Grammy Awards of 1959

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