Steve Jobs Wins a Grammy

Arguably, Steve Jobs made a huge impact on the music world when he, and Apple, released the first iPod, and later started selling digital music online on the iTunes Store. According to his biography, one of Steve Jobs’ goals was to re-invent how we listen to music, and that’s just what happened.

As a result, the late Apple CEO was awarded with music’s highest honor yesterday; a Grammy. The Grammy Trustees Award is basically the Lifetime achievement award but for non-performers, and is awarded to “individuals who, during their careers in music, have made significant contributions, other than performance, to the field of recording.“

Previous winners of the Grammy Trustees Award include Walt Disney, Les Paul, Clive Davis, Thomas Edison, and Steve Jobs favourite music band, The Beatles. Apple’s Senior VP of Internet Software and Services, Eddy Cue, accepted the award for Jobs, stating:

On behalf of Steve’s wife, Laurene, his children, and everyone at Apple, I’d like to thank you for honoring Steve with the Trustees Grammy Award. Steve was a visionary, a mentor, and a very close friend. I had the incredible honor of working with him for the last fifteen years.

Accepting this award means so much to me because music meant so much to him. He told us that music shaped his life…it made him who he was. Everyone that knows Steve knows the profound impact that artists like Bob Dylan and The Beatles had on him.

Steve was focused on bringing music to everyone in innovative ways. We talked about it every single day. When he introduced the iPod in 2001, people asked “Why is Apple making a music player?” His answer was simple: “We love music, and it’s always good to do something you love.”

His family and I know that this Grammy would have been very special to him, so I thank you for honoring him today.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_tBLoFQxu8&feature=player_embedded

Apple had previously received a Grammy in 2002 but this one was specifically just for Steve Jobs.