two Grammys each.
3. Only a third of today’s categories
There were ‘only’ 28 categories recognised at the inaugural event.
If that actually sounds like a lot, well try compare it to 2018’s awards which had 84(!) categories, three times the number in 1959.
4. Alvin and the Chipmunks got a nomination and won two awards
‘The Chipmunks Song’, the cuddly brainchild of Ross Bagdasarian Sr., was among the nominees for Record Of The Year.
It was ‘performed’ by everyone’s favourite chipmunks Alvin, Simon, and Theodore Seville.
Though it ended up not capturing the award, it holds the distinction of being the only children’s recording to be nominated in the category in the awards’ history.
Despite not winning the Record of the Year title, the holiday song did net Bagdasarian two awards. It also earned Best Engineered Record – Non-Classical honours.)
5. First and only foreign language winner of Song and Record of the Year
Italian singer/ songwriter Domenico 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 honours at the inaugural Grammys.
To date, it is the only foreign-language recording to win either of those categories.
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