Every nominee at the Grammy Awards hopes to clinch the top prize of the night: album of the year.
The coveted award has previously gone to Hollywood icons like Judy Garland, Barbra Streisand, and The Beatles, and is always the last award of the night to be announced.
At the 67th Annual Grammy Awards, Beyoncé won for her album “Cowboy Carter.” It marked Beyoncé’s first win in the category, despite being the most-nominated and most-decorated Grammy winner of all time.
In 2024, Taylor Swift took the prize and made history as the first person to win album of the year four times. She previously tied with Stevie Wonder, Frank Sinatra, and Paul Simon, who all hold three album of the year wins.
Every album of the year nominee at this year’s Grammy Awards would be a first-time winner. Bad Bunny, Justin Bieber, Sabrina Carpenter, Clipse, Lady Gaga, Kendrick Lamar, Leon Thomas, and Tyler, the Creator are all nominated in the category.
Here’s every winner of album of the year throughout history.
1959: Henry Mancini — “The Music from Peter Gunn”
Mancini, pictured left, was the inaugural winner of the award.
1960: Frank Sinatra — “Come Fly With Me!”
Sinatra won his first of three album of the year awards in 1960.
1961: Bob Newhart — “The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart”
Newhart starred in “The Big Bang Theory” as Professor Proton.
1962: Judy Garland — “Judy Garland at Carnegie Hall”
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”
The album was a musical spoof based on the Kennedys.
1964: Barbra Streisand — “The Barbra Streisand Album”
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”
This year marked the first time two people won the award.
1966: Frank Sinatra — “September of My Years”
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”
Until 2024 — when Taylor Swift won for the fourth time — Sinatra held the joint record for the most wins for this award.
1968: The Beatles — “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”
The Beatles became the first band to win album of the year.
1969: Glen Campbell — “By the Time I Get to Phoenix”
Campbell beat The Beatles and Simon & Garfunkel to the award this year.
1970: Blood, Sweat & Tears — “Blood, Sweat & Tears”
Johnny Cash and The Beatles lost the award to Blood, Sweat & Tears.
1971: Simon & Garfunkel — “Bridge Over Troubled Water”
Paul Simon also won twice as a solo artist. Therefore, he has technically won this award three times.
1972: Carole King — “Tapestry”
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”
Harrison also won the award as a member of The Beatles in 1968.
1974: Stevie Wonder — “Innervisions”
Stevie Wonder won his first of three album of the year awards in 1974.
1975: Stevie Wonder — “Fulfillingness’ First Finale”
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”
This was the first of Simon’s wins as a solo artist.
1977: Stevie Wonder — “Songs in the Key of Life”
Wonder won his third album of the year this year, making it three wins in four years.
1978: Fleetwood Mac — “Rumours”
Fleetwood Mac beat John Williams and his “Star Wars” score to the award this year.
1979: Various Artists — “Saturday Night Fever” soundtrack
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”
Billy Joel beat Donna Summer and Kenny Rogers to become the first winner of the 1980s.
1981: Christopher Cross — “Christopher Cross”
Christopher Cross beat three-time winner Frank Sinatra to claim this award.
1982: John Lennon and Yoko Ono — “Double Fantasy”
John Lennon won his second award with his wife, Yoko, following his first win with The Beatles in 1968.
1983: Toto — “Toto IV”
Paul McCartney lost his first nomination for this award as a solo artist to the band.
1984: Michael Jackson — “Thriller”
Michael Jackson won eight awards this year.
1985: Lionel Richie — “Can’t Slow Down”
Lionel Richie beat legend Tina Turner to the award this year.
1986: Phil Collins — “No Jacket Required”
This album contained two US No. 1 hits: “One More Night” and “Sussudio.”
1987: Paul Simon — “Graceland”
Simon won his second award as a solo artist this year.
1988: U2 — “The Joshua Tree”
This was the first of U2’s two album of the year wins.
1989: George Michael — “Faith”
“Faith” contained hits such as “Faith” and “One More Try.”
1990: Bonnie Raitt — “Nick of Time”
Bonnie Raitt beat Tom Petty’s “Full Moon Fever” to this award in 1990.
1991: Quincy Jones & Various Artists — “Back on the Block”
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”
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”
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”
This was Houston’s only win in this category and only the second time a movie’s soundtrack won this award.
1995: Tony Bennett — “MTV Unplugged”
This album was created as a result of Bennett’s appearance on the MTV show “MTV Unplugged.”
1996: Alanis Morissette — “Jagged Little Pill”
Alanis Morissette beat Michael Jackson and Mariah Carey to win this award.
