Grammy Award for Best Album Notes

The Grammy AwardBest 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 recognizes albums with excellent album notes, sometimes referred to as liner notes.[1] It is presented to the album notes author or authors, not to the artists or performers on the winning work, except if the artist is also the album notes author.[2]

Grammy Award for Best Album Notes
Awarded forQuality album liner notes
CountryUnited States
Presented byNational Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences
First awarded1964
Currently held byBob Mehr – Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (20th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition) (2023)
Websitegrammy.com

Years reflect the year in which the Grammy Awards were presented, for works released in the previous year.

Winners and nominees

edit
Year Recipients(s) Work Performing artist(s) Nominees
Performers are in parentheses
Ref.
1964 Leonard Feather and Stanley Dance The Ellington Era Duke Ellington
[3]
1965 Stanton Catlin and Carleton Beals Mexico (Legacy Collection) Carlos Chávez
[4]
1966 Stan Cornyn September of My Years Frank Sinatra
[5]
1967 Stan Cornyn Sinatra at the Sands Frank Sinatra
[6]
1968 John D. Loudermilk Suburban Attitudes in Country Verse John D. Loudermilk [7]
1969 Johnny Cash At Folsom Prison Johnny Cash
[8]
1970 Johnny Cash Nashville Skyline Bob Dylan
[9]
1971 Chris Albertson The World's Greatest Blues Singer Bessie Smith
[10]
1972 Sam Samudio Sam, Hard and Heavy Sam the Sham
[11]
1973
Best Album Notes [12]
Tom T. Hall Tom T. Hall's Greatest Hits Tom T. Hall
Best Album Notes – Classical
James Lyons Vaughan Williams: Symphony No. 2 ("A London Symphony") André Previn conducting the London Symphony Orchestra
1974
Best Album Notes [13]
Dan Morgenstern God Is in the House Art Tatum
Best Album Notes – Classical
Glenn Gould Hindemith: Sonatas for Piano Complete The Villa Musica Ensemble
1975
Best Album Notes [14]
Charles R. Townsend For the Last Time Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys
Dan Morgenstern The Hawk Flies Coleman Hawkins
Best Album Notes – Classical
Rory Guy The Classic Erich Wolfgang Korngold Willy Mattes (conductor) with a solo by Ulf Hoelscher
1976
Best Album Notes [15]
Pete Hamill Blood on the Tracks Bob Dylan
Best Album Notes – Classical
Gunther Schuller Footlifters: A Century of American Marches Gunther Schuller conducting the All-Star Band
1977 Dan Morgenstern The Changing Face of Harlem: Savoy Sessions Various Artists
[16]
1978 George T. Simon Bing Crosby: A Legendary Performer Bing Crosby
[17]
1979 Michael Brooks A Bing Crosby Collection, Volumes 1 and 2 Bing Crosby
[18]
1980 Bob Porter & James Patrick Charlie Parker: The Complete Savoy Sessions
 · Savoy
Charlie Parker
[19]
1981 David McClintock Trilogy: Past Present Future
 · Reprise
Frank Sinatra
[20]
1982 Dan Morgenstern Erroll Garner: Master of the Keyboard
 · Book of the Month Records
Erroll Garner
[21]
1983 John Chilton and Richard Sudhalter Giants of Jazz: Bunny Berigan
 · Time-Life
Bunny Berigan
  • Gary GiddinsDuke Ellington 1941 (Duke Ellington & His Orchestra) (Smithsonian)
  • Thornton Hagert – An Experiment in Modern Music: Paul Whiteman at Aeolian Hall (Paul Whiteman) (Smithsonian)
  • William Ivey – The Greatest Country Music Recordings of All Time (Various Artists) (Franklin Mint Record Society)
  • William Ivey and Bob Pinson – 60 Years of Country Music (Various Artists) (RCA)
  • Robert PalmerYoung Blood (The Coasters) (Atlantic/DeLuxe)
[22]
1984 Orrin Keepnews The "Interplay" Sessions
 · Milestone
Bill Evans
[23]
1985 Gunther Schuller and Martin Williams Big Band Jazz
 · Smithsonian
Various Artists
[24]
1986 Peter Guralnick Live at the Harlem Square Club, 1963
 · RCA
Sam Cooke
  • Lenny KayeBleecker and McDougal: The Folk Scene of the 1960s (Various Artists) (Elektra)
  • Lenny KayeCrossroads: White Blues in the 1960s (Various Artists) (Elektra)
  • James R. Morris, J.R. Taylor, and Dwight Blocker Bowers – American Popular Song (Various Artists) (Smithsonian/CBS Special Products)
