| 24th Annual American Music Awards | |
| Runtime: | 180 min. |
| Most Awards: | Whitney Houston, Alanis Morissette and Toni Braxton (2 each) |
| Most Nominations: | Mariah Carey (5) |
| Date: | January 27, 1997 |
| Host: | Sinbad |
| Previous: | 1996 |
| Next: | 1998 |
The 24th Annual American Music Awards were held on January 27, 1997, at the Shrine Auditorium, in Los Angeles, California. The awards recognized the most popular artists and albums from the year 1996.
| Artist(s) | Song(s) | |
|---|---|---|
| Toni Braxton | "Un-Break My Heart" (Soul Hex Anthem Vocal) "You're Makin' Me High" | |
| Brooks & Dunn | "A Man This Lonely" | |
| Bush | "Greedy Fly" | |
| Alan Jackson | "Everything I Love" | |
| Little Richard | "Good Golly Miss Molly" | |
| Metallica | "King Nothing" | |
| Mötley Crüe | "Shout at the Devil" | |
| Nas | "Street Dreams" "If I Ruled The World (Imagine That)" | |
| New Edition | "I'm Still in Love with You" | |
| LeAnn Rimes | "Unchained Melody" | |
| Rod Stewart | "If We Fall In Love Tonight" | |
| Keith Sweat | "Nobody" |
| Subcategory | Winner | Nominees |
|---|---|---|
| Pop/Rock Category | ||
| Favorite Pop/Rock Male Artist | Eric Clapton | Bryan Adams Seal |
| Favorite Pop/Rock Female Artist | Alanis Morissette | Mariah Carey Celine Dion |
| Favorite Pop/Rock Band/Duo/Group | Hootie & the Blowfish | Fugees Dave Matthews Band |
| Favorite Pop/Rock Album | Jagged Little Pill – Alanis Morissette | Anthology – The Beatles Daydream – Mariah Carey |
| Favorite Pop/Rock New Artist | Jewel | Donna Lewis No Doubt |
| Soul/R&B Category | ||
| Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist | Keith Sweat | D'Angelo R. Kelly |
| Favorite Soul/R&B Female Artist | Toni Braxton | Brandy Mariah Carey |
| Favorite Soul/R&B Band/Duo/Group | New Edition | Fugees TLC |
| Favorite Soul/R&B Album | Secrets – Toni Braxton | Daydream – Mariah Carey Keith Sweat – Keith Sweat |
| Favorite Soul/R&B New Artist | D'Angelo | Deborah Cox Tony Rich Project |
| Country Category | ||
| Favorite Country Male Artist | Garth Brooks | Alan Jackson George Strait |
| Favorite Country Female Artist | Shania Twain | Faith Hill Wynonna |
| Favorite Country Band/Duo/Group | Brooks & Dunn | BlackHawk The Mavericks |
| Favorite Country Album | Blue Clear Sky – George Strait | Fresh Horses – Garth Brooks The Woman in Me – Shania Twain |
| Favorite Country New Artist | LeAnn Rimes | Terri Clark Mindy McCready |
| Adult Contemporary Category | ||
| Favorite Adult Contemporary Artist | Whitney Houston | Mariah Carey Celine Dion |
| Alternative Category | ||
| Favorite Alternative Artist | The Smashing Pumpkins | Bush Stone Temple Pilots |
| Heavy Metal/Hard Rock Category | ||
| Favorite Heavy Metal/Hard Rock Artist | Metallica | The Smashing Pumpkins Stone Temple Pilots |
| Rap/Hip-Hop Category | ||
| Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Artist | 2Pac | Bone Thugs-N-Harmony Coolio |
| Soundtrack Album | ||
| Favorite Soundtrack | Waiting to Exhale | The Nutty Professor The Crow: City of Angels |
| Merit | ||
| Little Richard | ||
| International Artist Award | ||
| Bee Gees |