1971 Grammy Award Winners

1971 Grammy Award Winners

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

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)