53rd Annual Grammy Awards
The 53rd Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 13, 2011, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. They were broadcast on CBS with a rating of 26.6 million viewers. Barbra Streisand was honored as the MusiCares Person of the Year two nights prior to the telecast on February 11. Nominations were announced on December 1, 2010 and a total of 108 awards were presented. Most of the awards were presented during the pre-telecast, which took place at the Los Angeles Convention Center next to the Staples Center, where the main telecast took place. The eligibility period was October 1, 2009 to September 30, 2010.
For the third year, nominations were announced on prime-time television as part of "The GRAMMY Nominations Concert Live! – Countdown to Music's Biggest Night" a one-hour special broadcast live on CBS from Club Nokia at L.A. Live.
Arcade Fire won Album of the Year for The Suburbs becoming the first indie act to do so, and surprising many viewers and critics. Baba Yetu composed and arranged by Christopher Tin won Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s), the first Grammy given to a piece of music written for a video game. Esperanza Spalding was awarded Best New Artist. Lady Antebellum won five awards including Record of the Year and Song of the Year for "Need You Now". Other multiple winners include: David Frost, John Legend, Lady Gaga, Jay-Z, and Jeff Beck with three awards each. The Black Keys, Eminem, Herbie Hancock, Alicia Keys, The Roots, Usher, Christopher Tin and BeBe Winans won two awards each.
The television broadcast of the 53rd Grammy Awards marked the last awards show for the Grammy's executive producer, John Cossette, before his death on April 26, 2011.
At the request of manager and music impresario, Lisa Roy, the album was compiled and mastered by music producer, Stewart Cararas. All attendees of the 2011 Academy Awards received the CD in their gift bags.
Performers
Pre-telecast ceremony
- ChocQuibTown
- Trombone Shorty
- Buddy Guy, Cyndi Lauper, Maria Muldaur, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Mavis Staples, and Betty Wright
- Kirk Whalum
Telecast ceremony
The following performed:Presenters
;Pre-telecast ceremony- BT
- Kathy Griffin
- Wayne Wallace
- Laurie Anderson
- Sara Bareilles
The following presented:
- LL Cool J — presented the Aretha Franklin-tribute
- Ricky Martin — introduced Lady Gaga
- Blake Shelton — introduced Miranda Lambert
- Lenny Kravitz — introduced Muse
- Ryan Seacrest — introduced Bruno Mars, B.o.B, and Janelle Monáe
- Dierks Bentley and Zac Brown — presented Best Female Country Vocal Performance
- Eva Longoria — introduced Justin Bieber, Jaden Smith and Usher
- Paramore and Pauley Perrette — presented Best Rock Album
- Selena Gomez and Donnie Wahlberg — presented Best Pop Vocal Album
- David Letterman — introduced Bob Dylan, Mumford & Sons, and The Avett Bros.
- Clay Matthews and Lea Michele — introduced Lady Antebellum
- Kings of Leon and Miley Cyrus — presented Best Country Album
- Jamie Foxx — introduced Cee Lo Green, Gwyneth Paltrow and The Jim Henson Company Puppets
- Neil Patrick Harris — introduced Katy Perry
- John Mayer, Norah Jones and Keith Urban — presented Song of the Year
- Seth Rogen — introduced Eminem, Dr. Dre, and Rihanna
- Jewel and John Legend — presented Best New Artist
- Matthew Morrison — introduced Recording Academy President Neil Portnow
- Kris Kristofferson — introduced Barbra Streisand
- Nicki Minaj and will.i.am — presented Best Rap Album
- Diddy — introduced Drake and Rihanna
- Marc Anthony and Jennifer Lopez — presented Record of the Year
- Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson — presented Album of the Year
- Jason Segel — introduced Arcade Fire
Awards
General
;Record of the Year- "Need You Now" – Lady Antebellum
- * Lady Antebellum & Paul Worley, producers; Clarke Schleicher, engineer/mixer
- "Nothin' on You" – B.o.B & Bruno Mars
- *The Smeezingtons, producers; Ari Levine, engineer/mixer
- "Love the Way You Lie" – Eminem featuring Rihanna
