BRIT Awards 362662 224105351 2008-07-07T09:46:33Z Wiki edit Jonny 4374373 added template I created - "[[Template:Music industry]]" {{dablink|For Brits, a South African town, see [[Brits, North West]]}} {{UK music}} The '''''BRIT Awards''''', often simply called '''The BRITs''', are the [[British Phonographic Industry]]'s annual pop music awards. The name was originally a shortened form of ''British'' or ''Britannia'', but has subsequently become a "[[backronym]]" for ''British Record Industry Trust''. ==Overview== The awards began in 1977 under the auspices of the [[British Phonographic Industry|BPI]], the British record industry's trade association. The last BPI Awards show took place at the Albert Hall and was the first prime-time TV event hosted on ITV. In 1989 they were renamed the [[Britannia]] Awards, or BRIT Awards. [[MasterCard]] is the long-time sponsor of this annual event. BRIT is also an [[acronym]] for the ''British Record Industry Trust'' Show - the Trust supports youngsters in the [[The arts|arts]] and [[education]] mainly at The BRIT School in [[London]]. The BRIT Awards used to be broadcast live until 1989, when [[Samantha Fox]] and [[Mick Fleetwood]] hosted a shambolic show in which just about everything went wrong. After this the show was recorded, and broadcast the following night, part of a revamp by [[Jonathan King]] for 1990 whose actions also included naming them the BRITs, hosting the show in 1987 - the most successful previous show - and releasing a [[megamix]] of British dance acts including [[S'Express]] and [[A Guy Called Gerald]] called BRITs 1990. He also managed to get [[Margaret Thatcher]] to croon How Much Is That Doggy In The Window? As of the 2007 BRIT Awards, the show was once again broadcast live on British television, airing on [[14 February]] [[2007]] live on [[ITV1]]. Comedian [[Russell Brand]] presented the event. Three awards were dropped from the 2007 ceremony - Best British Rock Act, Best British Urban Act and Best Pop Act.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/5271104.stm|title=2007 Brits to be broadcast live|publisher=[[BBC News]]|date=2006-08-21|accessdate=2008-02-23}}</ref> In addition, an equivalent awards ceremony for [[classical music]], called the [[Classical BRIT Awards]], is held each May. ==Primary winners of each year== *1977: [[The Beatles]] win 3 awards *1982: no clear winner *1983: [[Paul McCartney]] wins 2 awards *1984: [[Culture Club]] win 2 awards *1985: [[Prince (musician)|Prince]] wins 2 award *1986: [[Eurythmics]] win 2 awards *1987: [[Peter Gabriel]] wins 2 awards *1988: no clear winner *1989: [[Phil Collins]], [[Michael Jackson]], [[Fairground Attraction]] and [[Tracy Chapman]] win 2 awards *1990: [[Neneh Cherry]], [[Phil Collins]] and [[Fine Young Cannibals]] win 2 awards *1991: [[The Cure]] best british band *1992: [[Seal (musician)|Seal]] wins 3 awards *1993: [[Annie Lennox]] and [[Simply Red]] win 2 awards *1994: [[Björk]], [[Take That]] and [[Stereo MC's]] win 2 awards *1995: [[Blur (band)|Blur]] win 4 awards *1996: [[Oasis (band)|Oasis]] win 3 awards *1997: [[Manic Street Preachers]] and [[Spice Girls]] win 2 awards *1998: [[The Verve]] win 3 awards *1999: [[Robbie Williams]] wins 3 awards *2000: [[Travis (band)|Travis]], [[Robbie Williams]] and [[Macy Gray]] win 2 awards *2001: [[Robbie Williams]] wins 3 awards *2002: [[Dido (singer)|Dido]] and [[Kylie Minogue]] win 2 awards *2003: [[Coldplay]] and [[Ms. Dynamite]] win 2 awards *2004: [[The Darkness]] win 3 awards *2005: [[Scissor Sisters]] win 3 awards *2006: [[Kaiser Chiefs]] win 3 awards *2007: [[Arctic Monkeys]] and [[The Killers (band)|The Killers]] win 2 awards *2008: [[Arctic Monkeys]], [[Foo Fighters]] and [[Take That]] win 2 awards ==Incidents== ===Vic Reeves and Sharon Osbourne (2008)=== After [[Vic Reeves]] appeared to forget which award he was presenting, [[Sharon Osbourne]] attempted to wrestle the microphone from him, insisted he was drunk and called him a "pissed bastard". She proceeded to make the full announcement herself. The next day it was reported that Reeves was not intoxicated and was hurt by Osbourne's behaviour [http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/showbiz/a89872/reeves-upset-by-osbourne-brits-rant.html] The incident has since been ascribed to an autocue malfunction. ===Russell Brand hosting (2007)=== Some controversy was caused by the host of the 2007 Awards ceremony, comedian [[Russell Brand]], who made several quips relating to news stories of the time including singer [[Robbie Williams]]' entering [[Drug rehabilitation|rehab]] for addiction to prescription drugs, the Queen's 'naughty bits' and a fatal ''[[190th Fighter Squadron, Blues and Royals friendly fire incident - March 28, 2003|friendly fire incident]]'' involving a British soldier killed by American armed forces in [[Iraq]]. TV channel [[ITV1]] received over 300 calls from viewers complaining.