Grammy Awards 1961

The US Grammys were awarded for the third time in 1961. At the 1961 Grammy Awards , this most important American music award went to 39 winners from 14 fields.

Main categories

Single of the year (Record of the Year):

• " Theme from“ A Summer Place ” " by Percy Faith

Album of the Year:

• The Button-Down Mind Of Bob Newhart by Bob Newhart

Song of the Year:

• "Theme From Exodus " (Author: Ernest Gold )

Best New Artist:

• Bob Newhart

pop

Best female vocal performance, single or single piece (Best Vocal Performance Single Record Or Track, Female):

• " Mack the Knife " by Ella Fitzgerald

Best Female Vocal Performance Album (Best Vocal Performance Album, Female):

• Mack the Knife - Ella In Berlin by Ella Fitzgerald

Best male vocal performance, single or one-off (Best Vocal Performance Single Record Or Track, Male):

• " Georgia on My Mind " by Ray Charles

Best Male Vocal Performance, Album (Best Vocal Performance Album, Male):

• The Genius of Ray Charles by Ray Charles

Best performance by a vocal group (2 to 6) (Best Performance By A Vocal Group - 2 To 6):

• "We Got Us" by Eydie Gormé & Steve Lawrence

Best performance of a choir (7 or more people) (Best Performance By A Chorus - 7 Or More Persons):

• Songs of the Cowboy by the Norman Luboff Choir

Best Performance by a band - Dance (Best Performance By A Band For Dancing):

• Dance with Basie by Count Basie

Best Performance by an orchestra (Best Performance By An Orchestra):

• Mr. Lucky by Henry Mancini

Best Performance by a single artist - Pop (Best Performance By A Pop Single Artist):

• "Georgia on My Mind" by Ray Charles

Rhythm & Blues

Best R&B performance (Best Rhythm & Blues Performance):

• "Let The Good Times Roll" by Ray Charles

Country

Best country and western performance (Best Country & Western Performance):

• El Paso by Marty Robbins

jazz

Best Jazz Performance - Soloist or Small Group (Best Jazz Performance Solo Or Small Group):

• West Side Story by André Previn

Best jazz performance - United Group (Best Jazz Instrumental Performance Large Group):

• Blues And The Beat by Henry Mancini

Best jazz composition with more than five minutes in duration (Best Jazz Composition Of More Than Five Minutes Duration):

• Sketches of Spain by Gil Evans & Miles Davis

Folk

Best Folk Performance (Best Performance - Folk):

• Swing Dat Hammer by Harry Belafonte

For children

Best Recording for Children (Best Recording For Children):

• Let's All Sing With The Chipmunks by David Seville and the Chipmunks

language

Best performance of a documentary or a text lecture - without comedy (Best Performance, Documentary or Spoken Word Other Than Comedy):

• FDR Speaks (Producer: Robert Bialek )

Comedy

Best comedy performance - Language (Best Comedy Performance - Spoken Word):

• The Button-Down Mind Strikes Back! by Bob Newhart

Best Comedy Performance - Music (Best Comedy Performance - Musical):

• Jonathan and Darlene Edwards in Paris by Jo Stafford & Paul Weston

Musical show

Best Show Album ( Original Cast) (Best Show Album - Original Cast):

• The Sound of Music by Mary Martin and the original line-up (Composers: Oscar Hammerstein , Richard Rodgers )

Composition / arrangement

Best Soundtrack Album or Best Sound Track Album Or Recording Of Music Score From Motion Picture Or Television:

• Exodus (composer: Ernest Gold )

Best Arrangement (Best Arrangement):

• Mr. Lucky by Henry Mancini

Packages

Best album cover (Best Album Cover):

• Latin à la Lee by Peggy Lee (Artistic Director: Marvin Schwartz)

Production and technology

Best Engineering Contribution, Popular Recording:

• Ella Fitzgerald Sings The George And Ira Gershwin Songbook by Ella Fitzgerald (Technique: Luis P. Valentin)

Best technical contribution - classical music (Best Engineering Contribution, Classical Recording):

• The Spanish Guitars Of Laurindo Almeida by Laurindo Almeida (Technique: Hugh Davies)

Best technical contribution, special recording (Best Engineering Contribution, Novelty Recording):

• The Old Payola Roll Blues by Stan Freberg (Technique: John Kraus)

Classical music

Best Classical Orchestral Performance (Best Classical Performance - Orchestra):

• Bartók: Music for string instruments, percussion and celesta by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Fritz Reiner

Best classical opera production (Best Classical Opera Production):

• Puccini: Turandot with Birgit Nilsson , Giorgio Tozzi , Jussi Björling , Renata Tebaldi and the Rome Opera Orchestra under the direction of Erich Leinsdorf

Best classical choir performance (with oratorio) (Best Classical Performance - Choral Including Oratorio):

• Handel: Messiah of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and choir under the direction of Thomas Beecham

Best classical performance - concert or solo instrument (Best Classical Performance - Instrumental Soloist Concerto Or):

• Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 2 in B flat major with Swjatoslaw Richter and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Erich Leinsdorf

Best classical performance - solo instrument or duo without orchestral accompaniment (Best Classical Performance - Instrumental Soloist Or Duo Other Than With Orchestral Accompaniment):

• The Spanish Guitars Of Laurindo Almeida by Laurindo Almeida

Best Chamber Music Performance - Vocals or Instrument (Best Classical Performance - Vocal Or Instrumental - Chamber Music):

• Conversations With The Guitar by Laurindo Almeida

Best classical solo vocal performance (Best Classical Performance - Vocal Soloist):

• A Program Of Song - Leontyne Price Recital by Leontyne Price

Best contemporary classical composition (Best Contemporary Classical Composition):

• Orchestral Suite from 'The Tender Land' by Aaron Copland