
The American Music Awards show is one of four annual major US music awards shows (the others being the Billboard Music Awards, the Grammy Awards, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony). The AMAs were created by Dick Clark in 1973 to compete with the Grammys after the move of that year's show to Nashville, Tennessee led to CBS picking up the Grammy telecasts after its first two in 1971 and 1972 were broadcast on ABC. Michael Jackson and Donny Osmond co-hosted the first award show with Rodney Allen - Rippy. While the Grammys are awarded based on votes by members of the entertainment industry, the AMAs are determined by a poll of music buyers. The "big three" established awards shows (AMAs, Billboard Music Awards, and Grammys) compete for prestige and television ratings, with the Grammys nominally rewarding quality and both the AMAs and Billboard Music Awards rewarding popularity. Stories of artists being pressured to participate in one awards show over the other have been fodder for tabloid gossip and controversy.
The only other major difference between the Grammys and Billboard Music Awards is that the AMAs do not currently have an award for Best Single/Record but the Grammys and Billboard Music Awards do.
However, since the establishment of the Billboard Music Awards in 1989, there have been instances where artists (such as The Dixie Chicks and Céline Dion) have won all of the "big three" major music awards (including the AMAs). But the need for a unified music awards system (on the mold of horse racing's Triple Crown) only complicates the competition between the AMAs and the other awards shows.
For the first decade or so, the AMAs had multiple hosts, each representing a genre of music. For instance, Glen Campbell would host the country portion (Campbell, in fact, has co-hosted the AMAs more times than any other host or co-host), while other artists would co-host to represent his/her genre. In recent years, however, there has been one single host.
From its inception in 1973 until 2003, the AMAs have been held in mid- to late-January, but were moved to November beginning in 2003 so as not to further compete with other major awards shows (such as the Golden Globe Awards and the Academy Awards).
The most American Music Awards belong to Alabama who have collected twenty-two awards. The record for a solo artist belongs to Whitney Houston, who has collected twenty.
The record for the most American Music Awards won in a single year is held by both Michael Jackson (for 1983's Thriller), and Whitney Houston (for 1993's The Bodyguard Soundtrack), each with 8 awards to their credit (including the Award of Merit, which both artists were awarded during their respective year).
Pop/Rock Category
Favorite Pop/Rock Male Artist
Favorite Pop/Rock Female Artist
Favorite Pop/Rock Band/Duo/Group
Favorite Pop/Rock Album
Favorite Pop/Rock Single
Favorite Pop/Rock Video
Favorite Pop/Rock Male Video Artist
Favorite Pop/Rock Female Video Artist
Favorite Pop/Rock Band/Duo/Group Video Artist
Favorite Pop/Rock New Artist
Soul/R&B Category
Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist
Favorite Soul/R&B Female Artist
Favorite Soul/R&B Band/Duo/Group
Favorite Soul/R&B Album
Favorite Soul/R&B Single
Favorite Soul/R&B Video
Favorite Soul/R&B Male Video Artist
Favorite Soul/R&B Female Video Artist
Favorite Soul/R&B Band/Duo/Group Video Artist
Favorite Soul/R&B New Artist
Country Category
Favorite Country Male Artist
Favorite Country Female Artist
Favorite Country Band/Duo/Group
Favorite Country Album
Favorite Country Single
Favorite Country Video
Favorite Country Male Video Artist
Favorite Country Female Video Artist
Favorite Country Band/Duo/Group Video Artist
Favorite Country New Artist
Rap/Hip-Hop Category
Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Artist
Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Male Artist
Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Female Artist
Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Band/Duo/Group
Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Album
Favorite Rap/Hip=Hop New Artist
Adult Contemporary Category
Favorite Adult Contemporary Artist
Favorite Adult Contemporary Album
Favorite Adult Contemporary New Artist
Heavy Metal/Hard Rock Category
Favorite Heavy Hetal/Hard Rock Artist
Favorite Heavy Hetal/Hard Rock Album
Favorite Heavy Hetal/Hard Rock New Artist
Alternative Category
Favorite Alternative Artist
Dance Category
Favorite Dance Artist
Favorite Dance Album
Favorite Dance New Artist
Latin Category
Favorite Latin Artist
Inspirational Category
- Favorite Contemporay Inspirational Artist
Soundtrack
- Favorite Soundtrack
Other Categories
Award of Merit
Award of Achievement
Fan's Choice Award
Artist of the Year
Links
- American Music Awards, official site
- "More Show than Music", a scathing critique of the 2001 awards show
This guide is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia.
Video: 2007 American Music Awards Red Carpet Coverage (KTLA's Leticia Preciado interviews Ne-Yo, Sean Kingston, Akon, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony and many more at the 2007 American Music Awards.)
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