- *Alex da Kid & Makeba Riddick, producers; Alex da Kid, Eminem & Mike Strange, engineers/mixers
- "F*** You" – Cee-Lo Green
- *The Smeezingtons, producers; Manny Marroquin & Graham Marsh, engineers/mixers
- "Empire State of Mind" – Jay-Z & Alicia Keys
- *Angela Hunte, Jane't "Jnay" Sewell-Ulepic & Shux, producers; Ken "Duro" Ifill, Gimel "Young Guru" Keaton & Ann Mincieli, engineers/mixers
- The Suburbs – Arcade Fire
- *Arcade Fire & Markus Dravs, producers; Arcade Fire, Mark Lawson & Craig Silvey, engineers/mixers; Mark Lawson, mastering engineer
- Recovery – Eminem
- * Kobe, Lil Wayne, Pink & Rihanna, featured artists; Alex da Kid, Victor Alexander, Boi-1da, Nick Brongers, Dwayne "Supa Dups" Chin-Quee, DJ Khalil, Dr. Dre, Eminem, Jason Gilbert, Havoc, Emile Haynie, Jim Jonsin, Just Blaze, Magnedo7, Mr. Porter, Robert Reyes, Makeba Riddick & Script Shepherd, producers; Alex Da Kid, Dwayne "Supa Dups" Chin-Quee, Kal "Boogie" Dellaportas, Dr. Dre, Eminem, Mauricio "Veto" Iragorri, Just Blaze, Robert Marks, Alex Merzin, Matthew Samuels, Joe Strange, Mike Strange & Ryan West, engineers/mixers; Brian "Big Bass" Gardner, mastering engineer
- Need You Now – Lady Antebellum
- *Lady Antebellum & Paul Worley, producers; Clarke Schleicher, engineer/mixer; Andrew Mendelson, mastering engineer
- The Fame Monster – Lady Gaga
- *Beyoncé, featured artist; Ron Fair, Fernando Garibay, Tal Herzberg, Rodney Jerkins, Lady Gaga, RedOne, Teddy Riley & Space Cowboy, producers; Victor Alexander, Eelco Bakker, Christian Delano, Mike Donaldson, Paul Foley, Tal Herzberg, Rodney Jenkins, Hisashi Mizoguchi, Robert Orton, Dan Parry, Jack Joseph Puig, RedOne, Teddy Riley, Dave Russel, Johnny Severin, Space Cowboy, Mark Stent, Jonas Wetling & Frank Wolff, engineers/mixers; Gene Grimaldi, mastering engineer
- Teenage Dream – Katy Perry
- *Snoop Dogg, featured artist; Ammo, Benny Blanco, Dr. Luke, Kuk Harrell, Max Martin, Stargate, C. "Tricky" Stewart, Sandy Vee & Greg Wells, producers; Victor Alexander, Steve Churchyard, Mikkel S. Eriksen, Serban Ghenea, John Hanes, Sam Holland, Jaycen-Joshua, Damien Lewis, Chris O'Ryan, Carlos Oyanedel, Paris, Phil Tan, Brain Thomas, Lewis Tozour, Miles Walker, Emily Wright & Andrew Wuepper, engineers/mixers; Brian Gardner, mastering engineer
- "Need You Now"
- *Dave Haywood, Josh Kear, Charles Kelley & Hillary Scott, songwriters
- "Beg, Steal or Borrow"
- *Ray LaMontagne, songwriter
- "F*** You"
- *Cee Lo Green, Philip Lawrence & Bruno Mars, songwriters
- "The House That Built Me"
- *Tom Douglas & Allen Shamblin songwriters
- "Love the Way You Lie"
- *Alexander Grant, Holly Hafferman & Marshall Mathers, songwriters
Pop
;Best Female Pop Vocal Performance- "Bad Romance" – Lady Gaga
- "King of Anything" – Sara Bareilles
- "Halo" – Beyoncé
- "Chasing Pirates" – Norah Jones
- "Teenage Dream" – Katy Perry
- "Just the Way You Are" – Bruno Mars
- "Haven't Met You Yet" – Michael Bublé
- "This Is It" – Michael Jackson
- "Whataya Want from Me" – Adam Lambert
- "Half of My Heart" – John Mayer
- "Hey, Soul Sister" – Train
- "Don't Stop Believin'" – Glee Cast
- "Misery" – Maroon 5
- "The Only Exception" – Paramore
- "Babyfather" – Sade
- "Imagine" – Herbie Hancock, Pink, India.Arie, Seal, Konono Nº1, Jeff Beck, & Oumou Sangaré
- "Airplanes, Part II" – B.o.B, Eminem, & Hayley Williams
- "If It Wasn't for Bad" – Elton John & Leon Russell
- "Telephone" – Lady Gaga & Beyoncé
- "California Gurls" – Katy Perry & Snoop Dogg
- "Nessun Dorma" – Jeff Beck
- "Flow" – Laurie Anderson
- "No Mystery" – Stanley Clarke
- "Orchestral Intro" – Gorillaz
- "Sleepwalk" – The Brian Setzer Orchestra
- Take Your Pick – Larry Carlton & Tak Matsumoto
- Pushing the Envelope – Gerald Albright
- Heart and Soul – Kenny G
- Singularity – Robby Krieger
- Everything Is Everything: The Music of Donny Hathaway – Kirk Whalum
- The Fame Monster – Lady Gaga
- My World 2.0 – Justin Bieber
- I Dreamed a Dream – Susan Boyle
- Battle Studies – John Mayer
- Teenage Dream – Katy Perry
Dance
;Best Dance Recording- "Only Girl (In the World)" – Rihanna
- *Crystal Johnson, Mikkel S. Eriksen, Tor Erik Hermansen, Sandy Wilhelm, producers: Stargate, Sandy Vee
