And the GRAMMY Award Goes To…

The GRAMMY Awards are only a few days away and the music world has to be on fire.  This is the time of year where industry experts recognize the hard work, talent and abilities of musicians and performers.

While I am a music lover, I don’t always have the time to pay attention to the GRAMMY buzz. Sometimes I just want the highlights – like on Sports Center.  Yet I was curious to see who the nominations are and I learned a few things about the foundation and process.

First, there are seventy-eight categories for the GRAMMYs.  Thankfully, television only broadcasts about a dozen. Given how many music genres there are encompassing the world, I can understand having at least twenty-five, but seventy-eight?  This opened my eyes to just how big the music business really is and how far it reaches beyond the five stations I have on my radio presets. Some of the lesser-known categories include Best Long Form Music Video, Best Surround Sound Album, Best Historical Album, and Best Instrumental Composition.  All of these are important, of course, but a revelation to me that these categories even existed.

Second, the first GRAMMY Awards were held in 1959 for music released in 1958.  There were only twenty-six categories, then. Some of the winners included the following:

Best Album – Henry Mancini for music from Peter Gunn
Best Recording for Children – Ross Bagdasarian Sr. (a.k.a. David Seville) for The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don’t Be Late)
Best Vocal Performance; Male – Perry Como for “Catch a Falling Star”
Best Country & Western Performance – The Kingston Trio for “Tom Dooley”
Best Jazz Performance; Group – Count Basie for Basie

Jennifer Lopez @ 2011 Grammys

Third, music is part of our heritage. It’s genderless, timeless and something that appeals to all ages. It’s something that is to be saved and preserved for all generations to enjoy past, present and future. Given that this is one of the missions of the GRAMMY Foundation, I’d expect our musical history to be well maintained for years to come. (Especially if you have your music on a Seagate hard drive.)  🙂

Ok, so I knew that last one already. It’s top of mind as we prepare to head down for the upcoming Music Preservation Project’s One Night Only: A Celebration Of The Live Music Experience that Seagate is sponsoring. (What? You don’t know what this is? Find out more here!)

I’m looking forward to the GRAMMY Awards on Sunday. There will be a number of artists I’m a fan of performing and I’m looking forward to being introduced to some new music.  It’s a great chance to look at the past as well as look towards the future.

Will you be watching the GRAMMYs this weekend? Comment below on whom you’d pick to win or give us a shout on Twitter.