The first Grammy Awards ceremony was held simultaneously in two locations on May 4, 1959, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, and the Park Sheraton Hotel in New York City, with 28 Grammys awarded. The event was hosted by Mort Sahl.

The Grammy Awards are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize “outstanding” achievements in the music industry each year. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious music industry awards globally. The Grammys were originally called the Gramophone Awards, celebrating the trophy, which depicts a gilded gramophone. The annual awards show is the first of the major television networks’ major music awards held each year, and are considered one of the four major annual American entertainment awards, along with the Academy Awards for movies, the Emmy Awards for television, and the Tony Awards for live theater.

The Recording Academy announced in June of 2023 that the organization has added three additional categories for the 66th Annual GRAMMY Awards, including Best African Music Performance, Best Alternative Jazz Album and Best Pop Dance Recording. Additionally, the existing categories of Producer Of The Year, Non-Classical and Songwriter Of The Year, Non-Classical are being moved to the General Field, allowing all registered GRAMMY voters to vote in these non-genre-specific categories. These category additions and amendments were voted on and passed at the Recording Academy’s May 2023 semi-annual Board of Trustees meeting.