The Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album is presented by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement in comedy." The award was awarded yearly from 1959 to 1993 and then from 2004 to present day.
History There have been several minor changes to the name of the award over this time:
From 1959 to 1967 it was Best Comedy Performance From 1968 to 1991 it was known as Best Comedy Recording From 1992 to 1993 and from 2004 to the present day it was awarded as Best Comedy Album
In 1960 and 1961 two separate awards were presented for the best spoken and for the best musical comedy performance.
In 1994, after four consecutive years of wins by classical music comedy albums, the award was restricted to spoken word comedy albums and moved into the "spoken" field. From then through 2003, it was awarded as the Grammy Award for Best Spoken Comedy Album.
In 2004 the award was reinstated within the comedy field as the Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album, once again allowing musical comedy works to be considered.
Bill Cosby holds the record for most consecutive wins, with six earned between 1965 and 1970. Peter Schickele (of P.D.Q. Bach fame) is the runner-up, with four wins between 1990 and 1993.
Recipients
The winner is the first-named artist and work for each year, or, for 1960 and 1961, category. 1950s Year Work Performing Artist1959 "The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)" Ross Bagdasarian Sr. The Best of the Stan Freberg Shows Stan Freberg The Future Lies Ahead Mort Sahl "Green Chri$tma$" Stan Freberg Improvisations to Music Elaine May and Mike Nichols
1960s Year Work Performing Artist1960 Musical Comedy "The Battle of Kookamonga" Homer and Jethro Charlie Weaver Sings for His People Cliff Arquette Monster Rally Hans Conried and Alice Pearce Musically Mad Bernie Green A Party with Betty Comden and Adolph Green Betty Comden and Adolph GreenSpoken Comedy Inside Shelley Berman Shelley Berman "Hamlet" Andy Griffith Look Forward in Anger Mort Sahl The Sick Humor of Lenny Bruce Lenny Bruce Stan Freberg with Original Cast Stan Freberg1961 Musical Comedy Jonathan and Darlene Edwards in Paris Jo Stafford and Paul Weston "Alvin for President" David Seville An Evening Wasted with Tom Lehrer Tom Lehrer Homer and Jethro at the Country Club Homer and Jethro "The Old Payola Roll Blues" Stan FrebergSpoken Comedy The Button-Down Mind Strikes Back! Bob Newhart 2000 Year Old Man Mel Brooks and Carl Reiner The Edge of Shelley Berman Shelley Berman The Wonderful World of Jonathan Winters Jonathan Winters1962 An Evening with Mike Nichols and Elaine May Elaine May and Mike Nichols Here's Jonathan Jonathan Winters José Jiménez the Astronaut Bill Dana Stan Freberg Presents the United States of America Volume One: The Early Years Stan Freberg1963 The First Family Vaughn Meader Another Day, Another World Jonathan Winters Beyond the Fringe Alan Bennett, Peter Cook, Jonathan Miller and Dudley Moore My Son, the Folk Singer Allan Sherman Nichols and May Examine Doctors Elaine May and Mike Nichols1964 "Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh (A Letter from Camp)" Allan Sherman Bill Cosby Is a Very Funny Fellow...Right! Bill Cosby Carl Reiner and Mel Brooks at the Cannes Film Festival Mel Brooks and Carl Reiner I Am the Greatest! Cassius Clay Think Ethnic Smothers Brothers1965 I Started Out as a Child Bill Cosby For Swingin' Livers Only! Allan Sherman Ready or Not, Here Comes Godfrey Cambridge Godfrey Cambridge Whistle Stopping Jonathan