1978 Grammy Awards (20th) – Complete List of Winners and Nominees
The 20th Annual Grammy Awards, held on February 23, 1978, celebrated music from October 1, 1976, to September 30, 1977. Fleetwood Mac's iconic and hugely popular album Rumours, a cultural phenomenon, deservedly won Album of the Year, cementing its place in music history.
The Eagles' epic and atmospheric "Hotel California" secured the coveted Record of the Year award, showcasing the band's masterful storytelling. Debby Boone, with her chart-topping ballad, was named Best New Artist.
Other key winners included Linda Ronstadt and John Denver. This ceremony vividly reflected the immense commercial success and cultural impact of rock and pop music during the late 1970s, with albums achieving massive sales and influencing a generation of listeners, underscoring the Grammys' connection to popular zeitgeist.
Record Of The Year
| Result | Artist | Work |
|---|---|---|
| Winner | Eagles | Hotel California |
| Nominee | Debby Boone | You Light Up My Life |
| Nominee | Barbra Streisand | Love Theme From A Star Is Born (Evergreen) |
| Nominee | Crystal Gayle | Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue |
| Nominee | Linda Ronstadt | Blue Bayou |
Album Of The Year
| Result | Artist | Work |
|---|---|---|
| Winner | Fleetwood Mac | Rumours |
| Nominee | John Williams | Star Wars |
| Nominee | James Taylor | J T |
| Nominee | Eagles | Hotel California |
| Nominee | Steely Dan | Aja |
Song Of The Year
| Result | Artist | Work |
|---|---|---|
| Winner | Debby Boone | You Light Up My Life |
| Winner | Barbra Streisand | Love Theme From A Star Is Born (Evergreen) |
| Nominee | Glen Campbell | Southern Nights |
| Nominee | Carly Simon | Nobody Does It Better |
| Nominee | Eagles | Hotel California |
| Nominee | Crystal Gayle | Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue |
Best New Artist Of The Year
| Result | Artist | Work |
|---|---|---|
| Winner | Debby Boone | - |
| Nominee | Shaun Cassidy | - |
| Nominee | Stephen Bishop | - |
| Nominee | Andy Gibb | - |
| Nominee | Foreigner | - |
Best Instrumental Arrangement
| Result | Artist | Work |
|---|---|---|
| Winner | Harry Betts, Perry Botkin Jr. & Barry De Vorzon, arrangers (Barry De Vorzon) | Nadia's Theme (The Young And The Restless) |
| Nominee | Bob James, arranger (Hubert Laws) | Scheherezade |
| Nominee | Herbert Spencer, arranger (Quincy Jones) | Roots Mural Theme |
| Nominee | Chick Corea, arranger (Chick Corea And Return To Forever) | Musicmagic |
| Nominee | Joe Sample, arranger (The Crusaders) | Free As The Wind |
Best Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s)
| Result | Artist | Work |
|---|---|---|
| Winner | Ian Freebairn-Smith, arranger (Barbra Streisand) | Love Theme From A Star Is Born (Evergreen) |
| Nominee | Seawind, arrangers (Seawind) | The Devil Is A Liar |
| Nominee | Claus Ogerman, arranger (George Benson) | Nature Boy |
| Nominee | Richard Carpenter, arranger (Carpenters) | Calling Occupants Of Interplanetary Craft |
| Nominee | Claus Ogerman, arranger (Joao Gilberto) | Besame Mucho |
Best Arrangement For Voices
| Result | Artist | Work |
|---|---|---|
| Winner | Eagles, arrangers (Eagles) | New Kid In Town |
| Nominee | James Cleveland, Quincy Jones & Johnny Mandel, arrangers (Quincy Jones) | Oh Lord, Come By Here |
| Nominee | Fleetwood Mac, arrangers (Fleetwood Mac) | Go Your Own Way |
| Nominee | Jim Seals, arranger (Seals And Crofts) | Baby, I'll Give It To You |
| Nominee | Heatwave, arrangers (Heatwave) | All You Do Is Dial |
