Awards / Music

1987 Grammy Award Winners

Posted by Joe Hummel IIIPosted 38 years ago February 24, 1987

1987 Grammy Award Winners

Winners Announced: February 24, 1987
Held at: Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles
Host: Billy Crystal
Eligibility Year: October 1, 1985 – September 30, 1986

Table of Contents

Trivia

Billy Crystal’s Debut: Known for his comedic brilliance, Billy Crystal hosted the Grammys, adding humor and wit to the evening.
Paul Simon’s Triumph: Paul Simon’s album Graceland won Album of the Year and was hailed for its eclectic mix of genres, including South African music.
Whitney Houston’s Arrival: Whitney Houston won her first Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for “Greatest Love of All.”
Duets and Collaborations: That’s What Friends Are For, performed by Dionne Warwick, Stevie Wonder, Elton John, and Gladys Knight, won Song of the Year.
Jazz Legends Honored: Miles Davis won Best Jazz Instrumental Performance for his album Tutu, continuing his tradition of Grammy wins.
Classical Shines: The Best Classical Album was awarded to Horowitz: The Studio Recordings, New York 1985, featuring pianist Vladimir Horowitz.
Top Newcomers: Bruce Hornsby and the Range took home the Grammy for Best New Artist.
Metal Makes Its Mark: Metallica’s Master of Puppets was released during this eligibility year and though it didn’t win, it was a milestone in bringing metal music into mainstream awareness.

1987 Grammy Winners

Record of the Year:
Higher Love – Steve Winwood

Album of the Year:
Graceland, Paul Simon (Warner Bros.)

Song of the Year:
That’s What Friends Are For – Burt Bacharach and Carole Bayer Sager, songwriters

Best New Artist:
Bruce Hornsby and the Range

Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male:
Higher Love – Steve Winwood

Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female:
The Broadway Album, Barbra Streisand

Best Pop Performance By a Duo or Group With Vocal:
That’s What Friends Are For – Dionne Warwick and Friends Featuring Elton John, Gladys Knight and Stevie Wonder

Best Pop Instrumental Performance (Orchestra, Group or Soloist):
Top Gun Anthem – Harold Faltermeyer and Steve Stevens

Best Rock Vocal Performance, Male:
Addicted to Love – Robert Palmer

Best Rock Vocal Performance, Female:
Back Where You Started – Tina Turner

Best Rock Performance By a Duo or Group With Vocal:
Missionary Man – Eurythmics

Best Rock Instrumental Performance (Orchestra, Group or Soloist):
Peter Gunn – Art of Noise featuring Duane Eddy

Best Rhythm and Blues Song:
Sweet Love – Anita Baker, Louis A. Johnson and Gary Bias, songwriters

Best Rhythm and Blues Vocal Performance, Male:
Living in America – James Brown

Best Rhythm and Blues Vocal Performance, Female:
Rapture, Anita Baker

Best Rhythm and Blues Performance By a Duo or Group With Vocal:
Kiss – Prince and the Revolution

Best Rhythm and Blues Instrumental Performance (Orchestra, Group or Soloist):
And You Know That – Yellowjackets

Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Male:
Round Midnight – Bobby McFerrin

Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Female:
Timeless, Diane Schuur

Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Duo or Group:
Free Fall, 2 + 2 Plus (Clare Fischer and His Latin Jazz Sextet)

Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Soloist:
Tutu, Miles Davis

Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Group:
J Mood, Wynton Marsalis

Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Big Band:
The Tonight Show Band With Doc Severinsen, The Tonight Show Band With Doc Severinsen

Best Jazz Fusion Performance, Vocal or Instrumental:
Double Vision, Bob James and David Sanborn

Best Country Song:
Grandpa (Tell Me ‘Bout the Good Old Days) – Jamie O’Hara, songwriter

Best Country Vocal Performance, Male:
Lost in the Fifties Tonight, Ronnie Milsap

Best Country Vocal Performance, Female:
Whoever’s in New England – Reba McEntire

Best Country Performance By a Duo or Group With Vocal:
Grandpa (Tell Me ‘Bout the Good Old Days) – Judds

Best Country Instrumental Performance (Orchestra, Group or Soloist):
Raisin’ the Dickens – Ricky Skaggs

