The 12th Annual Grammy Awards were held on March 11, 1970. They recognized accomplishments of musicians for the year 1969.

Award winners

Record of the Year The Grammy Award for Record of the Year is presented by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without reg ...

Bones Howe Dayton Burr "Bones" Howe (born March 18, 1933) is an American record producer and recording engineer who scored a string of hits in the 1960s and 1970s, often of the sunshine pop genre, starting in 1965 with The Turtles cover of Bob Dylan's "It ...

(producer) &

The 5th Dimension The 5th Dimension is an American popular music vocal group, whose repertoire includes pop, R&B, soul, jazz, light opera, and Broadway. Formed as the Versatiles in late 1965, the group changed its name to "the 5th Dimension" by 1966. Betwe ...

for " Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In" * Album of the Year **

James William Guercio James William Guercio (born July 18, 1945) is an American music producer, musician, songwriter, and director. He is well known for his work as the producer of Chicago's early albums as well as early recordings of The Buckinghams and Blood, Sweat ...

(producer) &

Blood, Sweat & Tears Blood, Sweat & Tears (also known as "BS&T") is a jazz rock music group founded in New York City in 1967, noted for a combination of brass with rock instrumentation. In addition to original music, the group has performed popular songs by Laura N ...

for ''

'' * Song of the Year **

Joe South Joe South (born Joseph Alfred Souter; February 28, 1940 – September 5, 2012) was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. Best known for his songwriting, South won the Grammy Award for Song of the Year in 1970 for " Ga ...

for " Games People Play" *

Best New Artist The Grammy Award for Best New Artist has been awarded since 1959. Years reflect the year in which the Grammy Awards were handed out, for records released in the previous year. The award was not presented in 1967. The official guidelines are as ...

Crosby, Stills & Nash Crosby, Stills & Nash (CSN) were a folk rock supergroup made up of American singer-songwriters David Crosby and Stephen Stills and English singer-songwriter Graham Nash. When joined by Canadian singer-songwriter Neil Young as a fourth member ...

Children's

* Best Recording for Children **

Peter, Paul and Mary Peter, Paul and Mary was an American folk group formed in New York City in 1961 during the American folk music revival phenomenon. The trio consisted of tenor Peter Yarrow, baritone Paul Stookey, and contralto Mary Travers. The group's reper ...

for ''

Peter, Paul and Mommy ''Peter, Paul and Mommy'', released on Warner Bros. in 1969, is the trio Peter, Paul and Mary's first children's album. It contains hits like " Puff the Magic Dragon", among others. The album reached No. 12 on ''Billboard''s Top LPs chart. The ...

Classical

* Best Classical Performance, Orchestra ** Pierre Boulez (conductor) & the

Cleveland Orchestra The Cleveland Orchestra, based in Cleveland, is one of the five American orchestras informally referred to as the " Big Five". Founded in 1918 by the pianist and impresario Adella Prentiss Hughes, the orchestra plays most of its concerts at Se ...

for ''Boulez Conducts

Debussy (Achille) Claude Debussy (; 22 August 1862 – 25 March 1918) was a French composer. He is sometimes seen as the first Impressionist composer, although he vigorously rejected the term. He was among the most influential composers of the ...

, Vol. 2 "Images Pour Orchestre"'' * Best Vocal Soloist Performance, Classical **

Thomas Schippers Thomas Schippers (9 March 1930 – 16 December 1977) was an American conductor. He was highly regarded for his work in opera. Biography Of Dutch ancestry and son of the owner of a large appliance store, Schippers was born in Portage, Michiga ...

(conductor),

Leontyne Price Mary Violet Leontyne Price (born February 10, 1927) is an American soprano who was the first African American soprano to receive international acclaim. From 1961 she began a long association with the Metropolitan Opera, where she was the first Af ...

& the New Philharmonia for ''

Barber A barber is a person whose occupation is mainly to cut, dress, groom, style and shave men's and boys' hair or beards. A barber's place of work is known as a "barbershop" or a "barber's". Barbershops are also places of social interaction and publi ...

: Two Scenes From "Antony and Cleopatra"/Knoxville, Summer of 1915'' * Best Opera Recording ** Otto Gerdes (producer),

Herbert von Karajan Herbert von Karajan (; born Heribert Ritter von Karajan; 5 April 1908 – 16 July 1989) was an Austrian conductor. He was principal conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic for 34 years. During the Nazi era, he debuted at the Salzburg Festival, wit ...