Best Engineered Recording - Non-Classical
| Result | Artist | Work |
|---|---|---|
| Winner | Roger Nichols, Elliot Scheiner, Al Schmitt & Bill Schnee, engineers (Steely Dan) | Aja |
| Nominee | Val Garay, engineer (Linda Ronstadt) | Simple Dreams |
| Nominee | Ken Caillat & Richard Dashut, engineers (Fleetwood Mac) | Rumours |
| Nominee | Val Garay, engineer (James Taylor) | JT |
| Nominee | Bill Schnee, engineer (Dave Grusin) | Discovered Again! |
Best Album Package
| Result | Artist | Work |
|---|---|---|
| Winner | John Kosh, art director (Linda Ronstadt) | Simple Dreams |
| Nominee | Paula Scher, art director (Yardbirds) | Yardbirds Favorites |
| Nominee | Hipgnosis, art director (Paul McCartney And Wings) | Wings Over America |
| Nominee | John Kosh, art director (Melissa Manchester) | Singin' |
| Nominee | John Berg, art director (Ramsey Lewis) | Love Notes |
| Nominee | Glen Christensen, art director (Joni Mitchell) | Hejira |
| Nominee | Paula Scher, art director (Eric Gale) | Ginseng Woman |
| Nominee | Bob Defrin & Abie Sussman, art directors (Lou Donaldson) | Color As A Way Of Life |
Best Album Notes
| Result | Artist | Work |
|---|---|---|
| Winner | George T. Simon, album notes writer (Bing Crosby) | Bing Crosby - A Legendary Performer |
| Nominee | Michael Brooks, album notes writer (Lester Young) | The Lester Young Story Vol. I |
| Nominee | Chris Albertson, album notes writer (Billy Holiday) | Stormy Blues (Billy Holiday) |
| Nominee | Patrick Snyder, album notes writer (Jefferson Airplane) | Jefferson Airplane-Flight Log |
| Nominee | George T. Simon, album notes writer (Guy Lombardo) | Guy Lombardo: A Legendary Performer |
Producer Of The Year
| Result | Artist | Work |
|---|---|---|
| Winner | Peter Asher | - |
| Nominee | Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff (producers) | - |
| Nominee | Bee Gees (Barry Gibb, Maurice Gibb, Robin Gibb), Albhy Galuten & Karl Richardson (producers) | - |
| Nominee | Bill Szymczyk (producer) | - |
| Nominee | Richard Perry (producer) | - |
Best Jazz Vocal Performance
| Result | Artist | Work |
|---|---|---|
| Winner | Al Jarreau | Look To The Rainbow |
| Nominee | Irene Kral | Kral Space |
| Nominee | Helen Merrill | Helen Merrill - John Lewis |
| Nominee | Carmen McRae | Carmen McRae At The Great American Music Hall |
| Nominee | João Gilberto | Amoroso |
Best Jazz Performance By A Soloist
| Result | Artist | Work |
|---|---|---|
| Winner | Oscar Peterson, soloist | The Giants |
| Nominee | Phil Woods, soloist | The Phil Woods Six-Live From The Showboat |
| Nominee | Jaco Pastorius, soloist | Heavy Weather (Weather Report) |
| Nominee | John Coltrane, soloist | Afro Blue Impressions |
| Nominee | Hank Jones, soloist | 'Bop Redux |
Best Jazz Performance By A Group
| Result | Artist | Work |
|---|---|---|
| Winner | Phil Woods | The Phil Woods Six - Live From The Showboat |
| Nominee | Mel Lewis | Mel Lewis And Friends |
| Nominee | Dexter Gordon | Homecoming - Live At The Village Vanguard |
| Nominee | The Tommy Flanagan Trio | Eclypso |
| Nominee | John Coltrane | Afro Blue Impressions |
Best Jazz Performance By A Big Band
| Result | Artist | Work |
|---|---|---|
| Winner | Count Basie | Prime Time |
| Nominee | Woody Herman | The 40th Anniversary, Carnegie Hall Concert |
| Nominee | Toshiko Akiyoshi And Lew Tabackin Big Band | Road Time |
| Nominee | Leon Breeden, Directing The North Texas State University Lab Band | Lab '76 |
| Nominee | Buddy Rich | Buddy Rich Plays And Plays And Plays |
Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female
