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A Brief History of Genre at the Grammys


Music is constantly changing, as is how it’s classified. The Grammys have tried to keep up, with varying results.

In a recent interview with Billboard, Academy CEO Harvey Mason, jr. referred to it as “the great consolidation.” Two factors were responsible for the reduction: Many felt that the glut of categories devalued the award. Cuban-American trumpeter Arturo Sandoval was the inaugural winner of best Latin jazz performance for “Danzon (Dance On).” The category was dropped in the 2012 streamlining, but it was brought back the following year following a protest. The winners in the combined category were Bob Dylan’s Modern Times, Steve Earle’s Washington Square Serenade and Robert Plant & Alison Krauss’ Raising Sand.

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