23rd Annual Grammy Awards

The 23rd meeting of the Grammy ceremony was held on 25 February 1981.

The Grammy Awards 1981 were awarded in 59 categories, 18 different areas were excellent.

For the first time in the history of the Grammys was a single artist, Christopher Cross, all four awards in the main categories.

Main categories

Single of the Year ( Record of the Year ):

• "Sailing " by Christopher Cross

Album of the Year (Album of the Year ):

• Christopher Cross by Christopher Cross

Song of the Year ( Song of the Year ):

• "Sailing " by Christopher Cross

Best New Artist ( Best New Artist):

• Christopher Cross

Pop

Best Female Vocal Performance - Pop ( Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female):

• "The Rose" by Bette Midler

Best Male Vocal Performance - Pop ( Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male):

• "This Is It " by Kenny Loggins

Best Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal - Pop ( Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals ):

• "Guilty " by Barbra Streisand & Barry Gibb

Best instrumental performance - Pop ( Best Pop Instrumental Performance ):

• One On One by Bob James & Earl Klugh

Rock

Best Female Vocal Performance - Rock ( Best Rock Vocal Performance, Female):

• Crimes Of Passion by Pat Benatar

Best Male Vocal Performance - Rock ( Best Rock Vocal Performance, Male):

• Glass Houses by Billy Joel

Best Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal - Rock ( Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals ):

• Against The Wind by Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet band

Best Performance by a rock instrumentals ( Best Rock Instrumental Performance ):

• "Regatta de Blanc " by The Police

Rhythm & Blues

Best Female Vocal Performance - R & B ( Best R & B Vocal Performance, Female):

• " Never Knew Love Like This Before" by Stephanie Mills

Best Male Vocal Performance - R & B ( Best R & B Vocal Performance, Male):

• Give Me The Night by George Benson

Best Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal - Pop ( Best R & B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals ):

• " Shining Star" by the Manhattans

Best instrumental performance - R & B ( Best R & B Instrumental Performance ):

• " Off Broadway " by George Benson

Best R & B Song ( Best R & B Song):

• " Never Knew Love Like This Before" by Stephanie Mills (Authors: James Mtume, Reggie Lucas)

Country

Best Female Vocal Performance - Country ( Best Country Vocal Performance, Female):

• Could I Have This Dance? by Anne Murray

Best Male Vocal Performance - Country ( Best Country Vocal Performance, Male):

• He Stopped Loving Her Today by George Jones

Best Country Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group ( Best Country Vocal Performance By A Duo Or Group):

• That Lovin 'You Feelin ' Again by Emmylou Harris & Roy Orbison

Best Performance by a Country Instrumentals ( Best Country Instrumental Performance ):

• Orange Blossom Special / Hoedown from Gilley 's Urban Cowboy tape

Best Country Song ( Best Country Song):

• On The Road Again by Willie Nelson

Jazz

Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Female ( Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Female):

• A Perfect Match - Ella And Basie Ella Fitzgerald

Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Male ( Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Male):

• Moody's Mood by George Benson

Best Jazz Instrumental performance, soloist ( Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Soloist ):

• I Will Say Goodbye by Bill Evans

Best Jazz Instrumental performance, group ( Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Group):

• We Will Meet Again by Bill Evans

Best Jazz Instrumental performance, Big Band ( Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Big Band ):

• On The Road by Count Basie

Best jazz fusion performance, vocal or instrumental ( Best Jazz Fusion Performance, Vocal Or Instrumental):

• Birdland by Manhattan Transfer

Gospel

Best traditional gospel performance ( Best Gospel Performance, Traditional):

• We Come To Worship by the Blackwood Brothers

Best Contemporary or Inspirational Gospel presentation ( Best Gospel Performance, Contemporary Or Inspirational ):

• The Lord's Prayer by the Archers, Cynthia Clawson, Andrae Crouch, Tramaine Hawkins, Walter Hawkins, Dony McGuire, Reba Rambo and BJ Thomas

Best Traditional Soul Gospel performance ( Best Soul Gospel Performance, Traditional):

• Lord, Let Me Be An Instrument of James Cleveland & The Charles Fold Singers

Best Contemporary Soul Gospel performance ( Best Soul Gospel Performance, Contemporary):

• Rejoice by Shirley Caesar

Best Inspirational performance ( Best Inspirational Performance):

• With My Song I Will Praise Him by Debby Boone

Latin

Best Latin Recording ( Best Latin Recording)

• La onda va bien by Cal Tjader

Folk

Best ethno folk or traditional folk recording ( Best Ethnic Or Traditional Recording):