| Result | Artist | Work |
|---|---|---|
| Winner | Barbra Streisand | Love Theme From A Star Is Born (Evergreen) |
| Nominee | Debby Boone | You Light Up My Life |
| Nominee | Carly Simon | Nobody Does It Better |
| Nominee | Dolly Parton | Here You Come Again |
| Nominee | Linda Ronstadt | Blue Bayou |
Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male
| Result | Artist | Work |
|---|---|---|
| Winner | James Taylor | Handy Man |
| Nominee | Leo Sayer | When I Need You |
| Nominee | Stephen Bishop | On And On |
| Nominee | Andy Gibb | I Just Want To Be Your Everything |
| Nominee | Engelbert Humperdinck | After The Lovin' |
Best Pop Vocal Performance By A Group
| Result | Artist | Work |
|---|---|---|
| Winner | Bee Gees | How Deep Is Your Love |
| Nominee | Fleetwood Mac | Rumours |
| Nominee | Eagles | Hotel California |
| Nominee | Crosby, Stills And Nash | CSN |
| Nominee | Steely Dan | Aja |
Best Pop Instrumental Performance
| Result | Artist | Work |
|---|---|---|
| Winner | John Williams | Star Wars |
| Nominee | Maynard Ferguson | Gonna Fly Now (Theme From /Rocky/) |
| Nominee | Meco | Star Wars Theme/Cantina Band |
| Nominee | Barry De Vorzon | Nadia's Theme (The Young And The Restless) |
| Nominee | Bill Conti | Gonna Fly Now (Theme From Rocky) |
Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female
| Result | Artist | Work |
|---|---|---|
| Winner | Thelma Houston | Don't Leave Me This Way |
| Nominee | Diana Ross | Your Love Is So Good For Me |
| Nominee | Natalie Cole | I've Got Love On My Mind |
| Nominee | Dorothy Moore | I Believe You |
| Nominee | Aretha Franklin | Break It To Me Gently |
Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male
| Result | Artist | Work |
|---|---|---|
| Winner | Lou Rawls | Unmistakably Lou |
| Nominee | B.B. King | It's Just A Matter Of Time |
| Nominee | Marvin Gaye | Got To Give It Up (Part I) |
| Nominee | Joe Tex | Ain't Gonna Bump No More (With No Big Fat Woman) |
| Nominee | Johnny Guitar Watson | A Real Mother For Ya |
Best R&B Vocal Performance By A Duo, Group Or Chorus
| Result | Artist | Work |
|---|---|---|
| Winner | Emotions | Best Of My Love |
| Nominee | Commodores | Easy |
| Nominee | Heatwave | Boogie Nights |
| Nominee | Rufus Featuring Chaka Khan | Ask Rufus |
| Nominee | Gladys Knight And The Pips | Baby Don't Change Your Mind |
Best R&B Instrumental Performance
| Result | Artist | Work |
|---|---|---|
| Winner | Brothers Johnson | Q |
| Nominee | The Blackbyrds | Unfinished Business |
| Nominee | Stuff | More Stuff |
| Nominee | Salsoul Orchestra; Vincent Montana Jr., conductor | Getaway |
| Nominee | Brecker Brothers | Funky Sea, Funky Dew |
Best Rhythm & Blues Song
| Result | Artist | Work |
|---|---|---|
| Winner | Leo Sayer | You Make Me Feel Like Dancing |
| Nominee | Commodores | Easy |
| Nominee | Thelma Houston | Don't Leave Me This Way |
| Nominee | Commodores | Brick House |
| Nominee | The Emotions | Best Of My Love |
Best Gospel Performance, Contemporary Or Insprirational
| Result | Artist | Work |
|---|---|---|
| Winner | The Imperials | Sail On |
| Nominee | Reba Rambo Gardner | Reba/Lady |
| Nominee | Gary S. Paxton | More, From The Astonishing, Outrageous, Amazing, Incredible, Unbelievable Gary S. Paxton |
| Nominee | Evie Tornquist | Mirror |
| Nominee | Larry Hart And The Soul Singers | Hart And Soul |
| Nominee | Michael Omartian | Adam Again |
Best Gospel Performance, Traditional
| Result | Artist | Work |
|---|---|---|
| Winner | The Oak Ridge Boys | Just A Little Talk With Jesus |
