19th Annual Grammy Awards

19th Annual Grammy Awards
Date	February 19, 1977
Location	Hollywood Palladium, Los Angeles, California
Hosted by	Andy Williams
Most awards	Stevie Wonder (4)
Most nominations	Stevie Wonder (7)
Television/radio coverage
Network	CBS

The 19th Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 19, 1977, and were broadcast live on American television (CBS). It was the seventh and final year Andy Williams hosted the telecast. The ceremony recognized accomplishments by musicians from the year 1976.

Helen Hayes's win made her the second person to become an EGOT.

Winners and nominees

The following are the winners and nominees of the 19th annual Grammy Awards. Winners appear first and highlighted in bold.

General field

Record of the Year

• "This Masquerade" - George Benson
  • Tommy LiPuma, producer
• "If You Leave Me Now - Chicago
  • James Guercio, producer
• "I Write the Songs" - Barry Manilow
  • Ron Dante & Barry Manilow, producers
• "Afternoon Delight" - Starland Vocal Band
  • Milton Okun, producer
• "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" - Paul Simon
  • Phil Ramone & Paul Simon, producers

Album of the Year

• Songs in the Key of Life - Stevie Wonder
  • Stevie Wonder, producer
• Silk Degrees - Boz Scaggs
  • Joe Wissert, producer
• Frampton Comes Alive! - Peter Frampton
  • Peter Frampton, producer
• Chicago X - Chicago
  • James William Guercio, producer
• Breezin' - George Benson
  • Tommy LiPuma, producer

Song of the Year

• "I Write the Songs"
  • Bruce Johnston, songwriter (Barry Manilow)
• "This Masquerade"
  • Leon Russell, songwriter (George Benson)
• "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald"
  • Gordon Lightfoot, songwriter (Gordon Lightfoot)
• "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do"
  • Howard Greenfield & Neil Sedaka, songwriters (Neil Sedaka)
• "Afternoon Delight"
  • Bill Danoff, songwriter (Starland Vocal Band)

Best New Artist

• Starland Vocal Band
• Brothers Johnson
• Boston
• Wild Cherry
• Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band

Children's

• Best Recording for Children
  • Karl Böhm (conductor) & Hermione Gingold for Prokofiev: Peter and the Wolf/Saint-Saëns: Carnival of the Animals

Classical

• Best Classical Orchestral Performance
  • Raymond Minshull (producer), Georg Solti (conductor) & the Chicago Symphony Orchestra for Strauss: Also Sprach Zarathustra
• Best Classical Vocal Soloist Performance
  • Beverly Sills for Herbert: Music of Victor Herbert
• Best Opera Recording
  • Michael Woolcock (producer), Lorin Maazel (conductor), Leona Mitchell, Willard White & the Cleveland Orchestra for Gershwin: Porgy and Bess
• Best Choral Performance (other than opera)
  • André Previn (conductor), Arthur Oldham (choirmaster) & the London Symphony Orchestra & Chorus for Rachmaninoff: The Bells
• Best Classical Performance, Instrumental Soloist or Soloists (with orchestra)
  • Daniel Barenboim (conductor), Arthur Rubinstein & the London Philharmonic Orchestra for Beethoven: The Five Piano Concertos
• Best Classical Performance, Instrumental Soloist or Soloists (without orchestra)
  • Vladimir Horowitz for Horowitz Concerts 1975/76
• Best Chamber Music Performance
  • David Munrow (conductor) & the Early Music Consort of London for The Art of Courtly Love
• Best Classical Album
  • Max Wilcox (producer), Daniel Barenboim (conductor), Arthur Rubinstein & the London Philharmonic for Beethoven: The Five Piano Concertos

Comedy

Best Comedy Recording

• Bicentennial Nigger - Richard Pryor
• You Gotta Wash Your Ass - Redd Foxx
• Sleeping Beauty - Cheech & Chong
• Goodbye Pop - National Lampoon
• Bill Cosby Is Not Himself These Days - Rat Own, Rat Own, Rat Own - Bill Cosby