Winters Woody Allen Woody Allen1966 Why Is There Air? Bill Cosby Mom Always Liked You Best Smothers Brothers Them Cotton Pickin' Days Is Over Godfrey Cambridge "Welcome to the LBJ Ranch!" Earl Doud and Allen Robin You Don't Have to Be Jewish Bob Booker and George Foster1967 Wonderfulness Bill Cosby "Downtown" Mrs. Miller Funny Way to Make an Album Don Bowman Have a Laugh on Me Archie Campbell Wanted for Murder Homer and Jethro1968 Revenge Bill Cosby The Cockfight and Other Tall Tales Archie Campbell Cowboys and Colored People Flip Wilson Lenny Bruce in Concert Lenny Bruce Take-Offs and Put-Ons George Carlin1969 To Russell, My Brother, Whom I Slept With Bill Cosby Hello Dummy! Don Rickles Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In Dan Rowan and Dick Martin You Devil You Flip Wilson
1970s Year Work Performing Artist1970 Sports Bill Cosby Berkeley Concert Lenny Bruce Don Rickles Speaks! Don Rickles1971 The Devil Made Me Buy This Dress Flip Wilson The Begatting of the President Orson Welles "Daddy Played First Base" Homer and Jethro I Am the President David Frye Live: Madison Square Garden Center Bill Cosby1972 This Is a Recording Lily Tomlin "Ajax Liquor Store" Hudson & Landry Cheech and Chong Cheech & Chong Flip: The Flip Wilson Show Flip Wilson When I Was a Kid Bill Cosby1973 FM & AM George Carlin All in the Family Carroll O'Connor, Jean Stapleton, Sally Struthers and Rob Reiner Big Bambu Cheech & Chong Geraldine: Don't Fight the Feeling Flip Wilson1974 Los Cochinos Cheech & Chong Child of the 50s Robert Klein Fat Albert Bill Cosby National Lampoon: Lemmings National Lampoon Occupation: Foole George Carlin Richard Nixon: A Fantasy David Frye1975 That Nigger's Crazy Richard Pryor Booga! Booga! David Steinberg Cheech & Chong's Wedding Album Cheech & Chong Mind Over Matter Robert Klein The Missing White House Tapes National Lampoon1976 Is It Something I Said? Richard Pryor An Evening with Wally Londo Featuring Bill Slaszo George Carlin Modern Scream Lily Tomlin The Monty Python Matching Tie and Handkerchief Monty Python A Star Is Bought Albert Brooks1977 Bicentennial Nigger Richard Pryor Bill Cosby Is Not Himself These Days Bill Cosby Goodbye Pop 1952–1976 National Lampoon Sleeping Beauty Cheech & Chong You Gotta Wash Your Ass Redd Foxx1978 Let's Get Small Steve Martin Are You Serious??? Richard Pryor The Ernie Kovacs Album Ernie Kovacs On the Road George Carlin Saturday Night Live Lorne Michaels and Saturday Night Live cast members1979 A Wild and Crazy Guy Steve Martin On Stage Lily Tomlin The Rutles The Rutles Sex & Violins Martin Mull The Wizard of Comedy Richard Pryor 1980s Year Work Performing Artist1980 Reality...What a Concept Robin Williams Comedy Is Not Pretty! Steve Martin "I Need Your Help Barry Manilow" Ray Stevens "Rubber Biscuit" The Blues Brothers Wanted: Live in Concert Richard Pryor1981 No Respect Rodney Dangerfield Holy Smoke Richard Pryor Live at St. Douglas Convent Father Guido Sarducci Live from New York Gilda Radner Monty Python's Contractual Obligation Album Monty Python1982 Rev. Du Rite Richard Pryor Airplane! Various Artists "The Inquisition" Mel Brooks Mel Brooks' History of the World, Part I Urban Chipmunk Alvin and the Chipmunks1983 Live on the Sunset Strip Richard Pryor Eddie Murphy Eddie Murphy The Great White North Bob and Doug McKenzie A Place for My Stuff George Carlin The Steve Martin Brothers Steve Martin1984 Comedian Eddie Murphy Himself Bill Cosby Monty Python's The Meaning of Life Monty Python Throbbing Python of Love Robin Williams What