1973 Grammy Award Winners

Winners Announced: March 3, 1973
Held at: Tennessee Theater, Nashville, Tennessee
Host: Andy Williams
Eligibility Year: October 16, 1971 – October 15, 1972

Musical Highlights and Achievements

Sweep by “The Concert for Bangladesh”: The album, organized by George Harrison and Ravi Shankar, won Album of the Year and demonstrated the power of music to enact social change.
Robert Flack’s “First Time Ever I Saw Your Face”: This song won both Record of the Year and Song of the Year, catapulting Roberta Flack to stardom.
Prestigious Newcomer: America won Best New Artist

Engaging Trivia

Country Takeover: With the Grammys being held in Nashville for the first time, there was a noticeable focus on country music, including Charley Pride winning Best Country Vocal Performance.
Repeat Host: Andy Williams hosted the Grammys for several years, but the 1973 event was notable for its location change to Nashville, placing Williams in the heart of country music.
Youth Power: Michael Jackson got his first Grammy nomination at 14 for Best Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or a Television Special.
Try our 1973 Quiz!

1973 Grammy Winners

Record of the Year:
The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face – Roberta Flack

Album of the Year:
The Concert for Bangla Desh, George Harrison, Ravi Shanker, Bob Dylan, Leon Russell, Ringo Starr, Billy Preston, Eric Clapton and Klaus Voormann (Apple)

Song of the Year:
The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face – Ewan MacColl, songwriter

Best New Artist of the Year:
America

Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male:
Without You – Nilsson

Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female:
I Am Woman – Helen Reddy

Best Pop Vocal Performance By a Duo, Group or Chorus:
Where Is the Love – Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway

Best Pop Instrumental Performance By an Instrumental Performer:
Outa-Space – Billy Preston

Best Pop Instrumental Performance With Vocal:
Coloring Black Moses, Isaac Hayes

Best Rhythm and Blues Song:
Papa Was a Rolling Stone – Barrett Strong and Norman Whitfield, songwriters

Best Rhythm and Blues Vocal Performance, Male:
Me and Mrs. Jones – Billy Paul

Best Rhythm and Blues Vocal Performance, Female:
Young, Gifted and Black, Aretha Franklin

Best Rhythm and Blues Vocal Performance By a Duo, Group, or Chorus:
Papa Was a Rolling Stone – Temptations

Best Jazz Performance By a Soloist:
Alone at Last – Gary Burton

Best Jazz Performance By a Group:
First Light – Freddie Hubbard

Best Jazz Performance By a Big Band:
Toga Brava Suite – Duke Ellington

Best Country Vocal Performance, Female:
Happiest Girl in the Whole USA – Donna Fargo

Best Country Vocal Performance, Male:
Charley Pride Sings Heart Songs, Charley Pride

Best Country Vocal Performance By a Duo or Group:
Class of ’57 – Statler Brothers

Best Country Instrumental Performance:
Charlie McCoy/The Real McCoy, Charlie McCoy

Best Country Song:
Kiss an Angel Good Mornin’ – Ben Peters, songwriter

Best Gospel Performance:
L-O-V-E, Blackwood Brothers

Best Soul Gospel Performance:
Amazing Grace – Aretha Franklin

Best Inspirational Performance:
He Touched Me, Elvis Presley

Best Ethnic or Traditional Recording:
The London Muddy Waters Session, Muddy Waters (Chess)

Best Instrumental Arrangement:
Theme From The French Connection – Don Ellis, arranger

Best Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist:
What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life – Michel Legrand, arranger

Best Instrumental Composition:
Brian’s Song – Michel Legrand, composer

Best Score From an Original Cast Show Album:
Don’t Bother Me, I Can’t Cope, Micki Grant, composer (Polydor)

Best Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or a Television Special:
The Godfather, Nino Rota, composer

Album of the Year, Classical:
Mahler, Symphony No. 8 in E-Flat Major (Symphony of a Thousand), Sir Georg Solti conducting Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Vienna Boys Choir, Vienna State Opera Chorus, Vienna Singverein Chorus and Soloists (London)

Best Classical Performance, Orchestra:
Mahler, Symphony No. 7 in E Minor, Sir Georg Solti conducting Chicago Symphony Orchestra

Best Chamber Music Performance:
Julian and John, Julian Bream and John Williams

Best Instrumental Soloist Performance, Classical:
(With Orchestra) Brahms, Concerto No. 2, Artur Rubinstein

Best Instrumental Soloist Performance, Classical (Without Orchestra):
Horowitz Plays Chopin, Vladimir Horowitz

Best Opera Recording:
Berlioz, Benvenuto Cellini, Colin Davis conducting BBC Symphony and Chorus of Covent Garden (Philips)

Best Choral Performance, Classical:
Mahler, Symphony No. 8 in E-Flat Major (Symphony of a Thousand), Sir Georg Solti conducting Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Vienna Boys Choir, Vienna State Opera Chorus, Vienna Singverein Chorus and Soloists

Best Vocal Soloist Performance, Classical:
Brahms, Die Schöne Magelone, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau

Best Comedy Recording:
FM and AM, George Carlin (Little David)

Best Spoken Word Recording:
Lenny, Original Cast (Blue Thumb)

Best Recording for Children:
The Electric Company, Lee Chamberlin, Bill Cosby and Rita Moreno (Warner Bros.)

Best Album Cover:
The Siegel Schwall Band, Acy Lehman, art director; Harvey Dinnerstein, artist (Wooden Nickel)

Best Album Notes:
Tom T. Hall’s Greatest Hits, Tom T. Hall, annotator (Mercury)

Best Album Notes, Classical:
Williams, Symphony No. 2, James Lyons, annotator (RCA)