1971 Grammy Award Winners

Winners Announced: March 16, 1971
Held at: Hollywood Palladium, Los Angeles, California
Host: Andy Williams
Eligibility Year: November 2, 1969 – October 15, 1970

Award Highlights and Musical Milestones

Bridge Over Troubled Water Triumphs: The iconic duo Simon & Garfunkel walked away with six Grammys for their album Bridge Over Troubled Water, including Album of the Year.
Country Breaks Through: Ray Stevens won Song of the Year for his heartwarming tune Everything Is Beautiful, showcasing the growing influence of country music in mainstream culture.
A Cappella Magic: The Manhattan Transfer earned their first Grammy Award in the Best New Artist category, making waves with their unique a cappella stylings.

Trivia and Little-Known Facts

Andy Williams, the Charming Host: Andy Williams, also known for his holiday specials, was the evening’s host, adding a touch of nostalgic elegance.
Dynamic Duos: Simon & Garfunkel’s Album of the Year win was unusual for a duo, a trend that would become more frequent in the years to come.
Eligibility Tweaks: Notice that the eligibility year cut-off changed, ending on October 15th instead of November. It would continue to shift in subsequent years.
Take our 1971 Quiz!

1971 Grammy Winners

Record of the Year:
Bridge Over Troubled Water – Simon and Garfunkel

Album of the Year:
Bridge Over Troubled Water, Simon and Garfunkel (Columbia)

Song of the Year:
Bridge Over Troubled Water – Paul Simon, songwriter

Best New Artist of the Year:
Carpenters

Best Contemporary Song:
Bridge Over Troubled Water – Paul Simon, songwriter

Best Contemporary Vocal Performance, Male:
Everything Is Beautiful – Ray Stevens

Best Contemporary Vocal Performance, Female:
I’ll Never Fall in Love Again, Dionne Warwick

Best Contemporary Vocal Performance By a Group:
Close to You – Carpenters

Best Contemporary Instrumental Performance:
Theme From Z and Other Film Music, Henry Mancini

Best Rhythm and Blues Song:
Patches – Ronald Dunbar and General Johnson, songwriters

Best Rhythm and Blues Vocal Performance, Male:
The Thrill Is Gone – B.B. King

Best Rhythm and Blues Vocal Performance, Female:
Don’t Play That Song – Aretha Franklin

Best Rhythm and Blues Vocal Performance By a Duo or Group:
Didn’t I (Blow Your Mind This Time) – Delfonics

Best Jazz Performance, Small Group or Soloist With Small Group:
Alone, Bill Evans

Best Jazz Performance, Large Group or Soloist With Large Group:
Bitches Brew, Miles Davis

Best Country Song:
My Woman, My Woman, My Wife – Marty Robbins, songwriter

Best Country Vocal Performance, Male:
For the Good Times – Ray Price

Best Country Vocal Performance, Female:
Rose Garden – Lynn Anderson

Best Country Performance By a Duo or Group:
If I Were a Carpenter – Johnny Cash and June Carter

Best Country Instrumental Performance:
Me and Jerry, Chet Atkins and Jerry Reed

Best Gospel Performance (Other Than Soul Gospel):
Talk About the Good Times – Oak Ridge Boys

Best Soul Gospel Performance:
Every Man Wants to Be Free – Edwin Hawkins Singers

Best Sacred Performance:
Everything Is Beautiful – Jake Hess

Best Ethnic or Traditional Recording:
Good Feelin’ – T-Bone Walker (Polydor)

Best Instrumental Arrangement:
Theme From Z – Henry Mancini, arranger

Best Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s):
Bridge Over Troubled Water – Paul Simon, Arthur Garfunkel, Jimmie Haskell, Ernie Freeman and Larry Knechtel, arrangers

Best Instrumental Composition:
Airport Love Theme – Alfred Newman, composer

Best Score From an Original Cast Show Album:
Company, Stephen Sondheim, composer (Columbia)

Best Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or Television Special:
Let It Be, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, composers

Album of the Year, Classical:
Berlioz, Les Troyens, Colin Davis conducting Royal Opera House Orchestra and Chorus; solos: Vickers, Veasey and Lindholm (Philips)

Best Classical Performance, Orchestra:
Stravinsky, Le Sacre du Printemps, Pierre Boulez conducting Cleveland Orchestra

Best Chamber Music Performance:
Beethoven, The Complete Piano Trios, Eugene Istomin, Isaac Stern and Leonard Rose

Best Classical Performance, Instrumental Soloist(s) (With or Without Orchestra):
Brahms, Double Concerto (Concerto in A Minor for Violin and Cello), David Oistrakh and Mstislav Rostropovich

Best Choral Performance (Other Than Opera):
New Music of Charles Ives, Gregg Smith conducting Gregg Smith Singers and Columbia Chamber Ensemble

Best Opera Recording:
Berlioz, Les Troyens, Colin Davis conducting Royal Opera House Orchestra and Chorus; solos: Vickers, Veasey and Lindholm (Philips)

Best Vocal Soloist Performance, Classical:
Schubert, Lieder, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau

Best Comedy Recording:
The Devil Made Me Buy This Dress, Flip Wilson (Little David)

Best Spoken Word Recording:
Why I Oppose the War in Vietnam, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (Black Forum)

Best Recording for Children:
Sesame Street, Sesame Street cast (Columbia)

Best Album Cover:
Indianola Mississippi Seeds, Robert Lockart, cover design; Ivan Nagy, photography (ABC)

Best Album Notes:
The World’s Greatest Blues Singer, Chris Albertson, annotator (Columbia)