Pick a Day

Music History Events: Awards and Honors

July 31, 2016 Justin Timberlake accepts the Decade Award at the Teen Choice Awards, the first time the award is given out. He says, "As a former teen, who's made a few choices along the way, I'm here to tell you that you and your choices matter."

April 8, 2016 Steve Miller, notoriously averse to awards ceremonies, goes on a backstage rant when he is inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He says the Hall is like "a private boys club," and lets loose on the organizers. "It's a bunch of jackasses and jerks and f--king gangsters and crooks."More

December 6, 2015 Carole King is celebrated at the Kennedy Center Honors, where 73-year-old Aretha Franklin brings the audience to its feet with her rendition of "You Make Me Feel Like A Natural Woman," one of many classic songs written by King.More

August 30, 2015 Taylor Swift and Kanye West make peace when Swift presents him with the Video Vanguard Award at the VMAs, where West famously interrupted Swift six years earlier. The truce doesn't last: In February 2016, West raps, "I made that bitch famous" in his song "Famous," invoking Swift's ire.

February 8, 2015 Sam Smith is the big winner at the Grammy Awards, taking Best New Artist and also Record of the Year and Song of the Year ("Stay With Me").

November 5, 2014 It's a big day in Las Vegas, as Kiss begin their first residency with a show at the Hard Rock, while Britney Spears is honored with a key to the strip in celebration of her successful concert production at Planet Hollywood, which began in December 2013.

September 14, 2014 A life-size statue of Amy Winehouse is unveiled in Camden Town, London to honor the singer.

January 26, 2014 Justin Timberlake is a big winner at the Grammy Awards, winning three of his seven nominations: Best R&B Song for "Pusher Love Girl," Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for "Holy Grail," and Best Music Video for "Suit & Tie" (the latter two with Jay Z).

November 20, 2013 Loretta Lynn is honored at the White House with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. The singer is awarded as "one of the first successful female country music vocalists in the early 1960s, courageously breaking barriers in an industry long dominated by men."

November 10, 2013 At the MTV Europe Awards, Miley Cyrus smokes a joint while accepting her Best Video award for "Wrecking Ball." The ceremony is held in Amsterdam, so it's legal.

May 9, 2013 Rocker Sixto "Sugar Man" Rodriguez receives an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from his alma mater, Wayne State University, Detroit.

February 23, 2013 At the 33rd Golden Raspberry Awards ceremony, Rihanna is named Worst Supporting Actress for her role as weapons specialist Cora Raikes in the sci-fi action flick Battleship. Fellow nominees include Razzie vet Jennifer Lopez (What to Expect When You're Expecting), who won her first award back in 2003 as Worst Actress for Gigli.

February 10, 2013 Janis Ian wins the Grammy for Best Spoken Word Album for her autobiography Society's Child, beating out Bill Clinton, Michelle Obama, Rachel Maddow and Ellen DeGeneres. Ian quips: "I keep thinking there's got to be a punchline here: an ex-president, the First Lady and three lesbians walk into a bar..."

January 9, 2013 At the People's Choice Awards, One Direction win Favorite Album (Up All Night) and Favorite Song ("What Makes You Beautiful"). Katy Perry gets Favorite Music Video ("Part of Me"), Favorite Female Artist, Favorite Pop Artist, and Favorite Music Fan Following for her fan club, the Katycats.

December 13, 2012 Songwriting legend Carole King, whose career dates back to the Brill Building, wins the Library of Congress' Gershwin Prize in recognition of her lifetime achievement. She is the first woman awarded this honor, which fits with her having authored "You Make Me Feel Like A Natural Woman," among many other chart-smashers during her five-decade career.

December 1, 2012 San Diego mayor Jerry Sanders declares "Peaceful Easy Feeling Day" in honor of Jack Tempchin, who wrote the Eagles hit in the city. The ceremony takes place at a hot dog joint called the Wienerschnitzel, where he wrote the last verse while waiting for his order. Tempchin is presented with a golden wiener at the event.

November 18, 2012 At the 2012 American Music Awards (the 40th anniversary of the event), Justin Bieber wins Artist of the Year.

November 14, 2012 Brian Eno is awarded the Royal Designer for Industry (RDI) distinction, established by the British Royal Society for Arts, for "his ground-breaking use of sound in technology and media and long term sustainable thinking." Eno is the only recipient awarded for sound design.

November 5, 2012 The building at 1325 Commmonwealth Avenue in Boston, where the five members of Aerosmith shared an apartment in the '70s, is declared a historic landmark. To celebrate, the band play a free concert outside the building to thousands of fans.

October 22, 2012 Garth Brooks is inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. George Strait, Bob Seger, and James Taylor perform at the ceremony.

October 1, 2012 Chris Thile, the mandolin player known for his work with Nickel Creek and Punch Brothers, wins a Genius grant from the MacArthur Foundation. The foundation typically accepts nominees through anonymous selection, and when Thile receives the congratulatory phone call, he thinks its a political robo-call until his agent looks up the number.

July 10, 2012 Slash, who left Guns N' Roses in 1996, gets his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Charlie Sheen, who is master of ceremonies at the event, comments, "It seems quite fitting that Slash is getting a star on the very street Axl Rose will one day be sleeping on."

February 21, 2012 Adele flips off producers at the Brit Awards when she is ushered off stage before she can finish the acceptance speech for her Album of the Year win.

November 30, 2011 Dubstep artist Skrillex is unexpectedly nominated for five Grammy Awards, including Best New Artist - a first in Grammy history for a DJ.

September 6, 2011 PJ Harvey becomes the first artist to win the Mercury Prize twice when her album Let England Shake earns the prestigious award. Her first win was in 2001 for Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea.

May 27, 2011 A species of Afrotropical spider is named in honor of composer Brian Eno. The creature is called Pseudocorinna brianeno.

April 13, 2011 New American Idol judge Jennifer Lopez is named People magazine's Most Beautiful Person of 2011.

February 15, 2011 A stunned Laura Marling accepts the Brit Award for Best British Female at the O2 Arena in London. In an interview later that year Marling says she was "terrified" at the awards ceremony, clarifying that she's "been around people for whom [winning a Brit] has changed things and it is uncomfortable to watch. I'm not built for that."

February 13, 2011 Arcade Fire's The Suburbs scoops Album of the Year at the Grammy Awards, beating Eminem's hotly tipped comeback, Recovery. Many folks have not heard of the Canadian band, prompting the internet meme, "Who Is Arcade Fire?" Esperanza Spalding surprisingly beats out Justin Bieber for Best New Artist, becoming the first jazz artist to win the award.

January 1, 2011 Hugh Laurie, a blues artist and actor best known for his role on the TV drama House, wins the fourth Golden Mouth Organ Award on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson. Laurie earns the award by playing "Oh! Susanna."