- "Rocket" – Goldfrapp
- *Alison Goldfrapp & Will Gregory, producers; Mark 'Spike' Stent, mixer
- "In for the Kill" – La Roux
- *Elly Jackson & Ben Langmaid, producers; Serban Ghenea & John Hanes, mixers
- "Dance in the Dark" – Lady Gaga
- *Fernando Garibay & Lady Gaga, producers; Robert Orton, mixer
- "Dancing on My Own" – Robyn
- *Patrik Berger & Robyn, producers; Niklas Flyckt, mixer
- La Roux – La Roux
- These Hopeful Machines – BT
- Further – The Chemical Brothers
- Head First – Goldfrapp
- Black Light – Groove Armada
Traditional pop
;Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album- Crazy Love – Michael BubléThe Greatest Love Songs of All Time – Barry ManilowLet It Be Me: Mathis in Nashville – Johnny MathisFly Me to the Moon... The Great American Songbook Volume V – Rod StewartLove Is the Answer – Barbra Streisand
Rock
;Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance- "Helter Skelter" – Paul McCartney
- "Run Back to Your Side" – Eric Clapton
- "Crossroads" – John Mayer
- "Silver Rider" – Robert Plant and the Band of Joy
- "Angry World" – Neil Young
- "Tighten Up" – The Black Keys
- "Ready to Start" – Arcade Fire
- "I Put a Spell on You" – Jeff Beck & Joss Stone
- "Radioactive" – Kings of Leon
- "Resistance" – Muse
- "New Fang" – Them Crooked Vultures
- "A Looking in View" – Alice in Chains
- "Let Me Hear You Scream" – Ozzy Osbourne
- "Black Rain" – Soundgarden
- "Between the Lines" – Stone Temple Pilots
- "El Dorado" – Iron Maiden
- "Let the Guilt Go" – Korn
- "In Your Words" – Lamb of God
- "Sudden Death" – Megadeth
- "World Painted Blood" – Slayer
- "Hammerhead" – Jeff Beck
- "Black Mud" – The Black Keys
- "Do the Murray" – Los Lobos
- "Kundalini Bonfire" – Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds
- "The Deathless Horsie" – Dweezil Zappa
- "Angry World"
- *Neil Young, songwriter
- "Little Lion Man"
- * Ted Dwane, Ben Lovett, Marcus Mumford & Country Winston, songwriters
- "Radioactive"
- * Caleb Followill, Jared Followill, Matthew Followill & Nathan Followill, songwriters
- "Resistance"
- * Matthew Bellamy, songwriter
- "Tighten Up"
- * Dan Auerbach & Patrick Carney, songwriters
- The Resistance – MuseEmotion & Commotion – Jeff BeckBackspacer – Pearl JamMojo – Tom Petty and the HeartbreakersLe Noise – Neil Young
Alternative
;Best Alternative Music Album- Brothers – The Black Keys
- The Suburbs – Arcade FireInfinite Arms – Band of HorsesBroken Bells – Broken BellsContra – Vampire Weekend
R&B
;Best Female R&B Vocal Performance- "Bittersweet" – Fantasia
- "Everything to Me" – Monica
- "Gone Already" – Faith Evans
- "Tired" – Kelly Price
- "Holding You Down" – Jazmine Sullivan
- "There Goes My Baby" – Usher
- "Second Chance" – El DeBarge
- "Finding My Way Back" – Jaheim
- "Why Would You Stay" – Kem
- "We're Still Friends" – Kirk Whalum & Musiq Soulchild
- "Soldier of Love" – Sade
- "Love" – Chuck Brown, Jill Scott & Marcus Miller
- "Take My Time" – Chris Brown & Tank
- "You've Got a Friend" – Ronald Isley & Aretha Franklin
- "Shine" – John Legend & The Roots
- "Hang On in There" – John Legend & The Roots
- "When a Woman Loves" – R. Kelly
- "You're So Amazing" – Calvin Richardson
- "In Between" – Ryan Shaw
- "Go" – Betty Wright
- "Fuck You" – Cee Lo Green
- "Little One" – Bilal
- "Orion" – Carolyn Malachi
- "Tightrope" – Janelle Monáe & Big Boi
- "Still" – Eric Roberson
- "Shine"
- *John Stephens, songwriter
- "Bittersweet"
- *Charles Harmon & Claude Kelly, songwriters
- "Finding My Way Back"
- *Ivan "Orthodox" Barias, Curt Chambers, Carvin "Ransum" Haggins, Jaheim Hoagland & Miquel Jontel, songwriters
- "Second Chance"
- *El DeBarge & Mischke, songwriters
- "Why Would You Stay"
- *Kim Owens, songwriter
- Wake Up! – John Legend & The Roots
- Still Standing – Monica
- Back to Me – Fantasia
- Another Round – Jaheim
- The Love & War Masterpeace – Raheem DeVaughn
- Raymond vs. Raymond – Usher
- Untitled – R. Kelly
- Graffiti – Chris Brown
- Transition – Ryan Leslie
- The ArchAndroid – Janelle Monáe
Rap
;Best Rap Solo Performance- "Not Afraid" – Eminem
- "Over" – Drake
- "How Low" – Ludacris
- "I'm Back" – T.I.
