Peter Nero was an American pianist and pops conductor. He directed the Philly Pops from 1979 to 2013, and earned two Grammy Awards, including the award for Best New Artist in 1962, as well as a total of 8 nominations.
Peter Nero
Nero and Ethel Merman on The Bell Telephone Hour in 1964.
Grammy Award for Best New Artist
The Grammy Award for Best New Artist has been awarded since the 2nd Annual Grammy Awards in 1960, but was not presented in 1967. Years reflect the year in which the Grammy Awards were handed out, for records released in the previous year. The official guidelines are as follows: "For a new artist who releases, during the Eligibility Year, the first recording which establishes the public identity of that artist." Note that this is not necessarily the first album released by an artist; for example, Shelby Lynne won the award in 2001 after having already released six albums over 13 years.
Victoria Monét is the most recent recipient
Inaugural winner Bobby Darin went on to score 22 top 40 hits in America, including five top three hits and a number one song.
Bob Newhart won the Grammy for his work as a comedian. The same year he also won the Album of the Year award. He is the only non-musician to win this award.
Peter Nero (left) was the first jazz musician to win the award.
