Did You Know That Grammy Trophies are Handcrafted in Colorado?

Each year, more than 350 Grammy Awards are handed out to talented singers, musicians, producers, and songwriters, spanning across all different genres. But many people might be surprised to learn than all of these awards are handcrafted right here in Colorado.

Colorado resident, John Billings has been given the nickname "Grammy Man," due to his role in making the honorable Grammy trophies inside his 2,000-square-foot mountain workshop. At Billings Artworks in Ridgway, Colorado, the four-man crew cranks out trophy after trophy, each one taking approximately 15 hours to complete.

At 71-years-old, Billings has been making the Grammys for 41 of the awards’ 60 years it's been in existence. Billings is a self-taught silversmith and learned to make trophies under the guidance of Bob Graves. Graves cast the original Grammy mold inside his garage in 1958. Following Graves' death in 1983, Billings bought the business and continued his mentor's legacy.

In 1993, Billings relocated to Ridgway, Colorado, where he's been working hard, seven days a week, ever since.

A Grammy award consists of a base, a cabinet and a tone arm that holds the bell. Each part is cast from a mold, filed and polished. Then they are assembled and plated in 24-karat gold. If event the tiniest flaw is found anywhere on a given trophy, it's immediately thrown out and remade.

During the 1990s, Grammy executives asked Billings to redesign the award so it looked bigger on television and was less fragile. In response, the silversmith replaced the walnut base with a metal one and made the tone arm stronger. By making the award thicker, Billings increased the overall size of the trophies by about 30 percent.

Once the prestigious prizes are finished, they are packed into a trailer and driven to Los Angeles. On the night of the awards show, winners are handed “stunt Grammys,” which are not actually the final product. Following the ceremony, Billings gets the names of the winners and engraves each one on the award.

While in California, Billings also takes the opportunity to pick up a load of his signature “grammium.” This secret zinc alloy that is smelted in suburban Los Angeles is a key component used to make the awards.

In addition to the golden gramophones, Billings Artworks is responsible for making other prominent products, including the John R. Wooden Awards, which are given to the most outstanding men and women’s college basketball players. The shop will also repair a winner's Grammy if it happens to break.