Grammy Awards of 1961

The 3rd Grammy Awards were held in 1961. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the previous year.

• Record of the Year
  • Percy Faith[?] for "Theme From A Summer Place"

• Album of the Year
  • Bob Newhart for The Button-Down Mind Of Bob Newhart

• Song of the Year
  • Ernest Gold[?] for "Theme From Exodus"

• Best New Artist
  • Bob Newhart

Childrens

• Best Recording for Children - Single or Album, Musical or Spoken[?]
  • Ross Bagdasarian Sr.[?] for Let's All Sing With The Chipmunks performed by David Seville and the Chipmunks[?]

Classical

• Best Classical Orchestral Performance[?]
  • Chicago Symphony Orchestra for Bartók[?]: Music For Strings, Percussion And Celeste conducted by Fritz Reiner[?]
• Best Opera Recording[?]
  • Rome Opera Orchestra[?] for Puccini: Turandot conducted by Erich Leinsdorf[?]
• Best Choral Performance, Classical[?]
  • Royal Philharmonic Orchestra & Chorus for Handel: Messiah conducted by Thomas Beecham
• Best Classical Performance-Instrumental Soloist(s) (with orchestra)[?]
  • Sviatoslav Richter for Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 2 In B Flat
• Best Classical Performance-Instrumental Soloist(s) (without orchestra)[?]
  • Laurindo Almeida[?] for The Spanish Guitars Of Laurindo Alemida
• Best Chamber Music Performance[?]
  • Laurindo Almeida[?] for Conversations With The Guitar
• Best Classical Vocal Performance[?]
  • Leontyne Price[?] for A Program Of Song - Leontyne Price Recital
• Best Classical Contemporary Composition[?]
  • Boston Symphony Orchestra for Orchestral Suite From Tender Land Suite conducted by Aaron Copland

Comedy

• Best Spoken Comedy Album[?]
  • Bob Newhart for The Button-Down Mind Strikes Back!
• Best Musical Comedy Album[?]
  • Paul Weston[?] for Jonathan And Darlene Edwards In Paris performed by Jonathan & Darlene Edwards[?] (Jo Stafford[?] & Paul Weston[?])

Composing and arranging

• Best Arrangement Accompanying a Vocalist or Instrumentalist[?]
  • Henry Mancini for Mr. Lucky'
• Best Instrumental Composition Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or for Television[?]
  • Ernest Gold[?] for Exodus

Country

• Best Country & Western Performance[?]
  • Marty Robbins for "El Paso"

Folk

• Best Folk Performance[?]
  • Harry Belafonte for "Swing Dat Hammer"

Jazz

• Best Instrumental Jazz Performance, Individual or Group[?]
  • Andre Previn[?] for West Side Story
• Best Large Jazz Ensemble Performance[?]
  • Henry Mancini for Blues And The Beat
• Best Original Jazz Composition[?]
  • Gil Evans[?] for Sketches of Spain performed by Gil Evans[?] & Miles Davis

Musical Show

• Best Sound Track Album[?]
  • Cole Porter (composer) for Can Can performed by Frank Sinatra & the original cast
• Best Musical Show Album[?]
  • Oscar Hammerstein II & Richard Rodgers (composers) for The Sound Of Music performed by Mary Martin & the original Broadway cast

Packaging and Notes

• Best Album Package - Incl. Album Cover, Graphic Arts, Photography[?]
  • Marvin Schwartz[?] (art director) for Latin A La Lee performed by Peggy Lee

Pop

• Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, Single or Track
  • Ella Fitzgerald for "Mack The Knife"
• Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, Album
  • Ella Fitzgerald Mack The Knife - Ella In Berlin
• Best Male Pop Vocal Performance Single or Track)]]
  • Ray Charles "Georgia On My Mind"
• Best Male Pop Vocal Performance, Album
  • Ray Charles for Genius Of Ray Charles
• Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal
  • Eydie Gorme[?] & Steve Lawrence[?] for "We Got Us"
• Best Performance By a Chorus[?]
  • Norman Luboff[?] for Songs Of The Cowboy performed by the Norman Luboff Choir
• Best Performance By a Band for Dancing[?]
  • Count Basie for Dance With Basie
• Best Pop Instrumental Performance[?]
  • Henry Mancini for Mr. Lucky
• Best Performance By a Pop Single Artist[?]
  • Ray Charles for "Georgia On My Mind"

Production and engineering

• Best Engineered Recording, Non-Classical[?]
  • Luis P. Valentin[?] (engineer) for Ella Fitzgerald Sings The George And Ira Gershwin Songbook performed by Ella Fitzgerald
  • John Kraus[?] (engineer) for The Old Payola Roll Blues performed by Stan Freberg[?]
• Best Classical Engineered Recording[?]
  • Hugh Davies[?] (engineer) for The Spanish Guitars Of Laurindo Almeida performed by Laurindo Almeida[?]

R&B

• Best Rhythm & Blues Performance[?]
  • Ray Charles for "Let The Good Times Roll"

Spoken

• Best Spoken Word or Non-musical Album[?]
  • Robert Bialek[?] (producer) for FDR Speaks