Awards / Music

1986 Grammy Award Winners

Posted by Joe Hummel IIIPosted 38 years ago February 25, 1986

1986 Grammy Award Winners

Winners Announced: February 25, 1986
Held at: Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles
Host: Kenny Rogers
Eligibility Year: October 1, 1984 – September 30, 1985

Trivia

We Are the World Spotlight: The charity single We Are the World became the evening’s star, winning Song of the Year, Record of the Year, and Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals.
Michael Jackson’s Thrilling Night: The King of Pop, Michael Jackson, received Best Male Pop Vocal Performance accolades for his contribution to We Are the World.
Country Milestones: Young Dwight Yoakam caught the limelight, getting nominated for Best Country & Western Vocal Performance for his album Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc.
Clapton’s Musical Magic: Eric Clapton won Best Rock Instrumental Performance for the track Escape, a part of the Lethal Weapon movie soundtrack.
Sade’s Smooth Arrival: British-Nigerian band Sade, led by Sade Adu, notched the Best New Artist win.
Jazz Ingenuity: New York Scene by Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers secured the Best Jazz Instrumental Performance Group.
Genre Diversity: The awards recognized a wide array of genres, from Classical and Comedy to R&B and Latin, emphasizing the diversity of the music industry at the time.
Host Charisma: Kenny Rogers, with his smooth, seasoned voice and engaging persona, added a unique charm as the ceremony host.

1986 Grammy Winners

Record of the Year:
We Are the World – USA for Africa

Album of the Year:
No Jacket Required, Phil Collins (Atlantic)

Song of the Year:
We Are the World – Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, songwriters

Best New Artist:
Sade

Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male:
No Jacket Required, Phil Collins

Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female:
Saving All My Love for You – Whitney Houston

Best Pop Performance By a Duo or Group With Vocal:
We Are the World – USA for Africa

Best Pop Instrumental Performance:
Miami Vice Theme – Jan Hammer

Best Rock Vocal Performance, Male:
The Boys of Summer – Don Henley

Best Rock Vocal Performance, Female:
One of the Living – Tina Turner

Best Rock Performance By a Duo or Group With Vocal:
Money for Nothing – Dire Straits

Best Rock Instrumental Performance:
Escape – Jeff Beck

Best Rhythm and Blues Song:
Freeway of Love – Narada Michael Walden and Jeffrey Cohen, songwriters

Best Rhythm and Blues Vocal Performance, Male:
In Square Circle, Stevie Wonder

Best Rhythm and Blues Vocal Performance, Female:
Freeway of Love – Aretha Franklin

Best Rhythm and Blues Performance By a Duo or Group With Vocal:
Nightshift – Commodores

Best Rhythm and Blues Instrumental Performance:
Musician, Ernie Watts

Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Male:
Another Night in Tunisia – Jon Hendricks and Bobby McFerrin

Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Female:
Cleo at Carnegie (The 10th Anniversary Concert), Cleo Laine

Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Duo or Group:
Vocalese, Manhattan Transfer

Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Soloist:
Black Codes From the Underground, Wynton Marsalis

Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Group:
Black Codes From the Underground, Wynton Marsalis Group

Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Big Band:
The Cotton Club?Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, John Barry and Bob Wilber

Best Jazz Fusion Performance, Vocal or Instrumental:
Straight to the Heart, David Sanborn

Best Country Song:
Highwayman – Jimmy L. Webb, songwriter

Best Country Vocal Performance, Male:
Lost in the Fifties Tonight (In the Still of the Night), Ronnie Milsap

Best Country Vocal Performance, Female:
I Don’t Know Why You Don’t Want Me – Rosanne Cash

Best Country Performance By a Duo or Group With Vocal:
Why Not Me, Judds

Best Country Instrumental Performance:
Cosmic Square Dance – Chet Atkins and Mark Knopfler

Best Gospel Performance, Male:
How Excellent Is Thy Name – Larnelle Harris

Best Gospel Performance, Female:
Unguarded, Amy Grant

Best Soul Gospel Performance, Male:
Bring Back the Days of Yea and Nay – Marvin Winans

