Profitable your first Grammy is an enormous milestone for any musical artist, with large stars like Beyoncé, Adele, Taylor Swift and Billie Eilish all scooping multitudes of awards within the early levels of their profession.
Nevertheless, along with coveted titles like Album and Report Of The 12 months, the Grammys additionally function a large number of surprising and area of interest classes – which signifies that there have been a good few shocking and sudden recipients through the years.
Listed below are simply 14 of probably the most shocking and sudden winners from Grammys previous…
Barack Obama
Yeah, let’s begin with the biggie, lets?
Barack Obama is definitely a two-time Grammy winner, scooping each of his awards previous to being elected US President.
His two Grammy victories have been within the Greatest Spoken Phrase Album class, for the audiobook variations of his Goals From My Father and The Audacity Of Hope.
In 2020, Michelle Obama additionally scooped her first Grammy, as soon as once more for the audiobook model of her memoir, Changing into.
Invoice Clinton, Mikhail Gorbachev, and Sophia Loren
Not solely are these three unlikely Grammy-holders as particular person, what’s much more uncommon is that they received as a trio.
The previous US President, chief of the Soviet Union and display legend teamed up on a recording combining Peter And The Wolf and Wolf Tracks, touchdown the award for Greatest Spoken Phrase Album for Kids in 2004.
Carrie Fisher
Carrie Fisher landed a posthumous Grammy in 2018, once more within the Greatest Spoken Phrase album class, for the audiobook model of her memoir, The Princess Diarist.
The Star Wars legend was beforehand nominated for a similar award in 2010, however misplaced out to Michael J Fox’s At all times Wanting Up.
Baha Males
For those who’re struggling to put the place you already know the title “Baha Males” from, maybe the phrase “who let the canines out” will jog your reminiscence.
Regardless of their signature monitor being divisive at finest, it was named Greatest Dance Recording in 2001.
Spike Jonze
You would possibly know Spike as the person behind thought-provoking movies like Being John Malkovich and the romantic comedy Her, or the big-screen adaptation of The place The Wild Issues Are.
Nevertheless, he additionally has a formidable variety of music movies below his belt, together with Björk’s It’s Oh So Quiet, Weezer’s Buddy Holly and Fatboy Slim’s Weapon of Selection, which landed him the Greatest Music Video Grammy in 2002.
Kathy Griffin
After finishing her well-documented quest to win an Emmy for her actuality present My Life On The D-Listing, Kathy Griffin set herself a brand new mission in bagging a Grammy for Greatest Comedy Album.
It took her six years (the primary particular she submitted was actually known as For Your Consideration), however she lastly did it in 2013, along with her comedy album Calm Down Gurrl.
Frankly, she ought to have received one thing for her iconic discuss present theme tune, too.
Kate Winslet
The Titanic star’s awards cupboard isn’t precisely a barren one, with an Oscar, three Baftas, an Emmy and 4 Golden Globes to her title.
In 2000, she was in a position to boast being a Grammy-winner too. Sadly, it wasn’t a win for her too-often-overlooked single What If, however a victory within the Greatest Spoken Phrase Album For Kids class.
By the way, Kate is now only one Tony Award away from EGOT standing, one thing which hasn’t escaped her consideration both.
Viola Davis
And whereas we’re with reference to EGOTs, Viola Davis reached this legendary standing in 2023, when she landed her first ever Grammy.
Sadly, it wasn’t for something musical (though there’s nonetheless loads of time for that!), however the audiobook model of her memoir Discovering Me.
Betty White
After greater than 70 years within the leisure business, the late, nice Betty White was lastly in a position to name herself a Grammy winner in 2012.
She obtained the honour for the audiobook model of her memoir If You Ask Me (And Of Course You Received’t).
Zach Braff
In 2005, the Scrubs alum picked up a Grammy for the accompanying soundtrack to his directorial debut Backyard State.
The compilation – produced by Zach himself – featured the entire mid-2000s staples you’d count on, together with Coldplay, The Shins and, naturally, Frou Frou’s Let Go, which might as soon as once more be used on the large display within the Christmas rom-com The Vacation a yr later.
The Muppets
The Muppets deserve all the awards, if we’re being trustworthy, so we’re happy to say they’ve obtained a handful of Grammys through the years, first profitable Greatest Recording For Kids for his or her Muppet Present album in 1978. They went on to take house the identical award the next yr for the soundtrack to The Muppet Film.
Virtually 30 years later, they triumphed in the identical class for his or her festive providing A Inexperienced And Crimson Christmas.
Their fuzzy counterparts on Sesame Avenue can even boast a large number of Grammys to their title, most just lately for his or her 2001 album Elmo And The Orchestra.
Martin Luther King Jr
It’s most likely no shock that Martin Luther King Jr’s Grammy win is within the Greatest Spoken Phrase class, for the recording of his speech Why I Oppose The Struggle In Vietnam.
What would possibly come as extra of a shock is the actual fact he’d really been nominated twice prior, dropping only one yr earlier for the audio recording of his world-famous I Have A Dream speech.
Steve Jobs
After his dying in 2011, the late co-founder of Apple was awarded a posthumous honorary Grammy.
He was given the award for having modified the way in which all of us eat and take heed to music, because of merchandise like iPods and the iTunes retailer.
Alvin And The Chipmunks
The singing rodents even have a whopping six Grammy wins to their title.
This contains Greatest Comedy Efficiency for The Chipmunk Tune in 1959 (which, bizarrely, was even nominated for Report Of The 12 months at that very same ceremony).