Composing and arranging

• Best Instrumental Composition
  • Chuck Mangione (composer) for Bellavia
• Album of Best Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or Television Special
  • Norman Whitfield (composer) for Car Wash performed by Rose Royce
• Best Instrumental Arrangement
  • Chick Corea (arranger) for "Leprechaun's Dream"
• Best Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s)
  • James William Guercio & Jimmie Haskell (arrangers) for "If You Leave Me Now" performed by Chicago
• Best Arrangement for Voices (duo, group or chorus)
  • Starland Vocal Band (arranger) for "Afternoon Delight"

Country

• Best Country Vocal Performance, Female
  • Emmylou Harris for Elite Hotel
• Best Country Vocal Performance, Male
  • Ronnie Milsap for "(I'm a) Stand By My Woman Man"
• Best Country Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group
  • Amazing Rhythm Aces for "The End Is Not in Sight (The Cowboy Tune)"
• Best Country Instrumental Performance
  • Chet Atkins & Les Paul for Chester and Lester
• Best Country Song
  • Larry Gatlin (songwriter) for "Broken Lady"

Folk

• Best Ethnic or Traditional Recording
  • John Hartford for Mark Twang

Gospel

• Best Gospel Performance (other than soul gospel)
  • The Oak Ridge Boys for "Where the Soul Never Dies"
• Best Soul Gospel Performance
  • Mahalia Jackson for How I Got Over
• Best Inspirational Performance
  • Gary S. Paxton for The Astonishing, Outrageous, Amazing, Incredible, Unbelievable, Different World of Gary S. Paxton

Jazz

• Best Jazz Performance by a Soloist (Instrumental)
  • Count Basie for Basie & Zoot
• Best Jazz Performance by a Group
  • Chick Corea for The Leprechaun
• Best Jazz Performance by a Big Band
  • Duke Ellington for The Ellington Suites
• Best Jazz Vocal Performance
  • Ella Fitzgerald for Fitzgerald and Pass... Again

Latin

• Best Latin Recording
  • Eddie Palmieri for Unfinished Masterpiece

Musical show

• Best Cast Show Album
  • Luigi Creatore & Hugo Peretti (producers) & various artists for Bubbling Brown Sugar

Packaging and notes

• Best Album Package
  • John Berg (art director) for Chicago X performed by Chicago
• Best Album Notes
  • Dan Morgenstern (notes writer) for The Changing Face of Harlem, the Savoy Sessions performed by Various Artists

Pop

• Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female
  • Hasten Down the Wind (album) - Linda Ronstadt
• Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male
  • Songs in the Key of Life (album) - Stevie Wonder
• Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Duo, Group or Chorus
  • "If You Leave Me Now" - Chicago
• Best Pop Instrumental Performance
  • Breezin' - George Benson

Production and engineering

• Best Engineered Recording, Non-Classical
  • Breezin' - Al Schmitt (engineer)
• Best Engineered Recording, Classical
  • Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue - Edward (Bud) T. Graham, Milton Cherin, Ray Moore (engineers)
• Best Producer of the Year
  • Stevie Wonder

R&B

• Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female
  • Natalie Cole for "Sophisticated Lady (She's a Different Lady)"
• Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male
  • Stevie Wonder for "I Wish"
• Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo, Group or Chorus
  • Billy Davis Jr. & Marilyn McCoo for "You Don't Have to Be a Star (To Be in My Show)"
• Best R&B Instrumental Performance
  • George Benson for "Theme From Good King Bad"
• Best Rhythm & Blues Song
  • Boz Scaggs & David Paich (songwriters) for "Lowdown" performed by Boz Scaggs

Spoken

• Best Spoken Word Recording
  • Henry Fonda, Helen Hayes, James Earl Jones & Orson Welles for Great American Documents