Who designed the Grammy Award trophy in its original gramophone form?

Bob Graves designed the Grammy Award trophy in its original gramophone form.

The Recording Academy selected the gramophone as the award’s defining symbol because it represented recorded sound. Graves, a Los Angeles sculptor, created the trophy design used when the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences established the awards in the late 1950s.

The trophy is not a working antique record player. It is a hand-cast sculpture, traditionally made from a special metal alloy and finished with gold plating. Each award is individually crafted, so small variations can occur between trophies.

A common mix-up is assuming that “Grammy” comes from the gramophone’s inventor. The nickname instead developed as a shortened form of “gramophone,” while the award’s official name is the Grammy Award. The trophy’s visual identity has remained central to the ceremony for decades.