Jay Danna submitted the winning mail-in contest entry that named the Grammys.
The contest was held in 1959 as the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences searched for a memorable name for its new music awards. Rosejay “Jay” Elizabeth Danna, a retired executive secretary from New Orleans, mailed in the winning suggestion: “Grammy.”
Danna was not necessarily the only person to think of the name. Several other entries reportedly proposed “Grammy,” but Danna’s was the first such submission received by mail. That timing made her entry the official winner, illustrating how a small procedural detail helped determine the name of one of music’s best-known awards.
As a thank-you, Danna received 25 long-playing records. The first Grammy ceremony was held on May 4, 1959, honoring recordings released during 1958. The trophy itself depicts a gramophone, so the winning name also fit the award’s design and its connection to recorded sound. Pierre Cossette later became associated with producing the televised Grammy ceremony, but he did not name the awards.