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6365325.stm|title=Viewers complain over Brits jokes|publisher=[[BBC News]]|date=2007-02-15|accessdate=2008-02-23}}</ref> ===Ronnie Wood and Brandon Block (2000)=== Dance DJ [[Brandon Block]] was told by his friends that he had won an award and had been summoned to the stage to collect it. Because of his advanced state of intoxication he believed them and walked onto the stage, eventually ending up next to a bemused [[Rolling Stones]] guitarist [[Ronnie Wood]] and actress [[Thora Birch]] who were about to present the award for best soundtrack album. Having been successfully bundled off the stage by security, [[Ronnie Wood]] aimed an insult in his direction at which Block broke free from his captors to square up to the guitarist. A series of insults were then traded between the two – both comically leaning into the microphone so that everyone could hear. Wood threw his drink into Block's face and the DJ was eventually removed from the stage. Some time after the incident, Block claimed that he had subsequently apologised for his behaviour to Wood, who had merely brushed it off. ===Robbie Williams and Liam Gallagher (2000)=== Around the time of his departure from [[Take That]], [[Robbie Williams]] had begun an unlikely friendship with the Gallagher brothers from [[Britpop]] band [[Oasis (band)|Oasis]] at the [[Glastonbury Festival]]. The friendship was short lived, however, and the two parties regularly traded insults in the press with [[Noel Gallagher]] once famously referring to Robbie as “the fat dancer from [[Take That]]”. Having won “Best British Single” and “Best Video” for “She's The One”, Williams challenged Liam to a televised fight saying, ''”So, anybody like to see me fight Liam? Would you pay to come and see it? Liam, a hundred grand of your money and a hundred grand of my money. We'll get in a ring and we'll have a fight and you can all watch it on TV, what d'you think about that?”'' Gallagher was in Japan at the time touring with Oasis. ===Belle & Sebastian beat Steps to Best Newcomer Award (1999)=== In 1999, indie band [[Belle & Sebastian]] were nominated for Best British Newcomers, despite having released three albums before the 1999 Awards. The award was sponsored by [[BBC Radio 1|Radio One]] and voted for online by their listeners. At the time, [[Steps (group)|Steps]] were Britain's biggest boy/girl pop band and were also nominated. Despite this, the award was won by [[Belle & Sebastian]]. On the Saturday after the awards, a story appeared in the press alleging that Belle & Sebastian had rigged the vote in their favour, encouraging students from two universities to vote online. However, fans argued that the band had a predominantly large student following, that band member Isobel Campbell had attended one of the universities in question, and in particular, the award ought to be given on artistic merit as opposed to popularity or CD sales. The following year Steps were presented with the award for Best Selling Living Act, a newly-created award for that year. Belle & Sebastian were not the first act to have been accused of motivating all their fans to vote for them in a BRITs public vote; similar allegations were directed at [[Depeche Mode]] for winning Best British single with "Enjoy the Silence".{{Fact|date=February 2007}} ===Chumbawamba throw water over John Prescott (1998)=== In 1998, [[Danbert Nobacon]] of politically active band [[Chumbawamba]] threw a bucket of iced water over [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]] cabinet minister [[John Prescott]]. Despite apologies on behalf of the band from EMI Europe, [[Chumbawamba]] were unrepentant claiming, ''”If John Prescott has the nerve to turn up at events like the BRIT Awards in a vain attempt to make Labour seem cool and trendy, then he deserves all we can throw at him"''. ===Geri Halliwell's Union Jack dress (1997)=== Widely thought to be the most iconic Brits moment in the awards history, [[Geri Halliwell]], aka Ginger Spice of the British girl group, the [[Spice Girls]], wore a [[Union Jack]] dress in 1997, which created phenomenal attention and subsequently made all the front pages the next day. Geri was originally going to wear an all black dress, but she thought it was too boring so her sister sewed on a Union Jack tea-towel, with a 'peace' sign on the back, so not to offend anyone. It was worn during the Spice Girls' performance of their Number 1 hit "[[Who Do You Think You Are]]". Later on she sold her dress in a charity auction to Hard Rock Cafe in Las Vegas for a record £41,320 (US$66,112), giving Halliwell the Guinness World Record for the most expensive piece of pop star clothing ever sold.