Best Gospel Performance, Male:
Triumph, Philip Bailey

Best Gospel Performance, Female:
Morning Like This, Sandi Patti

Best Gospel Performance By a Duo or Group, Choir or Chorus:
They Say – Sandi Patti and Deniece Williams

Best Soul Gospel Performance, Male:
Going Away – Al Green

Best Soul Gospel Performance, Female:
I Surrender All – Deniece Williams

Best Soul Gospel Performance By a Duo or Group, Choir or Chorus:
Let My People Go, Winans

Best Latin Pop Performance:
Lelolai – José Feliciano

Best Tropical Latin Performance:
Escenas, Ruben Blades

Best Mexican/American Performance:
Ay Te Dejo en San Antonio, Flaco Jimenez

Best Traditional Blues Recording:
Showdown!, Albert Collins, Robert Cray and Johnny Copeland (Alligator)

Best Traditional Folk Recording:
Riding the Midnight Train, Doc Watson (Sugar Hill)

Best Contemporary Folk Recording:
Tribute to Steve Goodman, Arlo Guthrie, John Hartford, Richie Havens, Bonnie Koloc, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, John Prine and others (Red Pajamas)

Best Reggae Recording:
Babylon the Bandit, Steel Pulse (Elektra)

Best New Age Recording:
Down to the Moon, Andreas Vollenweider (FM/CBS)

Best Polka Recording (tie):
Another Polka Celebration, Eddie Blazonczyk’s Versatones (Bel Aire)
I Remember Warsaw, Jimmy Sturr and His Orchestra (Starr)

Best Arrangement on an Instrumental:
Suite Memories – Patrick Williams, arranger

Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocal(s):
Somewhere – David Foster, arranger

Best Instrumental Composition:
Out of Africa (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack), John Barry, composer

Best Musical Cast Show:
Album Follies in Concert (RCA)

Best Classical Album:
Horowitz: The Studio Recordings, New York 1985, Vladimir Horowitz (Deutsche Grammophon)

Best Contemporary Composition:
Symphony No. 3, Witold Lutoslawski, composer

Best Classical Orchestral Recording:
Liszt, A Faust Symphony, Sir Georg Solti conducting the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (London)

Best Chamber Music Performance, Instrumental or Vocal:
Beethoven, Cello and Piano Sonata No. 4 in C Major and Variations, Yo-Yo Ma and Emanuel Ax

Best Classical Performance, Instrumental Soloist(s) (With or Without Orchestra):
Horowitz, The Studio Recordings, New York 1985, Vladimir Horowitz

Best Opera Recording:
Bernstein, Candide, John Mauceri conducting New York City Opera Chorus and Orchestra; solos: Mills, Eisler, Lankston, Castle, Reeve, Harrold, Billings and Clement (New World)

Best Choral Performance (Other Than Opera):
Orff, Carmina Burana, James Levine conducting Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Chorus

Best Classical Vocal Soloist Performance:
Mozart, Kathleen Battle Sings Mozart, Kathleen Battle

Best Comedy Recording:
Those of You With or Without Children, You’ll Understand, Bill Cosby (Geffen)

Best Spoken Word or Non-Musical Recording:
Interviews From the Class of ’55 Recording Sessions, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison, Johnny Cash, Sam Phillips, Rick Nelson and Chips Moman (America Record Corp.)

Best Recording for Children:
The Alphabet, Sesame Street Muppets; Jim Henson (Golden Books)

Best Album Package:
Tutu, Eiko Ishioka, art director (Warner Bros.)

Best Album Notes:
The Voice, the Columbia Years 1943 – 1952, Gary Giddins, Wilfrid Sheed, Jonathan Schwartz, Murray Kempton, Andrew Sarris, Stephen Holden and Frank Conroy, annotators (Columbia/CBS)

Best Historical Album:
Atlantic Rhythm and Blues 1947 – 1974 vols. 1 – 7, various artists (Atlantic)

Best Music Video, Short Form (VHS):
Dire Straits Brothers in Arms – Dire Straits

Best Music Video, Short Form (Vhs) (beta) (disk):
Bring on the Night – Sting

Producers of the Year (Non-Classical):
Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis

Classical Producer of the Year:
Thomas Frost