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 recognizes albums with excellent album notes, sometimes referred to as liner notes. 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.
Years reflect the year in which the Grammy Awards were presented, for works released in the previous year.
Winners and nominees 1960s Year Work Recipient(s) Performing artist(s) 1964 The Ellington Era Stanley Dance and Leonard Feather Duke Ellington The Amazing Amanda Ambrose Bob Bollard Amanda Ambrose The Badmen Benjamin A. Botkin, James L. Horan, Harold Preece and Sylvester L. Vigilante Pete Seeger and Others The Barbra Streisand Album Harold Arlen Barbra Streisand An Evening of Elizabethan Music Sidney Bock Julian Bream Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Edward Albee and Harold Clurman Original Cast 1965 Mexico (Legacy Collection) Carleton Beals and Stanton Catlin Carlos Chávez Beyond the Fringe '64 Alexander Cohen Original Cast The Definitive Piaf Rory Guy Édith Piaf Getz/Gilberto Stan Getz, João Gilberto and Gene Lees Stan Getz and João Gilberto Mahler: Symphony No. 5 in a C Sharp Minor/Berg: Wozzeck Excerpts Neville Cardus Erich Leinsdorf Quincy Jones Explores the Music of Henry Mancini Jack Tracy Quincy Jones The Young Chevalier George Sponholtz Maurice Chevalier 1966 September of My Years Stan Cornyn Frank Sinatra Berg: Wozzeck Otto Gerdes and Gustav Rudolf Sellner Karl Böhm conducting Orchestra of German Opera - Berlin Father and Son Charles Lamb Hank Williams and Hank Williams Jr. Grand Terrace Band Stanley Dance Earl Hines The Voice of the Uncommon Man Dom Cerulli Adlai Stevenson 1967 Sinatra at the Sands Stan Cornyn Frank Sinatra Ben Colder Strikes Again Harvey Cowen Ben Colder Doctor Zhivago Nelson Lyon Maurice Jarre Edward R. Murrow: A Reporter Remembers, Vol. I — The War Years Fred Friendly Edward R. Murrow The Ellington Era, Vol. II Stanley Dance and Ralph J. Gleason Duke Ellington 1968 Suburban Attitudes in Country Verse John D. Loudermilk John D. Loudermilk The Earth Rod McKuen Rod McKuen and Anita Kerr Extra Special! Rory Guy Peggy Lee The Far East Suite Stanley Dance Duke Ellington Francis Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim Stan Cornyn Frank Sinatra and Antonio Carlos Jobim Listen! Richard Oliver Gary Lewis and the Playboys 1969 Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison Johnny Cash Johnny Cash Anthology of Indian Music, Volume One Richard Oliver Ravi Shankar, Ali Akbar Khan and Balachander Ethel Waters on Stage and Screen 1925-1940 Miles Kreuger Ethel Waters Francis A. & Edward K. Stan Cornyn Frank Sinatra and Duke Ellington Pete Seeger's Greatest Hits Pete Seeger Pete Seeger
1970s Year Work Recipient(s) Performing artist(s) 1970 Nashville Skyline Johnny Cash Bob Dylan Chicago Mess Around John Dodds II Johnny Dodds David's Album Joan Baez Joan Baez John Hartford John Hartford John Hartford Mabel Mercer and Bobby Short at Town Hall Rex Reed Mabel Mercer and Bobby Short 1971 The World's Greatest Blues Singer Chris Albertson Bessie Smith As I See It Billy Edd Wheeler Jack Moran Bitches Brew Ralph J. Gleason Miles Davis Hold Back the World Rod McKuen Alexander's Greyhound Bass I Do Not Play No Rock 'n Roll Anthony D'Oberoff Mississippi Fred McDowell Judy. London. 1969. Rex Reed Judy Garland Sixteen All Time Greatest Hits James Goodfriend Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys They Shoot Horses, Don't They? Arthur Knight John Green Orchestra 1972 Sam, Hard and Heavy Sam Samudio Sam the Sham The Genius of Louis Armstrong Don DeMicheal Louis Armstrong Honky Tonkin' with Charlie Walker Tom West Charlie Walker Louis Armstrong: July 4, 1900—July 6, 1971 Nat Hentoff Louis Armstrong Miles Davis Colman Andrews Miles Davis Music of Varese James Lyons Konstantin Simonovitch Piano Rags by Scott Joplin Joshua Rifkin Joshua Rifkin This Is Benny Goodman George T. Simon Benny Goodman 1973 Best Album Notes Tom T. Hall's Greatest Hits Tom T. Hall Tom T. Hall Bunny Berigan, His Trumpet and His Orchestra, Volume 1 Dan Morgenstern Bunny Berigan Lenny Bruce: Carnegie Hall Albert Goldman Lenny Bruce Let My Children Hear Music Charlie Mingus Charlie Mingus Super Chief Michael Brooks Count Basie Best Album Notes — Classical Vaughan Williams: Symphony No. 2 (A London Symphony) James Lyons André Previn Berlioz: Benvenuto Cellini David Cairns Colin Davis Haydn: Symphonies (Complete), Vols. 4 and 5 H. C. Robbins