12th Annual Grammy Awards explained

12th Annual Grammy Awards
Date:	March 11, 1970
Network:	ABC
Previous:	11th
Main:	Grammy Awards
Next:	13th

The 12th Annual Grammy Awards were held on March 11, 1970. They recognized accomplishments of musicians for the year 1969.^{[1] [2]}

Award winners

• Record of the Year
  • Bones Howe (producer) & The 5th Dimension for "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In"
• Album of the Year
  • James William Guercio (producer) & Blood, Sweat & Tears for Blood, Sweat & Tears
• Song of the Year
  • Joe South for "Games People Play"
• Best New Artist
  • Crosby, Stills & Nash

Children's

• Best Recording for Children
  • Peter, Paul and Mary for Peter, Paul and Mommy

Classical

• Best Classical Performance, Orchestra
  • Pierre Boulez (conductor) & the Cleveland Orchestra for Boulez Conducts Debussy, Vol. 2 "Images Pour Orchestre"
• Best Vocal Soloist Performance, Classical
  • Thomas Schippers (conductor), Leontyne Price & the New Philharmonia for Barber: Two Scenes From "Antony and Cleopatra"/Knoxville, Summer of 1915
• Best Opera Recording
  • Otto Gerdes (producer), Herbert von Karajan (conductor), Helga Dernesch, Thomas Stolze, Jess Thomas & the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra for Wagner: Siegfried
• Best Choral Performance, Classical (other than opera)
  • Luciano Berio (conductor), Ward Swingle (choir director), the Swingle Singers & the New York Philharmonic for Berio: Sinfonia
• Best Classical Performance - Instrumental Soloist or Soloists (with or without orchestra)
  • Wendy Carlos for Switched-On Bach
• Best Chamber Music Performance
  • The Chicago Brass Ensemble, Cleveland Brass Ensemble & Philadelphia Brass Ensemble for Gabrieli: Antiphonal Music of Gabrieli
• Album of the Year, Classical
  • Rachel Elkind (producer) & Wendy Carlos for Switched-On Bach

Comedy

• Best Comedy Recording
  • Bill Cosby for Bill Cosby, aka Sports.

Composing and arranging

• Best Instrumental Theme
  • John Barry (composer) for Midnight Cowboy
• Best Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or a Television Special
  • Burt Bacharach (composer) for Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
• Best Instrumental Arrangement
  • Henry Mancini (arranger) for "Love Theme from Romeo and Juliet"
• Best Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s)
  • Fred Lipsius (arranger) for "Spinning Wheel" performed by Blood, Sweat & Tears

Country

• Best Country Vocal Performance, Female
  • Tammy Wynette for Stand By Your Man
• Best Country Vocal Performance, Male
  • Johnny Cash for A Boy Named Sue
• Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group
  • Waylon Jennings & the Kimberlys for MacArthur Park
• Best Country Instrumental Performance
  • The Nashville Brass & Danny Davis for The Nashville Brass Featuring Danny Davis Play More Nashville Sounds
• Best Country Song
  • Shel Silverstein (songwriter) for A Boy Named Sue performed by Johnny Cash

Folk

• Best Folk Performance
  • Joni Mitchell for Clouds

Gospel

• Best Gospel Performance
  • Porter Wagoner & the Blackwood Brothers for In Gospel Country
• Best Soul Gospel Performance
  • Edwin Hawkins for Oh Happy Day performed by the Edwin Hawkins Singers
• Best Sacred Performance (Non-Classical)
  • Jake Hess for Ain't That Beautiful Singing

Jazz

• Best Instrumental Jazz Performance, Small Group or Soloist With Small Group
  • Wes Montgomery for Willow Weep for Me
• Best Instrumental Jazz Performance, Large Group or Soloist With Large Group
  • Quincy Jones for Walking in Space

Musical show

• Best Score From an Original Cast Show Album
  • Burt Bacharach, Hal David (composers), Henry Jerome, Phil Ramone (producers) & the original cast (Jerry Orbach, Jill O'Hara, Edward Winter, Donna McKecknie, A .L. Hines, Marian Mercer & Paul Reed) for Promises, Promises

Packaging and notes

• Best Album Cover
  • David Stahlberg & Evelyn J. Kelbish (graphic artists) for America the Beautiful performed by Gary McFarland
• Best Album Notes
  • Johnny Cash (notes writer) for Nashville Skyline performed by Bob Dylan

Pop

• Best Contemporary Vocal Performance, Female
  • Peggy Lee for "Is That All There Is?"
• Best Contemporary Vocal Performance, Male
  • Harry Nilsson for "Everybody's Talkin'"
• Best Contemporary Vocal Performance by a Group
  • The 5th Dimension for "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In"
• Best Contemporary Performance by a Chorus
  • Percy Faith for "Love Theme From "Romeo and Juliet" performed by the Percy Faith Orchestra & Chorus
• Best Contemporary Instrumental Performance
  • Blood, Sweat & Tears for "Variations on a Theme by Eric Satie"
• Best Contemporary Song
  • Joe South for "Games People Play"

Production and engineering

• Best Engineered Recording, Non-Classical
  • Geoff E. Emerick & Phil McDonald (engineers) for Abbey Road performed by The Beatles
• Best Engineered Recording, Classical
  • Wendy Carlos (engineer & artist) for Switched-On Bach

R&B

• Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female
  • Aretha Franklin for "Share Your Love With Me"
• Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male
  • Joe Simon for "The Chokin' Kind"
• Best Rhythm & Blues Performance by a Duo or Group, Vocal or Instrumental
  • Isley Brothers for "It's Your Thing"
• Best R&B Instrumental Performance
  • King Curtis for "Games People Play"
• Best Rhythm & Blues Song
  • Richard Spencer (songwriter) for "Color Him Father" performed by The Winstons

Spoken

• Best Spoken Word Recording
  • Art Linkletter & Diane Linkletter for We Love You Call Collect

Notes and References

1. News: Rock Group, Machine, Pop Song Top Grammy Winners. Campbell, Mary. 12 March 1970. Waycross Journal-Herald. 1 May 2011.
2. Web site: 1969 GRAMMY Winners 12th Annual GRAMMY Awards . 1970-03-11 . . 2023-06-01.