(conductor), Helga Dernesch, Thomas Stolze, Jess Thomas & the

Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra The Berlin Philharmonic (german: Berliner Philharmoniker, links=no, italic=no) is a German orchestra based in Berlin. It is one of the most popular, acclaimed and well-respected orchestras in the world. History The Berlin Philharmonic was f ...

for ''

Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, polemicist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most op ...

: Siegfried'' * Best Choral Performance, Classical (other than opera) **

Luciano Berio Luciano Berio (24 October 1925 – 27 May 2003) was an Italian composer noted for his experimental work (in particular his 1968 composition ''Sinfonia'' and his series of virtuosic solo pieces titled '' Sequenza''), and for his pioneering work ...

(conductor), Ward Swingle (choir director), the Swingle Singers & the

New York Philharmonic The New York Philharmonic, officially the Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York, Inc., globally known as New York Philharmonic Orchestra (NYPO) or New York Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra, is a symphony orchestra based in New York City. It is ...

for ''Berio:

Sinfonia Sinfonia (; plural ''sinfonie'') is the Italian word for symphony, from the Latin ''symphonia'', in turn derived from Ancient Greek συμφωνία ''symphōnia'' (agreement or concord of sound), from the prefix σύν (together) and ϕωνή (sou ...

'' * Best Classical Performance - Instrumental Soloist or Soloists (with or without orchestra) **

Wendy Carlos Wendy Carlos (born Walter Carlos, November 14, 1939) is an American musician and composer best known for her electronic music and film scores. Born and raised in Rhode Island, Carlos studied physics and music at Brown University before moving ...

for ''

Switched-On Bach ''Switched-On Bach'' is the debut album by American composer Wendy Carlos, originally released under her birth name Walter Carlos in October 1968 by Columbia Records. Produced by Carlos and Rachel Elkind, the album is a collection of pieces by Jo ...

'' * Best Chamber Music Performance ** The Chicago Brass Ensemble, Cleveland Brass Ensemble &

Philadelphia Brass Ensemble Mason Jones (16 June 1919, Hamilton, New York – 18 February 2009, Wynnewood, Pennsylvania) was an American horn player and music educator who had a lengthy association with the Philadelphia Orchestra as principal hornist under conductor Eugene ...

for '' Gabrieli: Antiphonal Music of Gabrieli'' * Album of the Year, Classical ** Rachel Elkind (producer) & Wendy Carlos for ''Switched-On Bach''

Comedy

Best Comedy Recording The Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album is presented by the The Recording Academy, National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement in comedy." The award was awarded yearly from 1959 to 1993 and t ...

Bill Cosby William Henry Cosby Jr. ( ; born July 12, 1937) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and media personality. He made significant contributions to American and African-American culture, and is well known in the United States for his eccentric ...

for ''Bill Cosby'', aka ''

Sports Sport pertains to any form of competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to spectators. Sports can, ...

''.

Composing and arranging

* Best Instrumental Theme ** John Barry (composer) for ''Midnight Cowboy'' * Best Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or a Television Special ** Burt Bacharach (composer) for ''Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid'' * Best Instrumental Arrangement **

Henry Mancini Henry Mancini ( ; born Enrico Nicola Mancini, ; April 16, 1924 – June 14, 1994) was an American composer, conductor, arranger, pianist and flautist. Often cited as one of the greatest composers in the history of film, he won four Academy Award ...

(arranger) for "

Love Theme from Romeo and Juliet "Love Theme from ''Romeo and Juliet''", also known as "A Time for Us", is an instrumental arranged by Henry Mancini (from Nino Rota's music written for Franco Zeffirelli's film of ''Romeo and Juliet'', starring Leonard Whiting and Olivia Hussey) ...

" * Best Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s) ** Fred Lipsius (arranger) for "

Spinning Wheel A spinning wheel is a device for spinning thread or yarn from fibres. It was fundamental to the cotton textile industry prior to the Industrial Revolution. It laid the foundations for later machinery such as the spinning jenny and spinning f ...