• Rare Blues by various artists (producer Norman Dayron )

For children

Best Recording for Children ( Best Recording For Children ):

• In Harmony - A Sesame Street Record by various artists ( producer: Lucy Simon, David Levine )

Language

Best recording of spoken text, documentation or drama ( Best Spoken Word, Documentary or Drama Recording):

• Gertrude Stein, Gertrude Stein, Gertrude Stein by Pat Carroll

Comedy

Best Comedy Recording ( Best Comedy Recording):

• No Respect by Rodney Dangerfield

Musical Show

Best Cast Show Album ( Best Cast Show Album ):

• Evita - Premier American Recording of the original cast with Patti LuPone and Mandy Patinkin ( Lyrics: Tim Rice, music by Andrew Lloyd Webber )

Composition / Arrangement

Best Instrumental Composition ( Best Instrumental Composition ):

• The Empire Strikes Back (Composer: John Williams)

Best album of original music written for a film or a TV Special ( Best Album Of Original Score Written For A Motion Picture Or A Television Special):

• The Empire Strikes Back (Composer: John Williams)

Best Instrumental Arrangement ( Best Instrumental Arrangement):

• Dinorah, Dinorah of George Benson ( arranger Jerry Hey, Quincy Jones)

Best Arrangement with Sing Along ( Best Arrangement Accompanying Vocals):

• Sailing by Christopher Cross ( Arrangers: Christopher Cross, Michael Omartian )

Best Vocal Arrangement ( Best Arrangement For Voices):

• Birdland by Manhattan Transfer ( arranger: Janis Siegel )

Packages and music accompanying

Best Album Package ( Best Album Package):

• Against The Wind by Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet band

Best music accompanying text ( Best Album Notes ):

• Trilogy: Past, Present And Future by Frank Sinatra ( Author: David McClintick )

Historical Records

Best re- published historical album ( Best Historical Reissue Album):

• Segovia - The EMI Recordings 1927-39 by Andrés Segovia (producer: Keith Hardwick )

Production and Technology

Best technical recording without classical music ( Best Engineered Recording, Non-Classical ):

• The Wall by Pink Floyd ( Technology: James Guthrie )

Best technical Classical Recording ( Best Engineered Recording, Classical):

• Alban Berg: Lulu ( total uptake ) from the Orchestre de l' Opéra de Paris conducted by Pierre Boulez ( technique: Karl- August Naegler )

Producer of the Year (not classical) (Producer Of The Year, Non-Classical ):

• Phil Ramone

Classical Producer of the Year (Classical Producer of the Year ):

• Robert Woods

Classical music

Best classical album ( Best Classical Album):

• Berg: Lulu with Toni Blankenheim, Franz Mazura, Yvonne Minton, Teresa Stratas and the Orchestre de l' Opéra National de Paris conducted by Pierre Boulez

Best Classical Orchestral Recording ( Best Classical Orchestral Recording):

Best Opera Recording ( Best Opera Recording):

• Berg: Lulu with Toni Blankenheim, Franz Mazura, Yvonne Minton, Teresa Stratas and the Orchestre de l' Opéra National de Paris conducted by Pierre Boulez

Best choral performance, Classic ( Best Choral Performance, Classical):

• Mozart: Requiem by the Philharmonia Orchestra and Chorus under the direction of Carlo Maria Giulini

Best solo instrument performance with orchestra ( Best Classical Performance - Instrumental Soloist or Soloists with Orchestra ):

• Brahms: Violin and Cello Concerto in A Minor by Itzhak Perlman, Mstislav Rostropovich and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra conducted by Bernard Haitink
• Berg: Violin Concerto / Stravinsky: Violin Concerto in D Major by Itzhak Perlman and the Boston Symphony Orchestra conducted by Seiji Ozawa

Best solo instrument performance without orchestra ( Best Classical Performance - Instrumental Soloist or Soloists without Orchestra ):

• The Spanish album by Itzhak Perlman

Best chamber music performance ( Best Chamber Music Performance ):

• Music For Two Violins ( Moszkowski: Suite for Two Violins) / Shostakovich: Duets / Prokofiev: Sonata for Two Violins by Itzhak Perlman and Pinchas Zukerman

Best solo classical vocal performance ( Best Classical Vocal Soloist Performance):

• Prima Donna, Vol 5 - Great Soprano Arias From Handel To Britten Leontyne Price and the Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Henry Lewis

Special Merit Awards

The Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1981 not awarded.

• Count Basie
• Aaron Coplund

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• Musical Event 1981
• Awards Ceremony 1981
• Grammy Awards