1979 Grammy Awards
Updated February 21, 2017 | Factmonster Staff 
| Record of the Year | “What a Fool Believes,” Doobie Brothers | |
| Album of the Year | 52nd Street, Billy Joel (Columbia) | |
| Song of the Year | “What a Fool Believes,” Kenny Loggins and Michael McDonald, songwriters | |
| Best New Artist | Rickie Lee Jones | |
| Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male | 52nd Street, Billy Joel | |
| Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female | “I'll Never Love This Way Again,” Dionne Warwick | |
| Best Pop Vocal Performance By a Duo, Group or Chorus | Minute by Minute, Doobie Brothers | |
| Best Pop Instrumental Performance | “Rise,” Herb Alpert | |
| Best Rock Vocal Performance, Male | “Gotta Serve Somebody,” Bob Dylan | |
| Best Rock Vocal Performance, Female | “Hot Stuff,” Donna Summer | |
| Best Rock Vocal Performance By a Duo or Group | “Heartache Tonight,” Eagles | |
| Best Rock Instrumental Performance | “Rockestra Theme,” Wings | |
| Best Rhythm and Blues Song | “After the Love Has Gone,” David Foster, Jay Graydon and Bill Champlin, songwriters | |
| Best Rhythm and Blues Vocal Performance, Male | “Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough,” Michael Jackson | |
| Best Rhythm and Blues Vocal Performance, Female | “Deja Vu,” Dionne Warwick | |
| Best Rhythm and Blues Vocal Performance By a Duo, Group or Chorus | “After the Love Has Gone,” Earth, Wind and Fire | |
| Best Rhythm and Blues Instrumental Performance | “Boogie Wonderland,” Earth, Wind and Fire | |
| “I Will Survive,” Gloria Gaynor (Polydor) | |
| Best Jazz Vocal Performance | Fine and Mellow, Ella Fitzgerald | |
| Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Soloist | Jousts, Oscar Peterson | |
| Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Group | Duet, Gary Burton and Chick Corea | |
| Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Big Band | At Fargo, 1940 Live, Duke Ellington | |
| Best Jazz Fusion Performance, Vocal or Instrumental | 8:30, Weather Report | |
| Best Country Song | “You Decorated My Life,” Debbie Hupp and Bob Morrison, songwriters | |
| Best Country Vocal Performance, Male | “The Gambler,” Kenny Rogers | |
| Best Country Vocal Performance, Female | Blue Kentucky Girl, Emmylou Harris | |
| Best Country Vocal Performance By a Duo or Group | “The Devil Went Down to Georgia,” Charlie Daniels Band | |
| Best Country Instrumental Performance | “Big Sandy/Leather Britches,” Doc and Merle Watson | |
| Best Gospel Performance, Contemporary or Inspirational | Heed the Call, Imperials | |
| Best Gospel Performance, Traditional | Lift Up the Name of Jesus, Blackwood Brothers | |
| Best Soul Gospel Performance, Contemporary | I'll Be Thinking of You, Andrae Crouch | |
| Best Soul Gospel Performance, Traditional | Changing Times, Mighty Clouds of Joy | |
| Best Latin Recording | Irakere, Irakere (Columbia) | |
| Best Inspirational Performance | You Gave Me Love (When Nobody Gave Me a Prayer), B.J. Thomas | |
| Best Ethnic or Traditional Recording | Muddy “Mississippi” Waters Live, Muddy Waters (Sky/CBS) | |
| Best Instrumental Arrangement | “Soulful Strut,” Claus Ogerman, arranger | |
| Best Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s) | “What a Fool Believes,” Michael McDonald, arranger | |
| Best Instrumental Composition | “Main Title Theme From Superman,” John Williams, composer | |
| Best Cast Show Album | Sweeney Todd, Stephen Sondheim, composer and Iyricist (RCA) | |
| Best Album of Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or a Television Special | Superman, John Williams, composer (Warner Bros.) | |
| Best Classical Album | Brahms, Symphonies Complete, Sir Georg Solti conducting Chicago Symphony Orchestra (London) | |
| Best Classical Orchestral Recording | Brahms, Symphonies Complete, Sir Georg Solti conducting Chicago Symphony Orchestra (London) | |
| Best Chamber Music Performance | Copland, Appalachian Spring, Dennis Russell Davies conducting St. Paul Chamber Orchestra | |
| Best Classical Performance, Instrumental Soloist(s) (With Orchestra) | Bartók, Concertos for Piano nos. 1 and 2, Maurizio Pollini; Abbado conducting Chicago Symphony Orchestra | |
| Best Classical Performance, Instrumental Soloist(s) (Without Orchestra) | The Horowitz Concerts 1978/79, Vladimir Horowitz | |
| Best Opera Recording | Britten, Peter Grimes, Colin Davis conducting Orchestra and Chorus of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden; solos: Vickers, Harper and Summers (Philips) | |
| Best Choral Performance, Classical (Other Than Opera) | Brahms, A German Requiem, Sir Georg Solti, conductor and Margaret Hillis, choral director, Chicago Symphony Chorus and Orchestra | |
| Best Classical Vocal Soloist Performance | O Sole Mio, Luciano Pavarotti | |
| Best Comedy Recording | Reality…What a Concept, Robin Williams (Casablanca) | |
| Best Spoken Word, Documentary or Drama Recording | Ages of Man (Readings From Shakespeare), Sir John Gielgud (Caedmon) | |
| Best Recording for Children | The Muppet Movie, Jim Henson, creator (Atlantic) | |
| Best Album Package | Breakfast in America, Mike Doud and Mick Haggerty, art directors (A&M) | |
| Best Album Notes | Charlie Parker: The Complete Savoy Sessions, Bob Porter and James Patrick, annotators (Savoy) | |
| Best Historical Reissue | Billie Holiday (Giants of Jazz) (Time Life) | |
| Producer of the Year (Non-Classical) | Larry Butler | |
| Classical Producer of the Year | James Mallinson |
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