" performed by

Country

* Best Country Vocal Performance, Female **

Tammy Wynette Tammy Wynette (born Virginia Wynette Pugh; May 5, 1942 – April 6, 1998) was an American country music artist, as well as an actress and author. She is considered among the genre's most influential and successful artists. Along with Loretta Ly ...

for ''Stand By Your Man'' * Best Country Vocal Performance, Male ** Johnny Cash for ''

A Boy Named Sue "A Boy Named Sue" is a song written by humorist, children's author, and poet Shel Silverstein and made popular by Johnny Cash. Cash recorded the song live in concert on February 24, 1969, at California's San Quentin State Prison for his ''At ...

'' * Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group **

Waylon Jennings Waylon Jennings (June 15, 1937 – February 13, 2002) was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. He pioneered the Outlaw Movement in country music. Jennings started playing guitar at the age of eight and performed at age f ...

& the Kimberlys for ''

MacArthur Park MacArthur Park (originally Westlake Park) is a park dating back to the late 19th century in the Westlake neighborhood of Los Angeles. In the early 1940s, it was renamed after General Douglas MacArthur, and later designated City of Los Angeles H ...

'' * Best Country Instrumental Performance **The Nashville Brass & Danny Davis for ''The Nashville Brass Featuring Danny Davis Play More Nashville Sounds'' *

Best Country Song The Grammy Award for Best Country Song (sometimes known as the Country Songwriter's Award) has been awarded since 1965. The award is given to the songwriter(s) of the song, not to the artist, except if the artist is also the songwriter. There ha ...

Shel Silverstein Sheldon Allan Silverstein (; September 25, 1930 – May 10, 1999) was an American writer, poet, cartoonist, singer / songwriter, musician, and playwright. Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, Silverstein briefly attended university before ...

(songwriter) for ''A Boy Named Sue'' performed by Johnny Cash

Folk

* Best Folk Performance ** Joni Mitchell for '' Clouds''

Gospel

* Best Gospel Performance **

Porter Wagoner Porter Wayne Wagoner (August 12, 1927 – October 28, 2007) was an American country music singer known for his flashy Nudie and Manuel suits and blond pompadour. In 1967, he introduced singer Dolly Parton on his television show, ''The Po ...

& the Blackwood Brothers for ''In Gospel Country'' * Best Soul Gospel Performance **

Edwin Hawkins Edwin Reuben Hawkins (August 19, 1943 – January 15, 2018) was an American gospel musician, pianist, choir master, composer, and arranger. He was one of the originators of the urban contemporary gospel sound. He (as leader of the Edwin Hawkins ...

for ''Oh Happy Day'' performed by the Edwin Hawkins Singers * Best Sacred Performance (Non-Classical) **

Jake Hess Jake Hess (December 24, 1927 – January 4, 2004) was an American Grammy Award-winning southern gospel singer.McNeil, W.K., Ed. (2010). ''Encyclopedia of American Gospel Music''. Routledge. . Pp. 201-202. Life The son of "a sharecropper who was ...

for ''Ain't That Beautiful Singing''

Jazz

* Best Instrumental Jazz Performance, Small Group or Soloist With Small Group **

Wes Montgomery John Leslie "Wes" Montgomery (March 6, 1923 – June 15, 1968) was an American jazz guitarist. Montgomery was known for an unusual technique of plucking the strings with the side of his thumb and his extensive use of octaves, which gave him a dist ...

for ''Willow Weep for Me'' * Best Instrumental Jazz Performance, Large Group or Soloist With Large Group **

Quincy Jones Quincy Delight Jones Jr. (born March 14, 1933) is an American record producer, musician, songwriter, composer, arranger, and film and television producer. His career spans 70 years in the entertainment industry with a record of 80 Grammy Award n ...

for ''Walking in Space''

Musical show

* Best Score From an Original Cast Show Album ** Burt Bacharach,

Hal David Harold Lane David (May 25, 1921 – September 1, 2012) was an American lyricist. He grew up in New York City. He was best known for his collaborations with composer Burt Bacharach and his association with Dionne Warwick. Early life David ...

(composers),

Henry Jerome Henry Jerome (November 12, 1917 – March 23, 2011) was an American big band leader, trumpeter, arranger, composer, and record company executive. Jerome formed his first dance band in 1932 in Norwich, Connecticut. His bands flourished throughou ...

, Phil Ramone (producers) & the original cast (

Jerry Orbach Jerome Bernard Orbach (October 20, 1935 – December 28, 2004) was an American actor and singer, described at the time of his death as "one of the last'' bona fide'' leading men of the Broadway musical and global celebrity on television" and a " ...