| Nominee | The LeFevres | Till He Comes |
| Nominee | The Cathedral Quartet | Then And Now |
| Nominee | The Singing Rambos | Naturally |
| Nominee | The Speers | Cornerstone |
| Nominee | Blackwood Brothers | Bill Gaither Songs |
Best Soul Gospel Performance, Contemporary
| Result | Artist | Work |
|---|---|---|
| Winner | Edwin Hawkins & The Edwin Hawkins Singers | Wonderful! |
| Nominee | Larnelle Harris | More |
| Nominee | Danniebelle | He Is King |
| Nominee | Mighty Clouds Of Joy | God Is Not Dead |
| Nominee | Jessy Dixon | Born Again |
Best Soul Gospel Performance, Traditional
| Result | Artist | Work |
|---|---|---|
| Winner | James Cleveland | James Cleveland Live At Carnegie Hall |
| Nominee | Isaac Whittmon And James Cleveland With The Southern California Community Choir | The Lord Is My Life |
| Nominee | E. Larry McDuffie And Isaac Douglas Directing The Savannah Choir | Stand Up For Jesus |
| Nominee | Cleavant Derricks And Family | Satisfaction Guaranteed |
| Nominee | Five Blind Boys | I'm Just Another Soldier |
Best Inspirational Performance
| Result | Artist | Work |
|---|---|---|
| Winner | B.J. Thomas | Home Where I Belong |
| Nominee | (Various Artists) | Your Arms Too Short To Box With God |
| Nominee | Carol Lawrence | Tell All The World About Love |
| Nominee | Quincy Jones And James Cleveland Conducting The Watts Line Choir | Oh Lord, Come By Here |
| Nominee | Ray Price | How Great Thou Art |
Best Country Vocal Performance, Female
| Result | Artist | Work |
|---|---|---|
| Winner | Crystal Gayle | Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue |
| Nominee | Janie Fricke | What're You Doing Tonight |
| Nominee | Emmylou Harris | Making Believe |
| Nominee | Barbara Mandrell | After The Lovin' |
| Nominee | Dolly Parton | (Your Love Has Lifted Me) Higher And Higher |
Best Country Vocal Performance, Male
| Result | Artist | Work |
|---|---|---|
| Winner | Kenny Rogers | Lucille |
| Nominee | Jerry Jeff Walker | Mr. Bojangles |
| Nominee | Waylon Jennings | Luckenbach, Texas |
| Nominee | Ronnie Milsap | It Was Almost Like A Song |
| Nominee | Larry Gatlin | I Don't Wanna Cry |
Best Country Vocal Performance By A Duo Or Group
| Result | Artist | Work |
|---|---|---|
| Winner | The Kendalls | Heaven's Just A Sin Away |
| Nominee | The Oak Ridge Boys | Y'all Come Back Saloon |
| Nominee | Asleep At The Wheel | The Wheel |
| Nominee | George Jones And Tammy Wynette | Near You |
| Nominee | Loretta Lynn And Conway Twitty | Dynamic Duo |
Best Country Instrumental Performance
| Result | Artist | Work |
|---|---|---|
| Winner | Hargus Pig Robbins | Country Instrumentalist Of The Year |
| Nominee | Jerry Reed | East Bound And Down |
| Nominee | Asleep At The Wheel | Ragtime Annie |
| Nominee | Chet Atkins | Me And My Guitar |
| Nominee | Chet Atkins, Danny Davis, Floyd Cramer | Chet, Floyd And Danny |
Best Country Song
| Result | Artist | Work |
|---|---|---|
| Winner | Crystal Gayle | Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue |
| Nominee | Waylon Jennings | Luckenbach, Texas |
| Nominee | Kenny Rogers | Lucille |
| Nominee | Ronnie Milsap | It Was Almost Like A Song |
| Nominee | Eagles | Desperado |
Best Ethnic Or Traditional Recording
| Result | Artist | Work |
|---|---|---|
| Winner | Muddy Waters | Hard Again |
| Nominee | Willie Dixon | What Happened To My Blues |
| Nominee | Joe Turner | Things That I Used To Do |
| Nominee | Otis Rush | Right Place, Wrong Time |
| Nominee | Junior Wells | Blues Hit Big Town |
Best Latin Recording
| Result | Artist | Work |
|---|---|---|
