Simon & Garfunkels' mega-hit Bridge Over Troubled Water won a whopping 6 Grammy Awards at the 13th annual ceremony held March 16, 1971. It swept the top 3: Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Album of the Year. It also won Best Arrangement Accompanying Vocalists Larry Knechtel and Paul Simon; Best Contemporary Song; and Best Engineered Recording, Non-Classical for Roy Halee.
The soundtrack album from the movie Saturday Night Fever reached #1 on the Billboard 200 January 21, 1978 and stayed there for 24 weeks. It generated three singles from the Bee Gees and one from Yvonne Elliman. It is the second biggest-selling soundtrack of all time. It won the Grammy for Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group in 1979. It won an American Music Award for Favorite Soul/R&B album in 1979.
The album was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2004 and, in 2014, was added to the Library of Congress' National Recording Registry for being culturally significant.
The very first Grammy Awards ceremony was held May 4, 1959 in Los Angeles. Ella Fitzgerald won two Grammys: Best Jazz Performance, Individual for her recording Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Duke Ellington Songbook; and Best Vocal Performance, Female for her recording of Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Irving Berlin Songbook.
Henry Mancini won Album of the Year and Best Arrangement for The Music from Peter Gunn. The Champs won Best Rhythm and Blues for Tequila. The Music Man won Best Original Cast Album.
The Chipmunk Song (Christmas, Don't be Late) won three Grammys: Best Recording for Children, Best Comedy Performance, and Best Engineered Record - Non-Classical.
Ray Charles, one of the most gifted singers of all time, won five posthumous Grammy awards at the 47th annual ceremony February 13, 2005. He had passed away in June 2004.
He won Record of the Year and Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals for Here We Go Again with Norah Jones. He was Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album for his album Genius Loves Company. His duet with Gladys Knight won Best Gospel Performance.
Genius Loves Company won Best Engineered Album Non-Classical and Best Surround Sound Album.
Al Schmitt, an engineer for Genius Loves Company is the first person to have won both the Album of the Year and Latin Grammy for Album of the Year.
Charles' recording of America the Beautiful was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
His duo with Elton John Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word was nominated for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals.
Michael Jackson released his sixth studio album Thriller, November 30, 1982. It became Jackson's first #1 album on the Billboard Top LPs and Tapes chart, spending a record 37 weeks. It produced seven singles that reached the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100.
It won a record eight Grammys in February 1984: Album of the Year; Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male; Best Engineered Recording, Non-classical; Producer of the Year (Non-classical).
Beat It won Record of the Year. Billie Jean won Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male; and Best Rhythm & Blues Song.
Thriller is the best-selling album of all time, with 66 million copies world-wide and has been certified 33x platinum in the US. The album has been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame and into the Library of Congress' National Recording Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant recordings."
Trio, the collaboration of Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt, took home Album of the Year at the Academy of Country Music Awards April 6, 1987. The album was released March 2 of that year and peaked at #1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart and stayed there for 5 consecutive weeks.
Trio also won a Grammy for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals.
Simon and Garfunkel released Bridge Over Troubled Water, their fifth and final album January 26, 1970. The single of the same name was released just a few days prior.
The album and single won seven Grammys: Album of the Year, Best Arrangement Accompanying Vocalists, Best Engineered Recording, Contemporary Song, Record of the Year, Song of the Year. It has been certified 8 x platinum. Rolling Stone ranked the album No. 51 on the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, and the single as No. 48 on the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
The Boxer, another single from the album released in March 1969, was another success, reaching #7 on the Billboard Hot 100. Rolling Stone ranked it No. 106 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
My main man Billy Joel released his sixth studio album 52nd Street, October 12, 1978. The album generated 3 Top 40 hits: My Life, Big Shot and Honesty. It won two Grammys in 1979, Album of the Year, and Best Pop Vocal Performance Male. It has gone 7 x platinum.
I think Until The Night is one of the best love songs ever.
Natalie Cole released her Grammy-winning album Unforgettable...With Love in June 1991, a cover of her father's songs. July 27, 1991, Unforgettable, the duet engineered with her and Nat King Cole, reached #1 on the Billboard 200.
The single won four Grammys: Record of the Year, Traditional Pop Vocal Performance, Song of the Year and Arrangement Accompanying Vocals.
The album won Album of the Year and Best Engineered - Non-Classical. It has been certified 7x platinum in the U.S. as of 2009.
The 22nd Grammy Awards was held February 27, 1980
in Los Angeles and my man Billy Joel took home Grammy for Album of the Year and
Pop Male Vocalist, 52nd Street!
It must have been an awesome night. Look at some of the other winners:
John Williams: Best Original Score for a Motion Picture, Best
Instrumental Composition – Superman
Supertramp: Best Album Package. Best Engineered Recording –
Breakfast in America
Doobie Brothers: Record of the Year, Best Cast Show Album –
What a Fool Believes
Charlie Daniels Band: Best C&W Performance – Duo or Group
with Vocal – Devil Went Down to Georgia
Kenny Rogers: Best C&W Male Vocal Performance – The Gambler
Gloria Gaynor: Best Disco Recording – I Will Survive
Ella Fitzgerald: Best Jazz Vocal Performance – Fine and
Mellow
Herb Alpert: Best Pop Instrumental Performance – Rise
