Who Has the Most Grammys?

9 Min Read

World-famous composers and acclaimed conductors. Trailblazing country stars and groundbreaking hip-hop artists. Legendary soul singers whose music has soundtracked the lives of millions and innovative producers who make it all happen on the other side of the mixing board.

What does such a varied collection of musicians have in common?

Aside from a flair for plucking melodies out of the air, they’re all on the list of the top Grammy winners in history. From film composers who helped spark your adolescent imagination to one of the biggest pop stars in the world, the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences has been recognizing artists of all genres since 1959. And for most, winning even one Grammy award represents a career-high. The annual Grammy Awards have certainly had some hits and misses when it comes to awarding the right artists, but winning a Grammy Award is still a pretty big deal.

But who has the most Grammys? Keep reading to discover the top 15 Grammy winners.

#1 George Soti

The most Grammy-awarded person in history is the orchestra conductor George Soti, who managed to snag an impressive 31 trophies between 1962 and 1997.

A student and protegé of world-famous composers like Béla Bartok and Zoltan Kodaly, Soti first rose to prominence as the director of such prestigious European Opera houses as the Bavarian State Opera. Eventually, he would travel the world conducting and promoting classical music, from Japan to Chicago.

Some of Soti’s most historic Grammy triumphs were for his interpretations of works by famous classical composers.¹ They include:

A 1962 award for Best Opera Album for a recording of Verdi's “Aida”
A 1975 award for Best Choral Performance for Verdi’s “Requiem”
A 1979 award for Best Classical Album for “Brahms Complete Symphonies”

#2 Beyoncé

As one of the most recognizable recording artists in the world, you might have been expecting to see Beyoncé near the top of the list. In fact, among female artists, this Houston native wears the crown.

Beyoncé started courting Grammy gold in 2000 with the group Destiny’s Child, and she’s been a mainstay of the awards ceremony ever since.² From groundbreaking performances to her much-disputed 2017 Album of the Year loss to Adele, Beyoncé is a name that’s practically synonymous with the Grammys.

Some of her biggest wins include:

Song of the Year for “Single Ladies”
Best R&B Performance for “Drunk in Love”
Best R&B Song for “Crazy in Love”

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#3 Quincy Jones

Chicago-born Qunicy Jones got his first taste of music by playing the trumpet in his school band and performing with his church choir.³ After studying at top music schools like the Berklee College of Music, Jones moved to New York City and began laying the groundwork for one of the most influential careers in music history. He’s won Grammys in categories like:

Album of the Year
Producer of the Year
Song of the Year

#4 Alison Krauss

Alison Krauss is the second-most Grammy-awarded female artist with 27 wins under her belt. With a stirring country voice and musical inspirations that traverse genres from traditional country-western to bluegrass and folk, she’s a certified Grammy favorite.

Krauss has won genre-specific honors like Best Contemporary Folk Album. She’s also triumphed in the big categories like Album of the Year and Song of the Year, which she claimed in 2009.

#5 Pierre Boulez

Rounding out the top five is French composer Pierre Boulez. Widely considered one of the most influential figures in classical music of the 20th century, he won 26 Grammys during his lifetime.⁴ A leader in his field, Boulez’s compositions were known to be forward-thinking and ambitious.

Among Blouez’s 26 Grammys is a special Lifetime Achievement, which he won at the ceremony in 2015.

#6 Chick Corea

Aside from being number six on the list of the most decorated Grammy winners, American composer Chick Corea is also the jazz artist with the most wins. Through his work as a keyboardist for jazz legend Miles Davis, Corea changed the course of jazz music—and secured 25 Grammys in the process.

Beginning in 1976 and until his 2021 death, Corea won Grammys in a range of categories like:

Improvised Jazz Solo
Jazz Instrumental Album
Latin Jazz Album

#7 Stevie Wonder

Stevie Wonder is one of those artists who’s practically beloved by everyone. Let’s face it—have you ever listened to one of his songs and not smiled? We’re willing to bet that your toes have even done a few taps of contentment, too. Simply put, his music just makes you feel good.

The Recording Academy agrees. Since 1973, they’ve given Stevie 25 of their gold-plated gramophones in recognition of his contributions to American music. In fact, Stevie has won the Academy’s coveted Album of the Year prize three times—a record he holds along with Paul Simon and Frank Sinatra.⁵

The albums that put him in that rarefied group are:

“Innervisions”
“Fulfillingness’ First Finale”
“Songs in the Key of Life”

#8 Vladimir Horowitz

Known as one of the 20th century’s most famous pianists, Vladimir Horowitz is among the top ten people with the most Grammy awards at 25.