Best Soul Gospel Performance, Female:
Martin – Shirley Caesar

Best Soul Gospel Performance By a Duo or Group:
Tomorrow, Winans

Best Latin Pop Performance:
Ec Facil Amar, Lani Hall

Best Tropical Latin Performance (tie):
Mambo Diablo, Tito Puente and His Latin Ensemble
Solito, Eddie Palmieri

Best Mexican/American Performance:
Simplemente Mujer, Vikki Carr

Best Inspirational Performance:
Come Sunday – Jennifer Holliday

Best Traditional Blues Recording:
My Guitar Sings the Blues – B.B. King (MCA)

Best Ethnic or Traditional Folk Recording:
My Toot Toot – Rockin’ Sidney (Maison De Soul)

Best Reggae Recording:
Cliff Hanger, Jimmy Cliff (Columbia/CBS)

Best Polka Recording:
70 Years of Hits, Frank Yankovic (Cleveland International/CBS)

Best Arrangement on an Instrumental:
Early a.m. Attitude – Dave Grusin and Lee Ritenour, arrangers

Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocal(s):
Lush Life – Nelson Riddle, arranger

Best Vocal Arrangement for Two or More Voices:
Another Night in Tunisia – Cheryl Bentyne and Bobby McFerrin, arrangers

Best Instrumental Composition:
Miami Vice Theme – Jan Hammer, composer

Best Cast Show Album:
West Side Story, Stephen Sondheim, lyricist; Leonard Bernstein, composer (Deutsche Grammophone)

Best Album of Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or Television Special:
Beverly Hills Cop, Sharon Robinson, Jon Gilutin, Bunny Hull, Hawk, Howard Hewett, Micki Free, Sue Sheridan, Howie Rice, Keith Forsey, Harold Faltermeyer, Allee Willis, Dan Sembello, Marc Benno and Richard Theisen, composers and songwriters (MCA)

Best Contemporary Composition:
Requiem, Andrew Lloyd Webber, composer (Angel)

Best Classical Album:
Berlioz, Requiem, Robert Shaw conducting Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chorus; solo: Aler (Telarc)

Best New Classical Artist:
Chicago Pro Musica

Best Classical Orchestral Recording:
Fauré, Pelléas et Mélisande, Robert Shaw conducting Atlanta Symphony Orchestra

Best Chamber Music Performance:
Brahms, Cello and Piano Sonatas in E Minor and F Major, Emanuel Ax and Yo-Yo Ma

Best Classical Performance, Instrumental Soloist(s) (With Orchestra):
Elgar, Cello Concerto, Op. 85; Walton, Concerto for Cello and Orchestra, Yo-Yo Ma; André Previn conducting London Symphony Orchestra

Best Classical Performance, Instrumental Soloist(s) (Without Orchestra):
Ravel, Gaspard de la Nuit, Pavane Pour Une Infant Defunte, Valses Nobles et Sentimentales, Vladimir Ashkenazy

Best Opera Recording:
Schoenberg, Moses und Aron, Sir Georg Solti conducting Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Chorus; solos: Mazura and Langridge (London)

Best Choral Performance (Other Than Opera):
Berlioz, Requiem, Robert Shaw conducting Atlanta Symphony Chorus and Orchestra

Best Classical Vocal Soloist Performance:
Berlioz, Requiem, John Aler; Robert Shaw conducting Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chorus

Best Comedy Recording:
Whoopi Goldberg (Original Broadway Show Recording), Whoopi Goldberg (Geffen)

Best Spoken Word or Non-Musical Recording:
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Original Broadway cast (Manhattan)

Best Recording for Children:
Follow That Bird (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack), Jim Henson’s Muppets and the Sesame Street cast (RCA)

Best Album Package:
Lush Life, Kosh and Ron Larson, art directors (Asylum)

Best Album Notes:
Sam Cooke Live at the Harlem Square Club, 1963, Peter Guralnick, annotator (RCA)

Best Historical Album:
RCA/MET 100 Singers-100 Years, Melba, Schumann-Heink, Caruso, Price, Verrett, Domingo and 94 others (RCA Red Seal)

Best Music Video, Short Form:
We Are the World, the Video Event – USA for Africa

Best Music Video, Long Form:
Huey Lewis and the News: The Heart of Rock ‘n Roll – Huey Lewis and the News

Producers of the Year (Non-Classical):
Phil Collins and Hugh Padgham

Classical Producer of the Year:
Robert Woods