1978 Grammy Award Winners

Winners Announced: February 23, 1978
Held at: Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles, California
Host: John Denver
Eligibility Year: October 1, 1976 – September 30, 1977

Trivia and Fascinating Facts

Changing of the Guard: This year marked a shift in hosting duties, as John Denver took over from Andy Williams, who had been hosting the Grammys for several years prior.
Stevie Wonder’s Run: Stevie Wonder won Album of the Year for Songs in the Key of Life, his third Album of the Year win in four years.
Rise of the Eagles: The Eagles’ hit “Hotel California” snagged Record of the Year, solidifying the band’s place in rock history.
Debby Boone Shines: Newcomer Debby Boone won Song of the Year for “You Light Up My Life,” a ballad that became an instant classic.
Genre Milestone: Dolly Parton’s Here You Come Again won Best Country Vocal Performance, Female, a recognition that further amplified her crossover success.
Classical Crossover: Luciano Pavarotti received his first Grammy, winning Best Classical Vocal Soloist Performance for O Sole Mio – Favorite Neapolitan Songs.
Posthumous Recognition: Composer Benjamin Britten was awarded a posthumous Grammy for Best Classical Orchestral Recording, for his Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra performed by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

1978 Grammy Winners

Record of the Year:
Hotel California – Eagles

Album of the Year:
Rumours, Fleetwood Mac (Warner Bros.)

Song of the Year (tie):
Love Theme From A Star Is Born (Evergreen), Barbra Streisand and Paul Williams, songwriters
You Light Up My Life – Joe Brooks, songwriter

Best New Artist of the Year:
Debby Boone

Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male:
Handy Man – James Taylor

Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female:
Love Theme From A Star Is Born (Evergreen), Barbra Streisand

Best Pop Vocal Performance By a Duo, Group or Chorus:
How Deep Is Your Love – Bee Gees

Best Pop Instrumental Performance:
Star Wars, John Williams conducting London Symphony Orchestra

Best Rhythm and Blues Song:
You Make Me Feel Like Dancing – Leo Sayer and Vini Poncia, songwriters

Best Rhythm and Blues Vocal Performance, Male:
Unmistakably Lou, Lou Rawls

Best Rhythm and Blues Vocal Performance, Female:
Don’t Leave Me This Way – Thelma Houston

Best Rhythm and Blues Vocal Performance By a Duo, Group or Chorus:
Best of My Love – Emotions

Best Rhythm and Blues Instrumental Performance:
Q – Brothers Johnson

Best Jazz Vocal Performance:
Look to the Rainbow, Al Jarreau

Best Jazz Performance By a Soloist:
The Giants, Oscar Peterson

Best Jazz Performance By a Group:
The Phil Woods Six Live From the Showboat, Phil Woods

Best Jazz Performance By a Big Band:
Prime Time, Count Basie and His Orchestra

Best Country Song:
Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes Blue – Richard Leigh, songwriter

Best Country Vocal Performance, Male:
Lucille – Kenny Rogers

Best Country Vocal Performance, Female:
Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes Blue – Crystal Gayle

Best Country Vocal Performance By a Duo or Group:
Heaven’s Just a Sin Away – The Kendalls

Best Country Instrumental Performance:
Country Instrumentalist of the Year, Hargus Pig Robbins

Best Gospel Performance, Contemporary or Inspirational:
Sail On, Imperials

Best Gospel Performance, Traditional:
Just a Little Talk With Jesus – Oak Ridge Boys

Best Soul Gospel Performance, Contemporary:
Wonderful, Edwin Hawkins and the Edwin Hawkins Singers

Best Soul Gospel Performance, Traditional:
James Cleveland Live at Carnegie Hall, James Cleveland

Best Latin Recording:
Dawn, Mongo Santamaria (Vaya)

Best Inspirational Performance:
Home Where I Belong, B.J. Thomas

Best Ethnic or Traditional Recording:
Hard Again, Muddy Waters (Blue Sky/CBS)

Best Instrumental Arrangement:
Nadia’s Theme (The Young and the Restless), Harry Betts, Perry Botkin, Jr. and Barry De Vorzon, arrangers

Best Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s):
Love Theme From A Star Is Born (Evergreen), lan Freebairn-Smith, arranger

Best Arrangement for Voices:
New Kid in Town – Eagles, arrangers

Best Instrumental Composition:
Main Title From Star Wars – John Williams, composer

Best Cast Show Album:
Annie, Charles Strouse and Martin Charnin, composers (Columbia)

Best Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or Television Special:
Star Wars, John Williams, composer (20th Century)

Album of the Year, Classical:
Concert of the Century, Leonard Bernstein, Vladimir Horowitz, Isaac Stern, Mstislav Rostropovich, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Yehudi Menuhin and Lyndon Woodside (Columbia)

Best Classical Orchestral Performance:
Mahler, Symphony No. 9, Carlo Maria Giulini conducting Chicago Symphony Orchestra

Best Chamber Music Performance:
Schoenberg, Quartets for Strings, Juilliard Quartet

Best Classical Performance, Instrumental Soloist(s) (With Orchestra):
Vivaldi, The Four Seasons, Itzhak Perlman, violin; Itzhak Perlman conducting London Philharmonic Orchestra

Best Classical Performance Instrumental Soloist(s) (Without Orchestra):
Beethoven, Sonata for Piano No. 18; Schumann, Fantasiestücke, Artur Rubinstein, piano

Best Opera Recording:
Gershwin, Porgy and Bess, John De Main conducting Sherwin M. Goldman Houston Grand Opera Production; solos: Albert, Dale, Smith, Shakesnider, Lane, Brice and Smalls (RCA)

Best Choral Performance, Classical (Other Than Opera):
Verdi, Requiem, Sir Georg Solti conducting Chicago Symphony Orchestra; Margaret Hillis, choral director of the Chicago Symphony Chorus

Best Classical Vocal Soloist Performance:
Bach, Arias, Janet Baker; Neville Marriner conducting Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields

Best Comedy Recording:
Let’s Get Small, Steve Martin (Warner Bros.)

Best Spoken Word Recording:
The Belle of Amherst, Julie Harris (Credo)

Best Recording for Children:
Aren’t You Glad You’re You, Sesame Street cast and Muppets (Sesame Street)

Best Album Package:
Simple Dreams, Kosh, art director (Asylum)

Best Album Notes:
Bing Crosby: A Legendary Performer, George T. Simon, annotator (RCA)

Best Producer of the Year:
Peter Asher