Horowitz produced a large body of work between the 1930s and the 1980s. Among the recordings that the Grammys acknowledged are:

Album of the Year, Classical, for “Horowitz Plays Rachmaninoff” in 1972
Best Classical Performance, for “Horowitz in Concert” in 1968

#9 John Williams

Even if you don’t know his name, you definitely know this guy’s work. He’s the man behind some of the most memorable movie scores in history, some of which are capable of transporting you right back to the theater where you first saw the film.

Among his 25 Grammys are awards for his musical contributions to films like:⁶

Saving Private Ryan
Schindler’s List
E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial

#10 Jay-Z

Jay-Z isn’t the only rapper on this list. Actually, he isn’t even the only person from his immediate family. But he is the rapper with the most Grammys, with 23 overall. He’s also the most nominated artist, having secured 83 Grammy nominations over the years.

The man who would become Jay-Z was born Sean Carter on December 4th, 1969. He first made a name for himself in the 1990s as a lead innovator of “gangsta rap,” penning lyrics about his hardscrabble youth growing up in the Bronx. Now, he’s one of the wealthiest people in the world—and one-half of one of the planet’s most famous couples.

Jay-Z’s Grammy-winning songs include:

99 Problems
Swagga Like Us
Empire State of Mind

#11 Vince Gill

Aside from Alison Krauss, Vince Gill is the only country artist on the list of top Grammy winners. With 22 Grammys to his name, Gill has been a consistent nominee and winner in the country categories since the early 1990s.

Gill has won the Grammy for Best Male Country Vocal Performance an impressive nine times, including for songs such as:

Next Big Thing
Worlds Apart
Ain’t That Lonely Yet

#12 U2

One of the Grammy’s favorite rock groups, the Irish band U2 has won a total of 22 Grammys since 1987. Comprised of lead vocalist Bono, guitarist The Edge, bassist Adam Clayton, and drummer Larry Mullen Jr., these rockers repeatedly attract the academy’s attention with their socially conscious and introspective rock music.

Plus, U2 is the only rock group to win Album of the Year twice.⁷ The albums that secured that honor are:

The Joshua Tree in 1987
How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb in 2005

#13 Kanye West

Thanks to all the antics, famous feuds, and dubious politics, it’s easy to forget that Kanye West is a Grammy favorite with 22 wins to his name.

In his early days as an up-and-coming Chicago producer, West suffered a near-fatal car accident and had to have his jaw wired shut. In the aftermath of that brush with death, he created one of the most brilliant rap debuts ever, his 2004 breakout, “The College Dropout.”

Since then, West has proved himself to be a rapacious and innovative artist, both as a rapper and producer. His Grammy-winning albums include:

Graduation
Watch the Throne
The Life of Pablo

#14 Henry Mancini

American composer Henry Mancini comes in at number 14 on our list with 20 Grammy awards. From top honors like Album of the Year to multiple Grammy hall of fame inductions, Mancini has struck Grammy gold in pop, instrumental, and general categories.

He was also a prolific film composer. Among the classic films that feature Mancini’s music are:

Breakfast at Tiffany’s
The Pink Panther
Days of Wine and Roses

#15 Pat Metheny

Jazz guitarist Pat Metheny rounds out our ultimate list of Grammy-winning artists. Born in Missouri in 1954, Metheny would go on to become one of the most innovative jazz musicians and bandleaders of his generation.

Metheny won his very first Grammy award in 1983. After that, he took home at least one Grammy per decade for four consecutive decades—a true testament to the timelessness of his talent.

Notable Grammy-winning Artists:

Olivia Rodrigo - Through her debut album, Sour, Rodrigo is the second youngest artist to secure a Grammy win (she won Best New Artist, Best Pop Vocal Album, and Best Pop Solo Performance).

Kendrick Lamar - Lamar's third album is particularly noteworthy because he was the first rapper with the most nominations in a single night (winning Best Rap Album for To Pimp a Butterfly, and Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance for the single "ï").

Michael Jackson - Arguably the biggest pop artist also had notable Grammy wins. He was the first artist to win 8 Grammy awards in one night, which he garnered for Thriller.

Listen in with Victrola

Now that you know a bit more about the talent that’s been sweeping us off of our feet for decades, it’s to hear it for yourself. But there are also artists that are on their way to stacking up the Grammys, so make sure to listen to their albums, too. Collect some Billie Eilish vinyl albums and Harry Styles vinyl albums.

If you want to listen to Grammy-winning music on the best equipment, lend your music-loving ears to the sound of Victrola. For music enthusiasts who want the sharpest-sounding machines and the highest-quality vinyl, Victrola is the one-stop-shop.

From classic records by Stevie Wonder to contemporary chart-toppers by Beyoncé and Kanye West, you can find it all in our online record store. Happy listening.

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