, Jill O'Hara, Edward Winter, Donna McKecknie, A .L. Hines, Marian Mercer & Paul Reed) for ''Promises, Promises''

Packaging and notes

* Best Album Cover ** David Stahlberg & Evelyn J. Kelbish (graphic artists) for ''America the Beautiful'' performed by

Gary McFarland Gary Robert McFarland (October 23, 1933 – November 3, 1971) was an American composer, arranger, vibraphonist and vocalist. He recorded for the jazz imprints Verve and Impulse! Records during the 1960s. '' Down Beat magazine'' said he made "on ...

Best Album Notes The Grammy Award – Best Album Notes has been presented since 1964. From 1973 to 1976 (the 15th through 18th Awards), a second award was presented for Best Album Notes – Classical. Those awards are listed under those years below. The award recog ...

** Johnny Cash (notes writer) for ''Nashville Skyline'' performed by

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

Pop

* Best Contemporary Vocal Performance, Female ** Peggy Lee for " Is That All There Is?" * Best Contemporary Vocal Performance, Male **

Harry Nilsson Harry Edward Nilsson III (June 15, 1941 – January 15, 1994), sometimes credited as Nilsson, was an American singer-songwriter who reached the peak of his commercial success in the early 1970s. His work is characterized by pioneering vocal ov ...

for " Everybody's Talkin'" * Best Contemporary Vocal Performance by a Group **

for " Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In" * Best Contemporary Performance by a Chorus **

Percy Faith Percy Faith (April 7, 1908 – February 9, 1976) was a Canadian-American bandleader, orchestrator, composer and conductor, known for his lush arrangements of pop and Christmas standards. He is often credited with popularizing the "easy listeni ...

for "Love Theme From "Romeo and Juliet" performed by the Percy Faith Orchestra & Chorus * Best Contemporary Instrumental Performance **

for "Variations on a Theme by Eric Satie" * Best Contemporary Song **

for " Games People Play"

Production and engineering

* Best Engineered Recording, Non-Classical ** Geoff E. Emerick & Phil McDonald (engineers) for ''Abbey Road'' performed by

The Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developmen ...

* Best Engineered Recording, Classical **

(engineer & artist) for ''

R&B

* Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female ** Aretha Franklin for " Share Your Love With Me" *

Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male The Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance was awarded between 1968 and 2011. The award has had several minor name changes: *In 1968 it was awarded as Best R&B Solo Vocal Performance, Male *From 1969 to 1994 it was awarded as Best R&B V ...

** Joe Simon for " The Chokin' Kind" * Best Rhythm & Blues Performance by a Duo or Group, Vocal or Instrumental **

Isley Brothers Isley is an English surname. The name can also be used as an anglicized variant for the German surnames Eisele and Eisler. Notable people with the surname include: *The Isley Brothers, American musical group **Ernie Isley (born 1952), American mus ...

for "

It's Your Thing "It's Your Thing" is a funk single by The Isley Brothers. Released in 1969, the anthem was an artistic response to Motown chief Berry Gordy's demanding hold on his artists after the Isleys left the label in late 1968. The lyrics of the chorus, ...

" *

Best R&B Instrumental Performance The Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by ma ...

King Curtis Curtis Ousley (born Curtis Montgomery; February 7, 1934 – August 13, 1971), known professionally as King Curtis, was an American saxophonist who played rhythm and blues, jazz, and rock and roll. A bandleader, band member, and session musician ...

for " Games People Play" * Best Rhythm & Blues Song ** Richard Spencer (songwriter) for "

Color Him Father "Color Him Father" is a song written by Richard Lewis Spencer and recorded by American rhythm and blues group The Winstons. It was released in 1969 as their debut single for Metromedia. The song was a number seven hit on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 ...

" performed by

The Winstons The Winstons were an American funk and soul music group based in Washington, D.C. They are known for their 1969 recording featuring a song entitled " Color Him Father" on the A-side, and "Amen, Brother" on the B-side. Halfway into "Amen, Brother ...

Spoken

* Best Spoken Word Recording ** Art Linkletter & Diane Linkletter for ''We Love You Call Collect''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grammy Awards 012 012 1970 in California 1970 in Illinois 1970 in Tennessee 1970 music awards 20th century in Chicago 1970 in Los Angeles 20th century in Nashville, Tennessee 1970 in New York City 1970s in Manhattan 1970 in American music March 1970 events in the United States