1997: Celine Dion — “Falling Into You”
Two years after her win here, Dion also won four Grammys for her “Titanic” song, “My Heart Will Go On.”
1998: Bob Dylan — “Time Out of Mind”
In 2001, Dylan added to his awards collection with a best original song Oscar for “Things Have Changed” from the film “Wonder Boys.”
1999: Lauryn Hill — “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill”
Lauryn Hill beat Shania Twain and Madonna to win this award.
2000: Santana — “Supernatural”
Santana won this award with their 18th studio album.
2001: Steely Dan — “Two Against Nature”
Steely Dan beat Radiohead, Paul Simon, Eminem, and Beck to win this award.
2002: Various Artists — “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” soundtrack
It was the third film to win.
2003: Norah Jones — “Come Away with Me”
Norah Jones won this award with her debut studio album.
2004: OutKast — “Speakerboxxx/The Love Below”
OutKast is an American hip-hop duo consisting of Andre 3000 and Big Boi.
2005: Ray Charles & Various Artists — “Genius Loves Company”
This same year, Jamie Foxx won the best actor Oscar for playing Ray Charles in the biopic “Ray.”
2006: U2 — “How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb”
This was U2’s second win in this category.
2007: The Chicks — “Taking the Long Way”
The Chicks have won a total of 12 Grammys, including five in 2007 when they won this award.
2008: Herbie Hancock — “River: The Joni Letters”
This album is only the second jazz album to win this award and is a tribute album of cover songs written by Joni Mitchell.
2009: Robert Plant and Alison Krauss — “Raising Sand”
Robert Plant was previously the lead singer of Led Zeppelin, who were never nominated for album of the year.
2010: Taylor Swift — “Fearless”
Taylor Swift became the youngest artist to ever win album of the year. This record has since been broken by Billie Eilish.
2011: Arcade Fire — “The Suburbs”
Arcade Fire beat Eminem, Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, and Lady A to win this award.
2012: Adele — “21”
This was Adele’s first Grammy win for album of the year.
2013: Mumford & Sons — “Babel”
Mumford & Sons beat Frank Ocean’s “Channel Orange” to win this award.
2014: Daft Punk — “Random Access Memories”
Daft Punk won five Grammy awards this year.
2015: Beck — “Morning Phase”
Beck beat Beyonce, Sam Smith, Pharrell Williams, and Ed Sheeran.
2016: Taylor Swift — “1989”
Taylor Swift won her second album of the year award this year. She was the youngest person ever to win two.
2017: Adele — “25”
Adele matched Taylor Swift’s two wins (at this point) in this category with her own second win, following her first in 2012.
2018: Bruno Mars — “24K Magic”
Bruno Mars has won 15 Grammys, six of which came in 2018.
2019: Kacey Musgraves — “Golden Hour”
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.
2020: Billie Eilish — “When We Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?”
Billie Eilish became the youngest-ever winner of this award at age 18, beating Swift’s previous record of 20 years old.
2021: Taylor Swift — “Folklore”
At the time, she became the only woman to hold three album of the year wins, and only the fourth person to ever hold the distinction. Other artists who have won album of the year three times are Stevie Wonder, Frank Sinatra, and Paul Simon.
Swift broke that record in 2024 when she won album of the year for her 10th studio album “Midnights.”
2022: Jon Batiste — “We Are”
In 2022, Jon Batiste became the first Black artist since 2008 to win album of the year. Only 10 other Black artists have won album of the year since the award show’s inception.
Batiste beat artists like Justin Bieber, Olivia Rodrigo, Taylor Swift, and Doja Cat. He was the most-nominated artist of the night with 11 nods.
2023: Harry Styles — “Harry’s House”
In 2023, Harry Styles won the award for his critically acclaimed album “Harry’s House,” beating out artists like Beyoncé, Adele, Bad Bunny, Kendrick Lamar, and Coldplay for album of the year.
“There’s no such thing as best in music,” Styles said while accepting the award. “I don’t think any of us sit in studios thinking about what is going to get us one of these. This is so, so kind.”
2024: Taylor Swift — “Midnights”
Taylor Swift made history when she took home the top award for album of the year at the Grammys in 2024 for her 10th studio album, “Midnights.”
Swift, who was previously tied with Stevie Wonder, Frank Sinatra, and Paul Simon for most album of the year wins, is now the first and only person to have won the award four times.
2025: Beyoncé — “Cowboy Carter”
Beyoncé won the top award of the night for the first time in her groundbreaking career.
She is recognized as the most decorated and nominated artist in Grammy history, yet she had never won the album of the year award until the 2025 Grammys.
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