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JWR VerifiedFounding RecordJWR-2026-000133

Most Grammy Awards Won by a Jewish Person

Record holder

Sir Georg SoltiPerson

Record value

31 competitive GRAMMY Awards

Country represented: United KingdomAchievement date: 25 February 1998Current record

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Verified by Jewish World RecordsHow we verify records

Portrait of Sir Georg Solti in London, 1975.

Sir Georg Solti in London in 1975 — a higher-resolution solo portrait for his Grammy record.Allan Warren / Wikimedia CommonsSourceCC BY-SA 3.0

Official record definition

The greatest number of competitive GRAMMY Awards personally credited by the Recording Academy to one natural person who satisfies the JWR Jewish Eligibility Standard at the qualifying achievements. Nominations, Latin GRAMMYs, Trustees Awards, Lifetime Achievement Awards, Legend Awards and other honorary or special awards are excluded.

Measurement methodology

Recording Academy competitive-win count cross-checked against the current all-time GRAMMY winners ranking

Measurement point: competitive GRAMMY Awards personally credited to the holder; honorary/special awards excluded

Record story

Sir Georg Solti holds the record for the "Most Grammy Awards Won by a Jewish Person" with a total of "31 competitive GRAMMY Awards". This figure, based on official Recording Academy credits, represents competitive wins personally credited to him and excludes non-competitive honours such as the Trustees Award and Lifetime Achievement Award he also received. His 31st and final competitive award was received posthumously at the 40th Annual GRAMMY Awards on 25 February 1998.

The award was for Best Opera Recording for 'Wagner: Die Meistersinger Von Nurnberg'. Born into a Jewish family in Budapest, the Hungarian-British conductor served as music director of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra from 1969 to 1991. According to the Recording Academy's all-time rankings, no other eligible Jewish person has accumulated a higher number of competitive wins, establishing Solti's record total of 31.

Media

Gallery

  • Portrait of Sir Georg Solti in London, 1975.
    Sir Georg Solti in London in 1975 — a higher-resolution solo portrait for his Grammy record.Allan Warren / Wikimedia CommonsSourceCC BY-SA 3.0

How JWR verified this record

Verification date
14 September 2026
Verification standard
JWR Verification Standard 1.0

Achievement evidence

The Recording Academy credits Sir Georg Solti with 31 competitive GRAMMY wins. His 31st and final competitive award was Best Opera Recording for Wagner: Die Meistersinger Von Nurnberg, credited at the 40th Annual GRAMMY Awards in 1998 after his death.

Superiority evidence

The Recording Academy's current all-time ranking places Beyoncé at 35 competitive wins, Solti at 31 and the next individuals at 28. The sole person above Solti is not a Jewish counter-candidate under the JWR eligibility standard; no eligible Jewish person at or above 31 was identified. Solti therefore holds the Jewish-person maximum at 31.

Jewish Eligibility — Verified by JWR

Jewish eligibility verification

Evidence establishing that the holder qualifies as Jewish for JWR purposes.

  • Georg Solti - Biography — Music Preserved

Achievement / record verification

Evidence establishing that the holder achieved the result and holds the record as defined.

  • Georg Solti | Artist — Recording Academy / GRAMMY.com
  • 40th Annual GRAMMY Awards — Recording Academy / GRAMMY.com

Superiority / counter-candidate verification

Evidence comparing the result with other candidates relevant to the record claim.

  • Who Are The Top GRAMMY Awards Winners Of All Time? — Recording Academy / GRAMMY.com

Jewish eligibility, achievement and superiority evidence retain their separate classifications and are never merged. Context and provenance are not presented as proof of the achievement. Restricted evidence and internal research notes are never published. Learn more about the seven-stage process on the verification page.

Sources & Verification

  • Who Are The Top GRAMMY Awards Winners Of All Time?

    Official recordRecording Academy / GRAMMY.com

    What this proves: Current all-time ranking places Solti at 31 competitive GRAMMY wins, behind only Beyoncé and above all persons at 28 or fewer.

  • Georg Solti | Artist

    Official recordRecording Academy / GRAMMY.com

    What this proves: Credits Solti with 31 wins and identifies his final competitive win as Best Opera Recording for Wagner: Die Meistersinger Von Nurnberg; also supplies birth/death and Jewish-descent context.

  • 40th Annual GRAMMY Awards

    Official recordRecording Academy / GRAMMY.com

    What this proves: Confirms Best Opera Recording winner credit for Wagner: Die Meistersinger Von Nurnberg at the 40th Annual GRAMMY Awards.

  • Georg Solti - Biography

    Institutional archiveMusic Preserved

    What this proves: States that Solti was born into a Jewish family and fled Hungary with the introduction of anti-Jewish laws.

  • Georg Solti with a new gramophone record at the Amstel Hotel, 25 September 1974

    Independent publicationWikimedia Commons / Nationaal Archief· 25 September 1974

    What this proves: Provides creator/archive provenance and CC0 1.0 worldwide public-domain dedication for the canonical Solti image.

  • Georg Solti in Amstelhotel, 25 September 1974

    Institutional archiveWikimedia Commons / Nationaal Archief· 25 September 1974

    What this proves: Provides creator/archive provenance and CC0 1.0 worldwide public-domain dedication for the canonical Solti image.

History

  1. Verified

    Verified according to JWR Verification Standard 1.0.

  2. Publishedv1

    Published to the official JWR registry.

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Record value

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Country represented
Austrian Empire; United States
Achievement date
29 March 1886
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