  • Neil Tesser – The Girl from Ipanema: The Bossa Nova Years (Stan Getz) (Verve)
[25]
1987 Gary Giddins, Wilfrid Sheed, Jonathan Schwartz, Murray Kempton, Andrew Sarris, Stephen Holden, and Frank Conroy The Voice: The Columbia Years 1943–1952
 · Columbia/CBS
Frank Sinatra
[26]
1988 Orrin Keepnews The Complete 1957 Riverside Recordings
 · Riverside
Thelonious Monk
  • Peter GuralnickThe Complete Sun Sessions (Elvis Presley) (BMG Music/RCA)
  • Nolan Porterfield – Jimmie Rodgers on Record: America's Blue Yodeler (Jimmie Rodgers) (Smithsonian)
  • Mark Tucker – Singers and Soloists of the Swing Bands (Various Artists) (Smithsonian)
  • Charles K. Wolfe – The Bristol Sessions (Various Artists) (Country Music Foundation)
[27]
1989 Anthony DeCurtis Crossroads
 · Polydor
Eric Clapton
[28]
1990 Phil Schaap Bird: The Complete Charlie Parker on Verve
 · Verve
Charlie Parker
  • Dwight Blocker Bowers – American Musical Theater: Shows, Songs and Stars (Various Artists) (Smithsonian)
  • Gene Lees – The Complete Fantasy Recordings (Bill Evans) (Fantasy)
  • Howard Wright Marshall, Amy E. Skillman, and Charles Walden – Now That's a Good Tune (Masters of Traditional Missouri Fiddling) (Grey Eagle)
  • Martin Williams, Dick Katz & Francis DavisJazz Piano 1898–1964 (Various Artists) (Smithsonian)
[29]
1991 Dan Morgenstern Brownie: The Complete Emarcy Recordings of Clifford Brown
 · EmArcy
Clifford Brown
[30]
1992 James Brown, Cliff White, Harry Weinger, Nelson George, and Alan M. Leeds Star Time
 · Polydor
James Brown
[31]
1993 Dave Marsh, Jerry Wexler, David Ritz, Thulani Davis, Ahmet Ertegun, Tom Down, and Arif Mardin Queen of Soul: The Atlantic Recordings
 · Rhino
Aretha Franklin
[32]
1994 Buck Clayton, Phil Schaap, and Joel E. Siegel The Complete Billie Holiday on Verve 1945–1959
 · Verve
Billie Holiday
[33]
1995 Dan Morgenstern and Loren Schoenberg Louis Armstrong: Portrait of the Artists as a Young Man, 1923–1934
 · Columbia/Legacy/Smithsonian
Louis Armstrong
[34]
1996 Rob Bowman The Complete Stax/Volt Soul Singles, Vol. 3: 1972–1975
 · Stax
Various Artists
[35]
1997 George Avakian, Bob Belden, Bill Kirchner, and Phil Schaap Miles Davis & Gil Evans: The Complete Columbia Studio Recordings
 · Columbia
Miles Davis and Gil Evans
[36]
1998 John Fahey, Luis Kemnitzer, Jon Pankake, Chuck Pirtle, Jeff Place, Neil V. Rosenberg, Lucy Sante, Peter Stampfel, and Eric Von Schmidt Anthology of American Folk Music
 · Smithsonian Folkways
Various Artists
[37]
1999 Bob Belden, Todd Coolman, and Michael Cuscuna Miles Davis Quintet 1965–1968
 · Columbia/Legacy
Miles Davis Quintet
[38]
2000 Bob Blumenthal The Classic Quartet: The Complete Impulse! Recordings
 · Impulse
John Coltrane
[39]
2001 Bob Blumenthal The Complete Columbia Recordings 1955–1961
 · Columbia/Legacy
Miles Davis and John Coltrane
[40]
2002 Walter Mosley ...And It's Deep Too! The Complete Warner Bros. Recordings (1968–1992)
 · Warner Archives/Rhino
Richard Pryor
[41]
Elijah Wald Arhoolie Records 40th Anniversary Collection: 1960–2000 The Journey of Chris Strachwitz
 · Arhoolie
Various Artists
2003 David Evans Screamin' and Hollerin' the Blues: The Worlds of Charley Patton
 · Revenant
Charlie Patton [42]
2004 Tom Piazza Martin Scorsese Presents the Blues: A Musical Journey
 · Hip-O
Various Artists
[43]
2005 Loren Schoenberg The Complete Columbia Recordings of Woody Herman and His Orchestra & Woodchoppers (1945–1947)
 · Mosaic
Woody Herman and His Orchestra
[44]
2006 Alan Lomax and John Szwed The Complete Library of Congress Recordings
 · Rounder
Jelly Roll Morton
[45]
2007 Dan Morgenstern If You Got To Ask, You Ain't Got It!
 · Bluebird/Legacy
Fats Waller
[46]
2008 Bruce Nemerov John Work III: Recording Black Culture
 · Spring Fed
Various Artists
[47]
2009 Francis Davis Kind of Blue: 50th Anniversary Collector's Edition
 · Columbia/Legacy
Miles Davis
[48]
2010 Dan Morgenstern The Complete Louis Armstrong Decca Sessions (1935–1946)
 · Mosaic
Louis Armstrong
[49]
