1960: Frank Sinatra — “Come Fly With Me!”
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Sinatra won his first of three album of the year awards in 1960.
1961: Bob Newhart — “The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart”
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Newhart starred in “The Big Bang Theory” as Professor Proton.
1962: Judy Garland — “Judy Garland at Carnegie Hall”
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Garland was recently played by Renee Zellweger in “Judy,” for which she won an Oscar — one award that eluded Garland.
1963: Vaughn Meader — “The First Family”
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The album was a musical spoof based on the Kennedys.
1964: Barbra Streisand — “The Barbra Streisand Album”
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Released on February 25, 1963, it was the debut album by Barbra Streisand. She is a rare EGOT winner: She’s won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony.
1965: Stan Getz & João Gilberto — “Getz/Gilberto”
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This year marked the first time two people won the award.
1966: Frank Sinatra — “September of My Years”
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Sinatra won consecutive album of the year awards in 1966 and 1967. He is one of only two artists to do so, the other being Stevie Wonder.
1967: Frank Sinatra — “A Man and His Music”
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Sinatra holds the joint record for the most wins for this award: He won three times.
1968: The Beatles — “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”
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The Beatles became the first band to win album of the year.
1969: Glen Campbell — “By the Time I Get to Phoenix”
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Campbell beat The Beatles and Simon & Garfunkel to the award this year.
1970: Blood, Sweat & Tears — “Blood, Sweat & Tears”
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Johnny Cash and The Beatles lost the award to Blood, Sweat & Tears.
1971: Simon & Garfunkel — “Bridge Over Troubled Water”
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Paul Simon also won twice as a solo artist. Therefore, he has technically won this award three times.
1972: Carole King — “Tapestry”
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Carole King has won a total of five competitive categories, plus three honorary awards.
1973: George Harrison & Friends (Ravi Shankar, Bob Dylan, Leon Russell, Ringo Starr, Billy Preston, Eric Clapton, and Klaus Voormann) — “The Concert for Bangladesh”
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Harrison also won the award as a member of The Beatles in 1968.
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Wonder won consecutive awards in 1975 and 1976, the first person to do so since Frank Sinatra in 1966 and 1967.
1976: Paul Simon — “Still Crazy After All These Years”
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This was the first of Simon’s wins as a solo artist.
1977: Stevie Wonder — “Songs in the Key of Life”
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Wonder won his third album of the year this year, making it three wins in four years.
1978: Fleetwood Mac — “Rumours”
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Fleetwood Mac beat John Williams and his “Star Wars” score to the award this year.
1979: Various Artists — “Saturday Night Fever” soundtrack
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This year marked the first time the winner was listed as “various artists,” as well as the first time a film’s soundtrack or score won the award.
1980: Billy Joel — “52nd Street”
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Billy Joel beat Donna Summer and Kenny Rogers to become the first winner of the 1980s.
1981: Christopher Cross — “Christopher Cross”
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Christopher Cross beat three-time winner Frank Sinatra to claim this award.
1982: John Lennon and Yoko Ono — “Double Fantasy”
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John Lennon won his second award with his wife, Yoko, following his first win with The Beatles in 1968.
1983: Toto — “Toto IV”
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Paul McCartney lost his first nomination for this award as a solo artist to the band.
1984: Michael Jackson — “Thriller”
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Michael Jackson won eight awards this year.
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Lionel Richie beat legend Tina Turner to the award this year.
1986: Phil Collins — “No Jacket Required”
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This album contained two US No. 1 hits: “One More Night” and “Sussudio.”
1988: U2 — “The Joshua Tree”
This was the first of U2’s two album of the year wins.
1989: George Michael — “Faith”
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“Faith” contained hits such as “Faith” and “One More Try.”
1990: Bonnie Raitt — “Nick of Time”
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Bonnie Raitt beat Tom Petty’s “Full Moon Fever” to this award in 1990.
1991: Quincy Jones & Various Artists — “Back on the Block”
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Surprisingly, this was Quincy Jones’s first win in this category, despite serving as a producer on several album of the year-winning albums.
1992: Natalie Cole — “Unforgettable… with Love”
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Natalie Cole won the award this year, preventing nominee Paul Simon from winning his third award for album of the year.
1993: Eric Clapton — “Unplugged”
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As well as winning this prestigious award, Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
1994: Whitney Houston — “The Bodyguard”
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This was Houston’s only win in this category, and only the second time a movie’s soundtrack won this award.
2019: Kacey Musgraves — “Golden Hour”
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This was the first year that the Grammys expanded this category to eight nominees. Musgraves beat Post Malone, Brandi Carlile, Janelle Monáe, H.E.R, Cardi B, Drake, and the “Black Panther” soundtrack.