Becomes a Semi-Legend Most? Joan Rivers1985 "Eat It" "Weird Al" Yankovic Here and Now Richard Pryor Hurt Me Baby – Make Me Write Bad Checks! Rick Dees Rappin' Rodney Rodney Dangerfield The Three Faces of Al Firesign Theatre1986 Whoopi Goldberg: Original Broadway Show Recording Whoopi Goldberg "Born in East L.A." Cheech & Chong Dare to Be Stupid "Weird Al" Yankovic "Honeymooners Rap" Joe Piscopo "You Look Marvelous" Billy Crystal1987 Those of You with or Without Children, You'll Understand Bill Cosby Bob and Ray: A Night of Two Stars Recorded Live at Carnegie Hall Bob Elliott and Ray Goulding I Have a Pony Steven Wright Mud Will Be Flung Tonight Bette Midler Playin' with Your Head George Carlin "Twist and Shout" Rodney Dangerfield1988 A Night at the Met Robin Williams The Best of Bob and Ray, Vol. 1 Bob Elliott and Ray Goulding Polka Party! "Weird Al" Yankovic The World According to Me! Jackie Mason "Would Jesus Wear a Rolex" Ray Stevens1989 Good Morning, Vietnam Robin Williams Even Worse "Weird Al" Yankovic Finally Captured Jonathan Winters Fontaine: Why Am I Straight? Whoopi Goldberg What Am I Doing in New Jersey? George Carlin
1990s Year Work Performing Artist1990 P.D.Q. Bach: 1712 Overture & Other Musical Assaults Peter Schickele Dice Andrew Dice Clay Motherhood: The Second Oldest Profession Erma Bombeck "Wild Thing" Sam Kinison Without You I'm Nothing Sandra Bernhard1991 P.D.Q. Bach: Oedipus Tex and Other Choral Calamities Peter Schickele The Best of Bob and Ray: Selections from a Career, Vol. 4 Bob Elliott and Ray Goulding The Best of Comic Relief '90 Various artists Jonathan Winters into the '90s Jonathan Winters More News from Lake Wobegon Garrison Keillor1992 P.D.Q. Bach: WTWP Classical Talkity-Talk Radio Peter Schickele Brand New Jackie Mason Local Man Moves to the City Garrison Keillor Parental Advisory: Explicit Lyrics George Carlin When You Look Like Your Passport Photo, It's Time to Go Home Erma Bombeck1993 P.D.Q. Bach: Music for an Awful Lot of Winds and Percussion Peter Schickele An Evening with George Burns George Burns Jonathan Winters Is Terminator 3 Jonathan Winters Naked Beneath My Clothes Rita Rudner Off the Deep End "Weird Al" Yankovic1994 Jammin' in New York George Carlin Lake Wobegon USA Garrison Keillor A Marriage Made in Heaven or Too Tired for an Affair Erma Bombeck The Naked Truth Leslie Nielsen You're Good Enough, You're Smart Enough, and Doggone It, People Like You! Al Franken1995 Live from Hell Sam Kinison Attention Butt Pirates and Lesbetarians Judy Tenuta The Jerky Boys 2 The Jerky Boys The Official Politically Correct Dictionary and Handbook Henry Beard and Christopher Cerf They're All Gonna Laugh at You! Adam Sandler1996 Crank(y) Calls Jonathan Winters Funk It Martin Lawrence Games Rednecks Play Jeff Foxworthy God's Other Son Don Imus In Goddess We Trust Judy Tenuta1997 Rush Limbaugh Is a Big Fat Idiot and Other Observations Al Franken The Definitive Biography of P.D.Q. Bach Peter Schickele The Rants Dennis Miller Stan Freberg Presents the United States of America Vol. 2 (The Middle Years) Stan Freberg What the Hell Happened to Me? Adam Sandler1998 Roll with the New Chris Rock Button Down Concert Bob Newhart Dirty Jokes and Beer Drew Carey Garrison Keillor's Comedy Theater Garrison Keillor God Said Ha! Julia Sweeney1999 The 2000 Year Old Man in the Year 2000 Mel Brooks and Carl Reiner Give Me Immortality or Give Me Death The Firesign Theatre I'm Telling You for the Last Time Jerry Seinfeld Pure Drivel Steve Martin Totally Committed Jeff Foxworthy
2000s