<ref>http://philbrodieband.com/muso-world-record-holders.htm</ref> ===Jarvis Cocker's stage invasion (1996)=== In 1996, [[Michael Jackson]] was given a special "Artist of a Generation" award. At the ceremony he accompanied his single "[[Earth Song]]" with a stage show, with Jackson as a Christ-like figure surrounded by children. [[Jarvis Cocker]], of the band [[Pulp (band)|Pulp]], mounted the stage in protest of the performance. Cocker ran across the stage, lifting his shirt and pointing his (clothed) bottom in Jackson's direction. Cocker was subsequently questioned by the police on suspicion of causing injury towards three of the children in Jackson's performance, although no criminal proceedings followed. "[[Earth Song]]" became Jackson's biggest hit in the UK, spending six weeks at the top of the chart. ===The KLF, a machine gun and a dead sheep (1992)=== In 1992, dance/art band [[The KLF]] were awarded Best British Group (shared with [[Simply Red]]) and were booked to open the show. In an attempt to hijack the event the duo hooked up with [[Extreme Noise Terror]] to perform a [[death metal]] version of the dance song ''3am Eternal'' that prompted conductor [[Georg Solti|Sir Georg Solti]] to walk out.<ref>[http://microsites.nme.com/rock100/site/4.html NME]</ref>{{Dead link|date=February 2008}} The performance ended with [[Bill Drummond]] firing blanks from a vintage machine gun into the audience and announcer [[Scott Piering]] stating ''”Ladies and gentleman, The KLF have now left the music business”''. Producers of the show then refused to let a motorcycle courier collect the award on behalf of the band. Later, guests arriving for an after show party witnessed the band dump a dead sheep outside the venue with the message ''”I died for ewe – bon appetite”'' tied around its waist. KLF disbanded three months later. ===Sam Fox and Mick Fleetwood (1989)=== In 1989, in an attempt to add some excitement and appeal to the proceedings organisers decided to rename the awards to 'The BRIT Awards' presented by [[Fleetwood Mac]]'s [[Mick Fleetwood]] and former [[page three]] girl [[Samantha Fox]] as co-hosts of the live show. The inexperience of the hosts, an ineffective autocue and poor preparation combined to create a shambolic performance. The hosts continually got their lines mixed up, a pre-recorded message from [[Michael Jackson]] was never broadcast and several star guests arrived late. The Samantha Fox/Mick Fleetwood show proved to be the single most important event in BPI/BRIT Awards history. It was just so disastrous that the British public's interest was revived and the BRITs became associated with risky live TV.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_depth/entertainment/2000/brit_awards/665776.stm|title=Brits behaving badly|publisher=[[BBC News]]|date=2000-03-04|accessdate=2008-02-23}}</ref> == Awards == {{main|List of BRIT Awards ceremonies}} ==Most successful acts== There have been numerous acts, both groups and individuals, that have won multiple awards. The table below shows those that have won four or more awards. {| class="wikitable" |- ! Artist || Number of awards |- |[[Robbie Williams]]|| 11 |- |[[Annie Lennox]]|| 8 |- |[[U2]] || 7 |- |[[Take That]]|| 7 |- |[[Coldplay]] || 6 |- |[[Prince (musician)|Prince]]|| 6 |- |[[Arctic Monkeys]]|| 5 |- |[[Oasis (band)|Oasis]]|| 5 |- |[[Michael Jackson]]|| 5 |- |[[Blur]]|| 4 |- |[[Spice Girls]]|| 4 |- |[[Dido]] || 4 |- |[[Manic Street Preachers]]|| 4 |} == See also == *[[Classical BRIT Awards]] ==References== {{refbegin}} ;General *{{cite web|url=http://www.itv.com/entertainment/music/brits/|title=The Brit Awards 2008|publisher=[[ITV]]|accessdate=2008-02-23}} *{{cite web|url=http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/search.php?needle=brit+awards&category=Everything&catSubmit.x=0&catSubmit.y=0&catSubmit=GO&searchField=title|title=BFI Film & TV Database Search results for 'Brit Awards'|publisher=[[British Film Institute]]|accessdate=2008-02-23}} *{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/1120011.stm|title=Brit Awards: Did you know...?|publisher=[[BBC News]]|date=2001-01-16|accessdate=2008-02-23}} ;Specific {{refend}} {{Reflist|2}} == External links == *[http://www.itv.com/brits BRIT Awards, with the official broadcaster ITV] *[http://brits.co.uk/ BRIT Awards, official page] {{BRIT Awards}} {{Music industry}} [[Category:BRIT Awards]] [[Category:ITV television programmes]] [[ca:Brit award]] [[cs:BRIT Awards]] [[da:Brit Awards]] [[de:Brit Awards]] [[es:Brit Awards]] [[fr:Brit Awards]] [[id:Brit Awards]] [[it:BRIT Awards]] [[he:פרסי המוזיקה הבריטית]] [[nl:Brit Award]] [[ja:ブリット・アワード]] [[no:BRIT Awards]] [[pl:Brit Awards]] [[pt:Brit Awards]] [[ru:Brit Awards]] [[simple:BRIT Awards]] [[th:บริทอวอร์ดส]]