3rd Annual Grammy Awards

For the third time the Grammys were awarded in the U.S. in 1961. At the Grammy Awards in 1961 this important American music award went to 39 winners from 14 fields.

Main categories

Single of the Year ( Record of the Year ):

• " Theme From A Summer Place " by Percy Faith

Album of the Year (Album of the Year ):

• The Button - Down Mind Of Bob Newhart by Bob Newhart

Song of the Year ( Song of the Year ):

• " Theme From Exodus" (Author: Ernest Gold)

Best New Artist ( Best New Artist):

• Bob Newhart

Pop

Best female vocal performance, single or individual piece ( Best Vocal Performance Single Record Or Track, Female):

• " Mack the Knife" by Ella Fitzgerald

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

• Mack the Knife - Ella In Berlin by Ella Fitzgerald

Best Male Vocal Performance, single or individual piece ( Best Vocal Performance Single Record Or Track, Male):

• " Georgia on My Mind" by Ray Charles

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

• The Genius of Ray Charles by Ray Charles

Best Performance of a singing group ( 2-6 ) ( Best Performance By A Vocal Group - 2 To 6):

• " We Got Us" by Eydie & Steve Lawrence Gormé

Best Performance by a choir ( 7 or more persons) ( Best Performance By A Chorus - 7 Or More Persons):

• Songs of the Cowboy by Norman Luboff Choir

Best Performance of a band - Dance ( Best Performance By A Band For Dancing ):

• Dance with Basie by Count Basie

Best Performance by an orchestra ( Best Performance By An Orchestra ):

• Mr. Lucky by Henry Mancini

Best Performance by a single artist - Pop ( Best Performance By A Pop Single Artist):

• " Georgia on My Mind" by Ray Charles

Rhythm & Blues

Best R & B performance ( Best Rhythm & Blues Performance ):

• "Let The Good Times Roll" by Ray Charles

Country

Best Country and Western performance ( Best Country & Western Performance ):

• El Paso by Marty Robbins

Jazz

Best jazz performance - a soloist or small group ( Best Jazz Performance Solo Or Small Group):

• West Side Story by André Previn

Best jazz performance - large group ( Best Jazz Instrumental Performance Large Group):

• Blues And The Beat by Henry Mancini

Best jazz composition with more than five minutes in duration ( Best Jazz Composition Of More Than Five Minutes Duration):

• Sketches of Spain by Miles Davis & Gil Evans

Folk

Best Folk - performance ( Best Performance - Folk ):

• Swing Dat Hammer by Harry Belafonte

For children

Best Recording for Children ( Best Recording For Children ):

• Let's All Sing With The Chipmunks by David Seville and the Chipmunks

Language

Best Performance documentation or spoken text without Comedy ( Best Performance, Documentary Or Spoken Word Other Than Comedy ):

• FDR Speaks (producer: Robert Bialek )

Comedy

Best comedy show - language ( Best Comedy Performance - Spoken Word):

• The Button - Down Mind Strikes Back! by Bob Newhart

Best comedy show - Music ( Best Comedy Performance - Musical):

• Jonathan and Darlene Edwards in Paris Jo Stafford & Paul Weston

Musical Show

Best Show Album ( Original Cast ) ( Best Show Album - Original Cast ):

• The Sound of Music by Mary Martin and the original cast ( Composers: Oscar Hammerstein, Richard Rodgers )

Composition / Arrangement

Best Soundtrack Album or best recording of film or television music ( Best Sound Track Album Or Recording Of Music Score From the Motion Picture Or Television):

• Exodus ( Composer: Ernest Gold)

Best Arrangement ( Best Arrangement):

• Mr. Lucky by Henry Mancini

Packages

Best album cover ( Best Album Cover):

• Latin a la Lee Peggy Lee ( Artistic Director: Marvin Schwartz)

Production and Technology

Best Technical Contribution - classical music ( Best Engineering Contribution, Classical Recording):

• The Spanish Guitars Of Laurindo Almeida Laurindo Almeida ( technique: Hugh Davies)

Best technical contribution, special recording ( Best Engineering Contribution, Novelty Recording):

• The Old Payola Roll Blues by Stan Freberg ( art: John Kraus )

Classical music

Best Classical Orchestral Performance ( Best Classical Performance - Orchestra ):

• Bartók: Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta the Chicago Symphony Orchestra conducted by Fritz Reiner

Best classical opera production ( Best Classical Opera Production):

• Puccini: Turandot with Birgit Nilsson, Giorgio Tozzi, Jussi Björling, Renata Tebaldi and the Rome Opera Orchestra led by Erich Leinsdorf

Best classical choral performance ( with Oratorio ) ( Best Classical Performance - Choral Including Oratorio ):

• Handel: Messiah by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus conducted by Thomas Beecham

Best classic performance - concert or solo instrument ( Best Classical Performance - Instrumental Soloist Or Concerto ):

• Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 2 in B- flat major with Sviatoslav Richter and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra conducted by Erich Leinsdorf

Best classic performance - solo or duo instrument without orchestral accompaniment ( Best Classical Performance - Instrumental Soloist Or Duo Other Than With Orchestral Accompaniment ):

• The Spanish Guitars Of Laurindo Almeida Laurindo Alemida

Best chamber music performance - voice or instrument ( Best Classical Performance - Vocal Or Instrumental - Chamber Music ):

• Conversations With The Guitar of Laurindo Almeida

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

• A Program Of Song - Leontyne Price Recital by Leontyne Price

Best Contemporary Classical Composition ( Best Contemporary Classical Composition ):

• Orchestral Suite from ' The Tender Land ' by Aaron Copland

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• Music 1961
• Awards Ceremony 1961
• Grammy Awards