Grammy Awards of 1959 - Definition and Overview

The 1st Grammy Awards were held in 1959. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the previous year.

Award winners:

• Record of the Year
  • Domenico Modugno for "Nel Blu Dipinto di Blu"

• Album of the Year
  • Henry Mancini for The Music from Peter Gunn

• Song of the Year
  • Domenico Modugno for "Nel Blu Dipinto di Blu"

Children's

• Best Recording for Children
  • Ross Bagdasarian Sr. for "The Chipmunk Song" performed by David Seville & the Chipmunks

Classical

• Best Classical Performance - Orchestra
  • Felix Slatkin (conductor) & the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra for Gaiete Parisienne
• Best Classical Performance - Vocal Soloist (with or without orchestra)
  • Renata Tebaldi for Operatic Recital
• Best Classical Performance, Operatic or Choral
  • Roger Wagner (choir director) & the Roger Wagner Chorale for Virtuoso
• Best Classical Performance - Instrumentalist (with concerto scale accompaniment)
  • Kiril Kondrashin (conductor), Van Cliburn & the Symphony of the Air Orchestra for Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1 in B Flat Minor, Op.23
• Best Classical Performance - Instrumentalist (other than concerto-scale accompaniment)
  • Andrés Segovia for Segovia Golden Jubilee
• Best Classical Performance - Chamber Music (including chamber orchestra)
  • Hollywood String Quartet for Beethoven: Quartet 130

Comedy

• Best Comedy Performance
  • Ross Bagdasarian Sr. for "The Chipmunk Song", performed by Ross Bagdasarian Sr. as "David Seville and the Chipmunks"

Composing and arranging

• Best Musical Composition First Recorded and Released in 1958 (over 5 minutes duration)
  • Nelson Riddle (composer) for "Cross Country Suite"
• Best Arrangement
  • Henry Mancini (arranger) for The Music from Peter Gunn

Country

• Best Country & Western Performance
  • The Kingston Trio for "Tom Dooley"

Jazz

• Best Jazz Performance, Individual
  • Ella Fitzgerald for Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Duke Ellington Song Book
• Best Jazz Performance, Group
  • Count Basie for Basie

Musical Show

• Best Original Cast Album (Broadway or TV)
  • Meredith Willson (composer) & the original cast (Robert Preston, Barbara Cook, David Burns, Eddie Hodges, Pert Kelton & Helen Raymond) for The Music Man
• Best Sound Track Album, Dramatic Picture Score or Original Cast
  • Andre Previn & the original cast for Gigi (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

Packaging and Notes

• Best Album Cover Photography
  • Frank Sinatra for Only the Lonely

Pop

• Best Vocal Performance, Female
  • Ella Fitzgerald for Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Irving Berlin Song Book
• Best Vocal Performance, Male
  • Perry Como for "Catch a Falling Star"
• Best Performance by a Vocal Group or Chorus
  • Keely Smith & Louis Prima for "That Old Black Magic"
• Best Performance by a Dance Band
  • Count Basie for Basie
• Best Performance by an Orchestra
  • Billy May for Billy May's Big Fat Brass

Production and engineering

• Best Engineered Record - Non-Classical
  • Ted Keep (engineer) for "The Chipmunk Song" performed by David Seville
• Best Engineered Record (Classical)
  • Sherwood Hall III (engineer), Laurindo Almeida & Salli Terri for Duets with a Spanish Guitar

R&B

• Best Rhythm & Blues Performance
  • The Champs for "Tequila"

Spoken

• Best Performance, Documentary or Spoken Word
  • Stan Freberg for The Best of the Stan Freberg Shows