2011 Robert Gordon Keep an Eye on the Sky
 · Rhino
Big Star
[50]
2012 Adam Machado Hear Me Howling!: Blues, Ballads & Beyond as Recorded by the San Francisco Bay by Chris Strachwitz in the 1960s
 · Arhoolie
Various Artists
[51]
2013 Billy Vera Singular Genius: The Complete ABC Singles
 · Concord
Ray Charles
[52]
2014 Neil Tesser Afro Blue Impressions (Remastered and Expanded)
 · Pablo/Concord
John Coltrane
[53]
2015 Ashley Kahn Offering: Live at Temple University
 · Resonance/Impulse
John Coltrane
[54]
2016 Joni Mitchell Love Has Many Faces: A Quartet, A Ballet, Waiting To Be Danced
 · Rhino
Joni Mitchell
[55]
2017 Ken Bloom & Richard Carlin Sissle and Blake Sing Shuffle Along
 · Harbinger/Musical Theater Project
Eubie Blake & Noble Sissle
  • Mikal GilmoreThe Complete Monument & Columbia Albums Collection (Kris Kristofferson) (Legacy)
  • Ted Olson & Tony Russell – The Knoxville Sessions, 1929–1930: Knox County Stomp (Various Artists) (Bear Family)
  • Rob Sevier & Ken Shipley – Ork Records: New York, New York (Various Artists) (Numero)
  • Richard Martin – Waxing the Gospel: Mass Evangelism and the Phonograph, 1890–1900 (Various Artists) (Archeophone)
[56]
[57]
2018 Lynell George Live at the Whisky a Go Go: The Complete Recordings
 · Stax
Otis Redding
[58]
2019 David Evans Voices of Mississippi: Artists and Musicians Documented by William Ferris
 · Dust-to-Digital
Various Artists
[59]
2020 Steve Greenberg Stax '68: A Memphis Story
 · Craft Recordings/Stax/Concord
Various Artists
  • Judy Cantor-Navas – The Complete Cuba Jam Sessions (Various Artists) (Craft Recordings)
  • Robert Marovich – The Gospel According to Malaco (Various Artists) (Malaco)
  • Brendan Greaves – Pedal Steal + Four Corners (Terry Allen & the Panhandle Mystery Band) (Paradise of Bachelors)
  • Jeff PlacePete Seeger: The Smithsonian Folkways Collection (Pete Seeger) (Smithsonian Folkways)
[60]
2021 Bob Mehr Dead Man's Pop
 · Warner
The Replacements
  • Tim BrooksAt the Minstrel Show: Minstrel Routines from the Studio, 1894-1926 (Various Artists) (Archeophone)
  • Scott B. Bomar – The Bakersfield Sound: Country Music Capital of the West, 1940-1974 (Various Artists) (Bear Family)
  • Colin Hancock – The Missing Link: How Gus Haenschen Got Us from Joplin to Jazz and Shaped the Music Business (Various Artists) (Archeophone)
  • David Sager – Out of a Clear Blue Sky (Nat Brusiloff) (Rivermont)
[61]
2022 Ricky Riccardi The Complete Louis Armstrong Columbia and RCA Victor Studio Sessions, 1946-1966
 · Mosaic
Louis Armstrong
  • Ann-Katrin Zimmermann – Beethoven: The Last Three Sonatas (Sunwook Kim) (Accentus)
  • Kevin Howes – Creation Never Sleeps, Creation Never Dies: The Willie Dunn Anthology (Willie Dunn) (Light In The Attic)
  • David Giovannoni, Richard Martin & Stephan Puille – Etching The Voice: Emile Berliner and the First Commercial Gramophone Discs, 1889-1895 (Various Artists) (Archeophone)
  • Robert Marovich – The King of Gospel Music: The Life and Music of Reverend James Cleveland (Various Artists) (Malaco)
[62]
2023 Bob Mehr Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (20th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition)
 · Rhino
Wilco [63]
2024 Robert Gordon & Deanie Parker Written In Their Soul: The Stax Songwriter Demos Various Arists

References

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  2. ^ "Is The Pen Mightier Than The Mic?". GRAMMY.com. February 5, 2012. Retrieved April 28, 2017.
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  6. ^ "Grammy Awards Nominees 1967 – Grammy Award Winners 1967". www.awardsandshows.com. Retrieved April 27, 2017.
  7. ^ "Grammy Award Nominees 1968 – Grammy Award Winners 1968". www.awardsandshows.com. Retrieved April 27, 2017.
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  60. ^ 2020 Grammy Awards nominations list
  61. ^ 2021 Nominations List
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  63. ^ "2023 GRAMMY Nominations: See The Complete Nominees List". www.grammy.com. Retrieved 2022-11-17.