| Winner | Mongo Santamaria | Dawn |
| Nominee | Ray Barretto | Tomorrow: Barretto Live |
| Nominee | Eydie Gorme And Danny Rivera | Muy Amigos And Close Friends |
| Nominee | Tito Puente | La Leyenda |
| Nominee | Machito Orchestra With Lalo Rodriguez | Fireworks |
Best Recording For Children
| Result | Artist | Work |
|---|---|---|
| Winner | (Various Artists) | Aren't You Glad You're You |
| Nominee | (Various Artists) | The Sesame Street Fairy Tale Album |
| Nominee | Peter Ustinov | Russell Hoban: The Mouse And His Child |
| Nominee | (Various Artists) | Dope! The Dope King's Last Stand |
| Nominee | Charles M. Schulz | A Charlie Brown Christmas |
Best Comedy Recording
| Result | Artist | Work |
|---|---|---|
| Winner | Steve Martin | Let's Get Small |
| Nominee | Ernie Kovacs | The Ernie Kovacs Album |
| Nominee | NBC Saturday Night Live Cast | Saturday Night Live |
| Nominee | George Carlin | On The Road |
| Nominee | Richard Pryor | Are You Serious??? |
Best Spoken Word Recording
| Result | Artist | Work |
|---|---|---|
| Winner | Julie Harris | The Belle Of Amherst |
| Nominee | Harry S. Truman, Ben Gradus | The Truman Tapes |
| Nominee | Christopher Tolkien | J.R.R. Tolkien: The Silmarillion Of Beren And Luthien |
| Nominee | Original Cast | For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When The Rainbow Is Enuf |
| Nominee | Alex Haley | Alex Haley Tells The Story Of His Search For Roots |
Best Instrumental Composition
| Result | Artist | Work |
|---|---|---|
| Winner | John Williams, composer (John Williams) | Star Wars - Main Title |
| Nominee | Gerald Fried & Quincy Jones, composers (Quincy Jones) | Roots Medley (Motherland, Roots Mural Theme) |
| Nominee | Carol Connors, Bill Conti & Ayn Robbins, composers (Maynard Ferguson) | Gonna Fly Now (Theme From Rocky) |
| Nominee | Marvin Hamlisch, composer (Marvin Hamlisch) | Bond '77/James Bond Theme |
| Nominee | Josef Zawinul, composer (Weather Report) | Birdland |
Best Original Score Written For A Motion Picture Or A Television Special
| Result | Artist | Work |
|---|---|---|
| Winner | John Williams, composer (John Williams) | Star Wars |
| Nominee | Joe Brooks, composer (Various Artists) | You Light Up My Life |
| Nominee | Marvin Hamlisch, composer (Various Artists) | The Spy Who Loved Me |
| Nominee | Bill Conti, composer (Various Artists) | Rocky |
| Nominee | Ken Ascher, Alan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman, Rupert Holmes, Kenny Loggins, Leon Russell, Barbra Streisand, Donna Weiss & Paul Williams, composers (Various Artists) | A Star Is Born |
Best Cast Show Album
| Result | Artist | Work |
|---|---|---|
| Winner | Martin Charnin & Charles Strouse, composers; Larry Morton & Charles Strouse, producers (Andrea McCardle, Dorothy Loudon) | Annie |
| Nominee | Alex Bradford & Micki Grant, composers; Esmond Edwards, producer (Original Cast) | Your Arms Too Short To Box With God |
| Nominee | Richard Maltby Jr. & David Shire, composers; Jay David Saks, producer (Loni Ackerman, George Lee Andrews, Margery Cohen) | Starting Here, Starting Now |
| Nominee | Cy Coleman & Michael Stewart, composers; Cy Coleman, producer (Original Cast) | I Love My Wife |
| Nominee | William Goldstein, producer (Various Artists) | Guys And Dolls |
Album Of The Year Classical
| Result | Artist | Work |
|---|---|---|
| Winner | Leonard Bernstein, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Vladimir Horowitz, Yehudi Menuhin, Mstislav Rostropovich, Isaac Stern & Lyndon Woodside, artists; Thomas Frost, producer | Concert Of The Century |