Landon Antal Doráti John Ogdon Plays Alkan Sacheverell Sitwell John Ogdon Julian and John Tom Eastwood Julian Bream and John Williams Michael Rabin: In Memoriam Karolynne Gee Michael Rabin String Quartets of the New Viennese School Ursula von Rauchhaupt LaSalle Quartet 1974 Best Album Notes God Is in the House Dan Morgenstern Art Tatum Lonesome, On'ry and Mean Chet Flippo Waylon Jennings Ol' Blue Eyes Is Back Stan Cornyn Frank Sinatra Remember Marilyn Lionel Newman Marilyn Monroe This Is Jimmie Rodgers William Ivey Jimmie Rodgers Best Album Notes — Classical Hindemith: Sonatas for Piano Glenn Gould Glenn Gould Bach: Brandenburg Concerti Erik Smith Neville Marriner Berio: Recital 1 (For Cathy) Misha Donat Cathy Berberian Bizet: Carmen Harvey Phillips Leonard Bernstein Debussy: La mer/Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune and Ravel: Daphnis and Chloe Suite #2 Clair W. Van Ausdall Eugene Ormandy Dvorák: Piano Quartet in E Flat Major, Op. 87 Irving Kolodin Guarneri Quartet and Arthur Rubinstein Haydn: Symphony No. 20 in C Major – Symphony No. 35 in B Flat H. C. Robbins Landon Antal Doráti Haydn: Symphony No. 36 and Symphony No. 48 H. C. Robbins Landon Antal Doráti Rachmaninov: Concerto No. 2 in C Minor for Piano Alan Rich Eugene Ormandy and Arthur Rubinstein The Woods So Wild Tom Eastwood Julian Bream 1975 Best Album Notes For the Last Time (TIE) Charles R. Townsend Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys The Hawk Flies (TIE) Dan Morgenstern Coleman Hawkins 50 Years of Film Music (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Recordings) Rudy Behlmer Various Artists The Pianist Ralph J. Gleason Duke Ellington The World Is Still Waiting for the Sunrise J.R. Young Les Paul and Mary Ford Best Album Notes — Classical Korngold: The Classic Erich Wolfgang Korngold Rory Guy Willy Mattes and Ulf Hoelscher Berlioz: The Damnation of Faust David Cairns Colin Davis Citizen Kane: The Classic Film Scores of Bernard Herrmann Christopher Palmer Various Artists Humperdinck: Hansel and Gretel George Jellinek Kurt Eichhorn Mahler: Symphony No. 10 Deryck Cooke Wyn Morris Mozart: Don Giovanni Erik Smith Colin Davis Rachmaninoff: The Bells and Three Russian Songs Clair W. Van Ausdall Eugene Ormandy Scriabin: Piano Music (Complete), Volume II Donald Garvelmann Michael Ponti Verdi: I Vespri Siciliani Irving Kolodin James Levine Weber: Der Freischütz Wolfram Schwinger Erich Kleiber 1976 Best Album Notes Blood on the Tracks Pete Hamill Bob Dylan Greatest Hits, Vol. 2 Tom T. Hall Tom T. Hall A Legendary Performer: Glenn Miller and His Orchestra George T. Simon Glenn Miller The Real Lenny Bruce Ralph J. Gleason Lenny Bruce The Tatum Solo Masterpieces Benny Green Art Tatum Best Album Notes — Classical Footlifters Gunther Schuller Gunther Schuller The English Harpsichord (Byrd, Farnaby, Etc.) Judith Robison Igor Kipnis Gagliano: La Dafne James H. Moore Paul Vorwerk Gershwin: Gershwin's S'wonderful Rory Guy Ralph Grierson and Artie Kane Haydn: Symphonies 93–104 H. C. Robbins Landon Antal Doráti Joplin: The Complete Works of Scott Joplin Rudi Blesh Dick Hyman Joplin: The Easy Winners Rory Guy and Itzhak Perlman Itzhak Perlman and André Previn Kodály: Orchestral Works (Complete) Laszlo Eosze Antal Doráti Korngold: Die Tote Stadt Christopher Palmer Erich Leinsdorf 1977 The Changing Face of Harlem: Savoy Sessions Dan Morgenstern Various Artists Beethoven: The Five Piano Concertos George R. Marek Daniel Barenboim and Arthur Rubinstein The Blue Sky Boys Douglas B. Green Bill and Earl Bolick Caruso: A Legendary Performer Francis Robinson Enrico Caruso The Complete Tommy Dorsey, Volume 1 – 1935 Mort Goode Tommy Dorsey 1978 Bing Crosby: A Legendary Performer George T. Simon Bing Crosby Flight Log Patrick Snyder Jefferson Airplane Guy Lombardo: A Legendary Performer George T. Simon Guy Lombardo The Lester Young Story, Vol. I Michael Brooks Lester Young Stormy Blues Chris Albertson Billie Holiday 1979 A Bing Crosby Collection, Vols. I and II Michael Brooks Bing Crosby Beethoven: 9 Symphonies Bill Bender and Irving Kolodin Herbert von Karajan Ellington at Carnegie Hall, 1943 Leonard Feather Duke Ellington Georgia Sea Island Songs Alan Lomax Various Artists The Individualism of Pee Wee Russell Dan Morgenstern Pee Wee Russell Works of Carpenter/Gilbert/Weiss/Powell David Baker and R. D. Darrell Calvin Simmons, Lawrence Foster and Los Angeles Philharmonic
1980s