Andrés Segovia

Awards & Honours

Awards Won

Honours

Rankings

Covers

Records

Andrés Segovia stands as the undisputed patriarch of the modern classical guitar, a status cemented by a lifetime of unprecedented achievement. He was the first musician to be granted a hereditary title of nobility in Spain for his artistic contributions, becoming the 1st Marquis of Salobreña. His posthumous Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes a career that spanned nearly eighty years and included over 5,402 concerts. He was the first guitarist to be inducted into both the Guitar Foundation of America Hall of Fame and the Classical Guitar Hall of Fame. His influence is so profound that he is consistently ranked as the greatest classical guitarist of all time by major publications. The sheer volume of his output, over 100 albums and dozens of commissions, sets a benchmark that few musicians have ever matched.

AwardsSegovia received numerous accolades throughout his life, though he never won a competitive award in the modern sense during his prime. His honors include the title of 1st Marquis of Salobreña, awarded by King Juan Carlos I in 1980. He received the Order of Isabella the Catholic, the Legion of Honour from France, and was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II as Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire. He earned honorary doctorates from the University of Granada and the University of California, Berkeley. Posthumously, he received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1992. He holds the Guinness World Record for the most concerts given by a classical guitarist and was inducted into the Guitar Foundation of America Hall of Fame and the Classical Guitar Hall of Fame.

Honours & Distinctions

1st Marquis of Salobreña

King Juan Carlos I of Spain·1980

Hereditary title of nobility bestowed for contributions to music.

Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire

Queen Elizabeth II·1980

Knighthood for services to music.

Legion of Honour

French Government·1964

France's highest order of merit for cultural contribution.

Order of Isabella the Catholic

Spanish Government·1957

High Spanish civil order for cultural contributions.

Honorary Doctorate

University of Granada·1959

Doctor honoris causa for musical achievements.

Honorary Doctorate

University of California, Berkeley·1967

Doctor honoris causa for contributions to music.

Rankings & Lists

100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time

Rolling Stone·2011

Father of the Modern Classical Guitar

Billboard·2005

100 Most Important People of the 20th Century

TIME Magazine·1999

Magazine Covers

Music & Letters

1963

Special Issue Dedicated to 70th Birthday

Classical Guitar Magazine

1975

Portrait and Interview

The New Yorker

1956

Profile following Ed Sullivan appearance

Records & Feats

Most Concerts Given by a Classical Guitarist

Career Milestone·1987

Guinness World Record holder with 5,402 concerts performed over nearly eight decades.

First Guitarist to Receive Hereditary Title of Nobility

Historic First·1980

Became the 1st Marquis of Salobreña, the only guitarist to hold such a title.

First Guitarist Inducted into Multiple Halls of Fame

Awards·1990

Inducted into both the Guitar Foundation of America Hall of Fame and the Classical Guitar Hall of Fame.