1960 Grammy Award Winners

Posted by Joe Hummel IIIPosted 65 years ago November 29, 1959

1960 Grammy Award Winners

Winners Announced: November 29, 1959
Held in: Los Angeles and New York
Host: Meredith Wilson
Eligibility Year: January 1, 1959 – August 31, 1959

Highlights and Achievements:

Table of Contents

Bobby Darin’s Triumph: Darin’s “Mack the Knife” didn’t just win Record of the Year and Best Vocal Performance, Male; it became an iconic song that transcended the Grammy stage.
Henry Mancini’s Swag: Henry Mancini’s “Peter Gunn” was an album based on the TV show of the same name. Winning Album of the Year, it elevated Mancini to a household name in the world of music composition.
First for Bossa Nova: The Best Jazz Performance, Solo or Small Group category was claimed by “I Get a Kick Out of You” by the Coleman Hawkins Quartet. It was an early introduction of Bossa Nova elements into the American mainstream.

Trivia:

Shorter Eligibility Window: Unlike the previous year, the eligibility period for this event was truncated to just eight months, making the competition even steeper for that year’s hopefuls.
Bi-Coastal Ceremony: This was one of the years where the ceremony was held in both Los Angeles and New York, showcasing the importance of both cities in the American music scene.
Meredith Wilson as Host: Known for composing “The Music Man,” Wilson was an intriguing choice for hosting duties, especially considering he wasn’t a recording artist in the traditional sense.

Take our 1960 Quiz!

1960 Grammy Winners
Record of the Year:
Mack the Knife, Bobby Darin
Album of the Year:
Come Dance With Me, Frank Sinatra (Capitol)

Song of the Year:
The Battle of New Orleans, Jimmy Driftwood, songwriter

Best Artist of 1959:
Bobby Darin

Best Performance By a Top 40 Artist:
Midnight Flyer, Nat King Cole

Best Vocal Performance, Male:
Come Dance With Me, Frank Sinatra

Best Vocal Performance, Female:
But Not for Me, Ella Fitzgerald

Best Performance By a Chorus:
Battle Hymn of the Republic, Mormon Tabernacle Choir

Best Rhythm and Blues Performance:
What a Diff’rence a Day Makes, Dinah Washington

Best Jazz Performance, Soloist:
Ella Swings Lightly, Ella Fitzgerald

Best Jazz Performance, Group:
I Dig Chicks, Jonah Jones

Best Performance By a Dance Band:
Anatomy of a Murder, Duke Ellington

Best Country and Western Performance:
The Battle of New Orleans, Johnny Horton

Best Performance, Folk:
The Kingston Trio at Large, Kingston Trio

Best Performance By an Orchestra:
Like Young, David Rose and His Orchestra With André Previn

Best Arrangement:
Come Dance With Me, Billy May, arranger

Best Musical Composition First Recorded and Released in 1959 (More Than Five Minutes):
Anatomy of a Murder, Duke Ellington, composer

Best Broadway Show Album (tie):
Gypsy, Ethel Merman (Columbia)
Redhead, Gwen Verdon (RCA)

Best Soundtrack Album, Original Cast, Motion Picture or Television:
Porgy and Bess, André Previn and Ken Darby (Columbia)

Best Soundtrack Album, Background Score From Motion Picture or Television:
Anatomy of a Murder, Duke Ellington (Columbia)

Best Classical Performance, Orchestra:
Debussy, Images for Orchestra, Charles Munch conducting Boston Symphony Orchestra

Best Classical Performance, Chamber Music (Including Chamber Orchestra):
Beethoven, Sonata No. 21 in C, Op. 53; Waldstein Sonata No. 18 in E-Flat, Op. 31, No. 3, Artur Rubinstein, pianist

Best Classical Performance, Concerto or Instrumental Soloist (Full Orchestra):
Rachmaninoff, Piano Concerto No. 3, Van Cliburn, pianist; Kiril Kondrashin conducting Symphony of the Air

Best Classical Performance, Instrumental Soloist (Other Than Full Orchestral Accompaniment):
Beethoven, Sonata No. 21 in C, Op. 53; Waldstein Sonata No. 18 in E-Flat, Op. 31, No. 3, Artur Rubinstein, pianist

Best Classical Performance, Opera Cast or Choral:
Mozart, The Marriage of Figaro, Erich Leinsdorf conducting Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra

Best Classical Performance, Vocal Soloist (With or Without Orchestra):
Björling in Opera, Jussi Björling

Best Comedy Performance, Spoken Word:
Inside Shelley Berman, Shelley Berman

Best Comedy Performance, Musical:
The Battle of Kookamonga, Homer and Jethro

Best Performance, Documentary or Spoken Word (Other Than Comedy):
A Lincoln Portrait, Carl Sandburg

Best Recording for Children:
Peter and the Wolf, Peter Ustinov, narrating; Herbert von Karajan conducting Philharmonia Orchestra (Angel)

Best Album Cover:
Shostakovich, Symphony No. 5, Robert M. Jones, art director (RCA)