| Nominee | Georg Solti, artist; Raymond Minshull, producer | Ravel: Bolero/Debussy: La Mer, L'Apres-Midi D'Un Faune |
| Nominee | Christopher Parkening, artist; Patti Laursen, producer | Parkening And The Guitar |
| Nominee | Carlo Maria Giulini, artist; Gunther Breest, producer | Mahler: Symphony No. 9 In D Major |
| Nominee | Antal Dorati, artist; Erik Smith, producer | Haydn: Orlando Paladino |
| Nominee | John De Main, artist; Thomas Z. Shepard, producer | Gershwin: Porgy And Bess |
Best Classical Orchestral Performance
| Result | Artist | Work |
|---|---|---|
| Winner | (Chicago Symphony Orchestra) | Mahler: Symphony No. 9 In D |
| Nominee | (London Symphony Orchestra) | Tchaikovsky: Swan Lake |
| Nominee | (Chicago Symphony Orchestra) | Ravel: Bolero |
| Nominee | (Chicago Symphony Orchestra) | Mahler: Symphony No. 3 In D Minor |
| Nominee | (Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra) | Bruckner: Symphony No. 8 In C Minor |
| Nominee | (New York Philharmonic) | Bartók: The Wooden Prince |
Best Opera Recording
| Result | Artist | Work |
|---|---|---|
| Winner | John De Main; Thomas Z. Shepard, producer (Houston Grand Opera Orchestra) | Gershwin: Porgy And Bess |
| Nominee | Stanley Silverman; Larry Morton, producer (New York Shakespeare Festival Orchestra) | Weill: Three Penny Opera |
| Nominee | Georg Solti; Raymond Minshull, producer (Chicago Symphony Chorus; Chicago Symphony Orchestra) | Wagner: The Flying Dutchman |
| Nominee | Eugen Jochum; Gunther Breest, producer (Deutsche Oper Berlin Chorus; Deutsche Oper Berlin Orchestra) | Wagner: Die Meistersinger Von Nurnberg |
| Nominee | Colin Davis; Erik Smith, producer (Royal Opera House Chorus Of Covent Garden; Royal Opera House Orchestra - Covent Garden) | Puccini: Tosca |
| Nominee | Jerzy Semkow; David Mottley, producer (Polish National Radio Symphony Chorus; Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra) | Mussorgsky: Boris Godunov |
| Nominee | Charles Mackerras; James Mallinson, producer (Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra) | Janácek: Katya Kabanova |
| Nominee | Antal Dorati; Erik Smith, producer (Orchestre De Chambre De Lausanne) | Haydn: Orlando Paladino |
Best Choral Performance (Other Than Opera)
| Result | Artist | Work |
|---|---|---|
| Winner | (Chicago Symphony Chorus; Chicago Symphony Orchestra) | Verdi: Requiem |
| Nominee | (Stephen Caillat Chorus; Orchestra De Paris) | Roussel: Psalm 80, For Tenor, Chorus And Orchestra |
| Nominee | (Kings College Choir-Cambridge; Academy Of St. Martin-In-The-Fields) | Purcell: Funeral Music For Queen Mary |
| Nominee | (Bavarian Radio Chorus; Bavarian Radio Symphony) | Dvorák: Stabat Mater |
| Nominee | (Vienna Singverein Chorus; Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra) | Bruckner: Te Deum |
| Nominee | (Kings College Choir-Cambridge; Academy Of St. Martin-In-The-Fields) | Britten: Saint Nicholas |
| Nominee | (John Choir Alldis; London Symphony Orchestra) | Berlioz: L'Enfance Du Christ |
Best Chamber Music Performance
| Result | Artist | Work |
|---|---|---|
| Winner | Juilliard String Quartet (Earl Carlyss, Joel Krosnick, Robert Mann & Samuel Rhodes), artists | Schoenberg: Quartets For Strings (Complete) |
| Nominee | Vladimir Horowitz, Mstislav Rostropovich & Isaac Stern, artists | Rachmaninoff: Sonata For Cello And Piano In G Minor Op. 19-Andante/ Tchaikovsky: Trio For Piano In A Minor Op. 50 - Pezzo Elegiaco |
| Nominee | Martine Geliot, Yehudi Menuhin, Alla Rakha, Jean-Pierre Rampal & Ravi Shankar, artists | Improvisations - West Meets East - Album 3 |
