Contemporary music is one industry with a distinctive touch of Black. The five black musicians who broke Grammy Awards records recognized in this article are evidence of this.
Yes, the white Taylor Swifts and Adelles have swept the board at the music award shows, but our Black brethren haven't done badly either.
What you may not know is that some of the most eminent Grammy Awards records were broken by Black musicians. Since its inception in 1959, African-American artists – also cutting across producers – have set marks of musical excellence at the Grammy Awards.
Let me tell you five black musicians that broke remarkable Grammy Award records.
Michael Jackson
Of course, you have the right to take me to court if Michael Jackson doesn't top this list.
Arguably the finest Black musician to grace the 20th century, the King of Pop ate Grammy Awards for breakfast!
Michael Jackson cemented his legacy in Grammy history by becoming the first artist to pack home eight Grammy awards in one night. This was at the 26th Grammy Awards night in 1984.
Michael Jackson's Thriller album was literally a thriller.
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The world watched with fascination as the Thriller album broke one record after another, collecting 12 nominations in one Grammy night.
Ella Fitzgerald
Talk about the Queen of Jazz, and Ella Fitzgerald promptly comes to mind.
A musical genius revered for her uncanny phrasing, tone pureness, and diction, Ella Fitzgerald was the first woman in the history of the Grammy Awards to receive an Album Of The Year nomination.
Her studio album Ella Fitzgerald Sings The Irving Berlin Song Book was nominated in the Grammy Awards in 1958. This was the first-ever Grammy edition to hold.
Stevie Wonder
Come on, isn't it criminal not to wonder at Stevie Wonder's musical brilliance? Strongly staking a claim for the foremost 1970s pioneer of R&B, Stevie is one of the most successful Black musicians and songwriters alive.
Stevie's deployment of synthesizers intelligently enhanced with electronic musical instruments disrupted R&B as we knew it in the '70s.
For all such creative troubles, Stevie Wonder holds the prestigious position of the sole artist in the Grammy Awards history to win Album Of The Year with three straight studio albums.
These were Stevie's Innervisions of 1973, Fulfillingness' First Finale of 1974, and Songs In The Key Of Life in 1976. Could there be a better definition of back-to-back-to-back?
Stevie Wonder was just 26 years old when he got the third award for his Songs In The Key Of Life. What more, the Innervisions album was solely produced by Steve Wonder!
Beyoncé
When Beyoncé said, "I could have another you in a minute" in her Irreplaceable song, she was actually talking about the Grammy Awards! Yes, Grammy awards – and records – barely excite Beyoncé anymore.
She holds the record for the youngest artist to bag 20 career GRAMMYs. Queen Bey also remains the first woman to take home six Grammy awards in one night; a record only equaled since then by Adelle.
Want more? She has got more for you. Beyoncé is the female artist with the highest Grammy nominations so far, with 79 to her name!
And yes, her marriage also holds an exclusive Grammy record of its own. Along with her husband Jay Z, the power couple is the only matrimonial duo where each has bagged at least 20 Grammys.
Quincy Jones
Finally, behind every successful musician is a prodigious producer. More precisely put, behind the genius and success of Michael Jackson is the genius and successful Quincy Jones.
Quincy Jones is undoubtedly one of the finest producers in the American music space, with a career spanning over 70 years. Quincy holds the record for the first producer to doubly win the non-classical genre and the Producer Of The Year.
Befittingly, Quincy Jones' trophy cabinet is loaded with 28 Grammy Awards and 80 Grammy Awards nominations. In 1992, Quincy Jones was rewarded with the eminent Grammy Legend Award.
So here we have five eminent black musicians who have left their beautiful marks on the Grammy Awards history. Other notable mentions include Mariah Carey, Ray Charles, and Lauryn Hill. We hope this piece got your pride in your Black skin a little bit thicker.
