Check out our playlist: Grammy Award Winning Songs Performed On The Ed Sullivan Show!

On Grammy night in 2026, as the music world gathers to celebrate excellence, the moment feels unmistakably full-circle. This year’s Lifetime Achievement Awards honors Cher and Carlos Santana, two artists whose influence spans decades and whose journeys, like so many before them, passed through the bright lights of The Ed Sullivan Show. Long before livestreams and viral clips, Sullivan’s stage was where America first met the artists who would go on to define entire eras. With that in mind, it’s worth looking back at some of Sullivan’s guests who went on to rack up Grammy wins over the years.

The Grammy Awards themselves began in 1959, created to honor artistic achievement in a rapidly evolving recording industry. While the Grammys would come to symbolize musical greatness, it was television, specifically Ed Sullivan’s Sunday night broadcast that introduced many of these artists to the nation. Over time, the two became closely linked; one capturing history as it happened, the other preserving it forever in a gold phonograph.

No Sullivan guest embodies that connection more powerfully than Stevie Wonder. When he appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show as a teenager, he was already extraordinary, though few could have imagined he would go on to win 25 Grammy Awards, becoming the most Grammy-awarded artist ever to appear on the program. Looking back, that early performance feels like the opening notes of a career that would help define modern music itself.

Close behind him stands Tony Bennett, whose presence on The Ed Sullivan Show reflected timeless artistry. A career spanning more than seven decades, Bennett amassed 20 Grammy Awards, effortlessly bridging traditional pop, jazz, and contemporary audiences, much like Sullivan himself bridged generations each Sunday night.

That sense of history unfolding live was perhaps most famously felt when The Beatles took to the Sullivan stage in 1964. Their appearance didn’t simply introduce a band, it sparked a cultural revolution. Millions of viewers witnessed a moment that would scream for generations, long before the group’s Grammy count climbed into the high teens and their influence became immeasurable.

Another artist whose Sullivan appearances foreshadowed Grammy greatness was Ray Charles. Over the course of his career, Charles won 17 Grammy Awards, including a Lifetime Achievement Award, blending gospel, blues, jazz, and soul into a sound that permanently reshaped American music. Sullivan audiences saw that genius long before it was etched into Grammy history.

Furthermore, the blues found a national audience through B.B. King, whose appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show helped bring the genre into living rooms across the country. His 15 Grammy Awards later reflected a lifetime spent shaping the sound of the blues.

Jazz was equally at home on Sullivan’s stage, thanks to Ella Fitzgerald. With 14 Grammy Awards, Fitzgerald’s performances reinforced jazz’s birth and everlasting place in American culture.

In addition, years later, a young Michael Jackson appeared on Ed Sullivan with The Jackson 5, already radiating the star power that would define his career as the King of Pop. His 13 competitive Grammy Awards would later reflect a legacy of innovation and global impact, but Sullivan audiences saw the beginning, clear proof that greatness often announces itself early.

As the show continued through the years, it welcomed artists whose voices and presence became synonymous with excellence. Dionne Warwick would go on to win numerous Grammy Awards, helping define a golden era of songwriting. Tina Turner brought unmatched electricity to the Sullivan stage long before her remarkable reinvention, a comeback that earned her eight Grammy Awards, including three in 1985 for her iconic return with “What’s Love Got to Do with It,” where she took home Record of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female, as well as Best Rock Vocal Performance. Early in her career, Barbra Streisand also graced Sullivan’s stage before winning eight Grammy Awards and becoming one of the most decorated entertainers across music, film, and theater.

All of this brings us back to this year’s Grammy awards, as two former Sullivan guests, Cher and Carlos Santana are honored with Lifetime Achievement Awards. Their recognition serves as a reminder that the artistry showcased on Sullivan’s stage was truly iconic, work that continues to be celebrated decades later. Their appearances place them squarely within a lineage of artists who didn’t just win Grammys; they helped define what the Grammys would come to represent.

From black-and-white television screens to the global spectacle of today’s Grammy Awards, the throughline is clear. Greatness reveals itself early, endures across time, and culture. And time and again, The Ed Sullivan Show was where America first saw it happen.