1960 Grammy Award Winners

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:

  • 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)