1981 Grammy Awards

Updated February 21, 2017 | Factmonster Staff
Record of the Year“Bette Davis Eyes,” Kim Carnes

Yoko Ono and John Lennon
Archive Photos
Album of the Year
Double Fantasy, John Lennon and Yoko Ono (Warner Bros/Geffen)
Song of the Year“Bette Davis Eyes,” Donna Weiss and Jackie DeShannon, songwriters
Best New ArtistSheena Easton
Best Pop Vocal Performance, MaleBreakin Away, Al Jarreau
Best Pop Vocal Performance, FemaleLena Horne: The Lady and Her Music Live On Broadway, Lena Horne
Best Pop Vocal Performance By a Duo or Group With Vocal“Boy From New York City,” Manhattan Transfer
Best Pop Instrumental Performance“The Theme From Hill Street Blues,” Mike Post featuring Larry Carlton
Best Rock Vocal Performance, Male“Jessie's Girl,” Rick Springfield
Best Rock Vocal Performance, Female“Fire and Ice,” Pat Benatar
Best Rock Performance By a Duo or Group With Vocal“Don't Stand So Close to Me,” Police
Best Rock Instrumental Performance“Behind My Camel,” Police
Best Rhythm and Blues Song“Just the Two of Us,” Bill Withers, William Salter and Ralph MacDonald, songwriters
Best Rhythm and Blues Performance, Male“One Hundred Ways,” James Ingram
Best Rhythm and Blues Vocal Performance, Female“Hold On I'm Comin',” Aretha Franklin
Best Rhythm and Blues Performance By a Duo or Group With VocalThe Dude, Quincy Jones
Best Rhythm and Blues Instrumental Performance“All I Need Is You,” David Sanborn
Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Male“Blue Rondo a la Turk,” Al Jarreau
Best Jazz Vocal Performance, FemaleDigital III at Montreux, Ella Fitzgerald
Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Duo or Group“Until I Met You” (Corner Pocket), Manhattan Transfer
Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, SoloistBye Bye Blackbird, John Coltrane
Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, GroupChick Corea and Gary Burton in Concert, Zurich, October 28, 1979, Chick Corea and Gary Burton
Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Big BandWalk on the Water, Gerry Mulligan and His Orchestra
Best Jazz Fusion Performance, Vocal or InstrumentalWinelight, Grover Washington, Jr.
Best Country Song“9 to 5,” Dolly Parton, songwriter
Best Country Vocal Performance, Male(There's) “No Gettin' Over Me,” Ronnie Milsap
Best Country Vocal Performance, Female“9 to 5,” Dolly Parton
Best Country Performance By a Duo or Group With Vocal“Elvira,” Oak Ridge Boys
Best Country Instrumental PerformanceCountry, After All These Years, Chet Atkins
Best Gospel Performance, Contemporary or InspirationalPriority, Imperials
Best Gospel Performance, TraditionalThe Masters V, J.D. Sumner, James Blackwood, Hovie Lister, Rosie Rozell and Jake Hess
Best Soul Gospel Performance, ContemporaryDon't Give Up, Andrae Crouch
Best Soul Gospel Performance, TraditionalThe Lord Will Make a Way, Al Green
Best Latin Recording“Guajira Pa la Jeva,” Clare Fischer (Pausa)
Best Inspirational PerformanceAmazing Grace, B.J. Thomas
Best Ethnic or Traditional RecordingThere Must Be a Better World Somewhere, B.B. King (MCA)
Best Arrangement of an Instrumental Recording“Velas,” Quincy Jones and Johnny Mandel, arrangers
Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocal(s)“Ai No Corrida,” Quincy Jones and Jerry Hey, arrangers
Best Vocal Arrangement for Two or More Voices“A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square,” Gene Puerling, arranger
Best Instrumental Composition“The Theme From Hill Street Blues,” Mike Post, composer
Best Cast Show AlbumLena Horne: The Lady and Her Music Live on Broadway, various composers and lyricists (Qwest/Warner Bros.)
Best Album of Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or a Television SpecialRaiders of the Lost Ark, John Williams, composer (Columbia/CBS)
Best Classical AlbumMahler, Symphony No. 2 in C Minor, Sir Georg Solti conducting Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Chorus (London)
Best Classical Orchestral RecordingMahler, Symphony No. 2 in C Minor, Sir Georg Solti conducting Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Chorus (London)
Best Chamber Music PerformanceTchaikovsky, Piano Trio in A Minor, Itzhak Perlman, Lynn Harrell and Vladimir Ashkenazy
Best Classical Performance, Instrumental Soloist(s) (With Orchestra)Isaac Stern 60th Anniversary Celebration, Isaac Stern, Itzhak Perlman and Pinchas Zukerman; Zubin Mehta conducting New York Philharmonic Orchestra
Best Classical Performance, Instrumental Soloist(s) (Without Orchestra)The Horowitz Concerts 1979/80, Vladimir Horowitz
Best Opera RecordingJanácek, From the House of the Dead, Sir Charles Mackerras conducting Vienna Philharmonic; solos: Zahradnicek, Zitek and Zidek (London)
Best Choral Performance (Other Than Opera)Haydn, The Creation, Neville Marriner conducting Chorus of Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields
Best Classical Vocal Soloist PerformanceLive From Lincoln Center, Sutherland-Horne-Pavarotti, Joan Sutherland, Marilyn Horne and Luciano Pavarotti
Best Comedy RecordingRev. Du Rite, Richard Pryor (Laff)
Best Spoken Word, Documentary or Drama RecordingDonovan's Brain, Orson Welles (Radiola)
Best Recording for ChildrenSesame Country, Muppets, Glen Campbell, Crystal Gayle, Loretta Lynn, Tanya Tucker; Jim Henson (Sesame Street)
Best Album PackageTatoo You, Peter Corriston, art director (Rolling Stones/Atlantic)
Best Album NotesErroll Garner, Master of the Keyboard, Dan Morgenstern, annotator (Book-of-the-Month Records)
Best Historical AlbumHoagy Carmichael: From “Star Dust” to “Ole Buttermilk Sky” (Book-of-the-Month Records)
Video of the Year“Michael Nesmith in Elephant Parts,” Michael Nesmith
Producer of the Year (Non-Classical)Quincy Jones
Classical Producer of the YearJames Mallinson
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