Making Grammys

John Billings is known as the Grammy Man. For 43 years, he’s made the music industry’s most coveted awards. He and his team of four craft each golden gramophone by hand. About 350 statuettes are handed out in 80 categories once a year during the music industry’s biggest night: the Grammy Awards.

When Billings was growing up in California, his best friend’s dad made molds for trophy companies. By pouring material like clay or metal into a mold, you can make many copies of the same trophy. “I was always fascinated,” says Billings. “You have to think backwards and inside out when you’re working on a mold because it’s a negative of the final product.” When his friend’s dad passed away, Billings took over the workshop.

The Grammy Awards are the biggest night in the music industry. Once a year, about 350 statuettes are handed out to reward remarkable artists. That couldn’t happen without John Billings—but he’s not a musician. For 43 years, he’s made the golden gramophone statues used for the awards. He’s known as the Grammy Man.

Billings grew up in California. His best friend’s dad made molds for trophy companies. The companies could pour material like clay or metal into a mold to make copies of the trophy. “I was always fascinated,” says Billings. “You have to think backwards and inside out when you’re working on a mold because it’s a negative of the final product.” When his friend’s dad passed away, Billings took over the workshop.  

It takes Billings and his team around 15 hours to make each Grammy. They use a mixture of metals called Grammium, which they invented. But Billings makes more than just Grammys. He’s one of a handful of custom mold makers left in the country, so his skills are in high demand.

He once restored a trophy that belonged to Amelia Earhart, the first female aviator to fly solo across the Atlantic. He also made props for the movie Titanic, which tells the story of the ill-fated ship that sank in 1912. For inspiration, he got to hold a light fixture retrieved from the actual underwater wreckage. Billings also recently made miniature replicas of crew capsules that the company SpaceX hopes will one day carry passengers to space.

“I’m really a dinosaur, because nobody handmakes molds anymore,” says Billings. “It’s all done by machine, and it’s just not the same.” Someday, he predicts, award winners won’t even have to go to the ceremony to pick up their trophy: “I imagine someone getting a certificate in the mail, and it has a little code for your 3-D printer, and it’ll print your Grammy. I see that in the future.”

Billings works with a team of four. It takes them around 15 hours to make each Grammy. They use a mixture of metals that they invented and named Grammium. But Billings makes more than just Grammys. He’s one of a handful of custom mold makers in the country. His skills are in high demand.

He once restored a trophy that belonged to Amelia Earhart. She was the first female aviator to fly solo across the Atlantic. Billings also made props for the movie Titanic. It tells the story of the ship that sank in 1912. For inspiration, Billings got to hold a light fixture that had been retrieved from the actual shipwreck. Billings also recently made miniature replicas of astronaut capsules for the company SpaceX. Real versions may one day carry passengers to space.

“I’m really a dinosaur, because nobody handmakes molds anymore,” says Billings. “It’s all done by machine, and it’s just not the same.” Someday, he predicts, award winners won’t even have to go to the ceremony to pick up their trophy. “I imagine someone getting a certificate in the mail, and it has a little code for your 3-D printer,” he says. “And it’ll print your Grammy. I see that in the future.”