| Nominee | Emanuel Ax & Cleveland Quartet (Martha Strongin Katz, Paul Katz, Peter Salaff & Donald Weilerstein), artists | Dvorák: Quintet For Piano In A Major, Op. 81 |
| Nominee | Prague String Quartet, artists | Dvorák: Quartets No. 8 In E Major Op. 80 And No. 10 In E Flat Major Op. 51 |
| Nominee | Guarneri Quartet (John Dalley, David Soyer, Arnold Steinhardt & Michael Tree), artists | Bartók: Quartets For Strings |
| Nominee | David Munrow, artist | A Contemporary Elizabethan Concert (Works Of Dowland, Williams, Purcell, Etc.) |
Best Classical Performance Instrumental Soloist Or Soloists (With Orchestra)
| Result | Artist | Work |
|---|---|---|
| Winner | Itzhak Perlman, artist (London Philharmonic Orchestra) | Vivaldi: The Four Seasons |
| Nominee | Mstislav Rostropovich, artist | Schumann: Concerto For Cello And Orchestra In A Minor/ Bloch: Schelomo |
| Nominee | Lazar Berman, artist | Rachmaninoff: Concerto For Piano No. 3 In D Minor |
| Nominee | Jacqueline Du Pre, artist | Elgar: Concerto For Cello, Op. 85 |
| Nominee | Alicia De Larrocha, artist | Concertos From Spain |
| Nominee | Solomon, artist | Brahms: Concerto For Piano No. 2 In B Flat Major Op. 83 |
| Nominee | Maurizio Pollini, artist | Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 4 In G |
| Nominee | Alfred Brendel, artist | Beethoven: Concerti For Piano (5) |
Best Classical Performance Instrumental Soloist Or Soloists (Without Orchestra)
| Result | Artist | Work |
|---|---|---|
| Winner | Artur Rubinstein, artist | Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 18 In E Flat/Schumann: Fantasiestucke, Op. 12 |
| Nominee | Michel Beroff, artist | Messiaen: 20 Regards De L'Enfant Jesus |
| Nominee | Itzhak Perlman, artist | Kreisler: Itzhak Perlman Plays Fritz Kreisler - Album 2 |
| Nominee | Alicia De Larrocha, artist | Granados: Goyescas |
| Nominee | Daniel Adni, artist | Grainger: Piano Music Of Percy Grainger |
| Nominee | Glenn Gould, artist | Bach: The English Suites (Complete) |
| Nominee | Igor Kipnis, artist | Bach: Partitas For Harpsichord No. 1 In B Flat Major And No. 2 In C Minor |
Best Classical Vocal Soloist Performance
| Result | Artist | Work |
|---|---|---|
| Winner | (Academy Of St. Martin-In-The Fields) | Bach: Arias |
| Nominee | (Moscow Philharmonic) | Shostakovich: Symphony No. 14 |
| Nominee | (Rotterdam Philharmonic) | Schubert On Stage |
| Nominee | (Rotterdam Philharmonic) | Rossini/Mozart: Opera Arias |
| Nominee | Luciano Pavarotti | Rachmaninoff: Songs Vol. Two |
| Nominee | (National Philharmonic Orchestra) | Luciano Pavarotti - O Holy Night (O Holy Night; Sanctus/ Schubert; Ave Maria, Etc.) |
| Nominee | Gerard Souzay | Ives: Songs |
| Nominee | Donald Gramm | Faure: Songs (Complete) |
| Nominee | - | But Yesterday Is Not Today |
Best Engineered Recording, Classical
| Result | Artist | Work |
|---|---|---|
| Winner | Kenneth Wilkinson, engineer (Georg Solti, conductor) | Ravel: Bolero |
| Nominee | Klaus Scheibe, engineer (Carlo Maria Giulini, conductor) | Mahler: Symphony No. 9 In D Major |
| Nominee | Heinz Wildhagen, engineer (Claudio Abbado, conductor) | Mahler: Symphony No. 2 In C Minor (/Resurrection/) |
| Nominee | Paul Goodman & Anthony Salvatore, engineers (DeMain, conductor) | Gershwin: Porgy And Bess |
| Nominee | Dick Van Dijk & S.J.W. Witteveen, engineers (Colin Davis, conductor) | Berlioz: L'Enfance Du Christ |
| Nominee | Milton Cherin, Edward (Bud) T. Graham & Ray Moore, engineers (Pierre Boulez, conductor) | Bartók: The Wooden Prince |