- "Power" – Kanye West
- "On to the Next One" – Jay Z & Swizz Beatz
- "Shutterbugg" – Big Boi & Cutty
- "Fancy" – Drake, T.I. & Swizz Beatz
- "My Chick Bad" – Ludacris & Nicki Minaj
- "Lose My Mind" – Young Jeezy & Plies
- "Empire State of Mind" – Jay-Z & Alicia Keys
- "Nothin' on You" – B.o.B & Bruno Mars
- "Deuces" – Chris Brown, Tyga & Kevin McCall
- "Love the Way You Lie" – Eminem & Rihanna
- "Wake Up Everybody" – John Legend, The Roots, Melanie Fiona & Common
- "Empire State of Mind"
- *Shawn Carter, Angela Hunte, Burt Keyes, Alicia Keys, Jane't "Jnay" Sewell-Ulepic & Alexander Shuckburgh, songwriters
- "Love the Way You Lie"
- *Alex da Kid, Holly Hafferman & Marshall Mathers, songwriters
- "Not Afraid"
- *Matthew Burnett, Jordan Evans, Marshall Mathers, Luis Resto & Matthew Samuels, songwriters
- "Nothin' on You"
- *Philip Lawrence, Ari Levine, Bruno Mars & Bobby Simmons Jr., songwriters
- "On to the Next One"
- *Shawn Carter, Kasseem Dean, Gaspard Augé, Xavier de Rosnay & Jessie Chaton, songwriters
- Recovery – Eminem
- The Adventures Of Bobby Ray – B.o.B.
- Thank Me Later – Drake
- The Blueprint 3 – Jay-Z
- How I Got Over – The Roots
Country
;Best Female Country Vocal Performance- "The House That Built Me" – Miranda Lambert
- "Satisfied" – Jewel
- "Swingin'" – LeAnn Rimes
- "Temporary Home" – Carrie Underwood
- "I'd Love To Be Your Last" – Gretchen Wilson
- "'Til Summer Comes Around" – Keith Urban
- "Macon" – Jamey Johnson
- "Cryin' for Me (Wayman's Song)" – Toby Keith
- "Turning Home" – David Nail
- "Gettin' You Home" – Chris Young
- "Need You Now" – Lady Antebellum
- "Free" – Zac Brown Band
- "Elizabeth" – Dailey & Vincent
- "Little White Church" – Little Big Town
- "Where Rainbows Never Die" – The SteelDrivers
- "As She's Walking Away" – Zac Brown Band & Alan Jackson
- "Bad Angel" – Dierks Bentley, Miranda Lambert & Jamey Johnson
- "Pride (In the Name of Love)" – Dierks Bentley, Del McCoury & The Punch Brothers
- "Hillbilly Bone" – Blake Shelton & Trace Adkins
- "I Run to You" – Marty Stuart & Connie Smith
- "Hummingbyrd" – Marty Stuart
- "Tattoo of a Smudge" – Cherryholmes
- "Magic #9" – The Infamous Stringdusters
- "New Chance Blues" – Punch Brothers
- "Willow Creek" – Darrell Scott
- "Need You Now"
- "The Breath You Take"
- *Casey Beathard, Dean Dillon & Jessie Jo Dillon, songwriters
- "Free"
- *Zac Brown, songwriter
- "The House That Built Me"
- *Tom Douglas & Allen Shamblin, songwriters
- "I'd Love to Be Your Last"
- *Rivers Rutherford, Annie Tate & Sam Tate, songwriters
- "If I Die Young"
- *Kimberly Perry, songwriter
- Need You Now – Lady Antebellum
- Up On The Ridge – Dierks Bentley
- You Get What You Give – Zac Brown Band
- The Guitar Song – Jamey Johnson
- Revolution – Miranda Lambert
New Age
;Best New Age Album- Miho: Journey to the Mountain – Paul Winter Consort
- Ocean – Michael DeMaria
- Sacred Journey of Ku-Kai, Volume 4 – Kitaro
- Dancing into Silence – R. Carlos Nakai, William Eaton & Will Clipman
- Instrumental Oasis, Vol. 4 – Zamora
Jazz
;Best Contemporary Jazz Album- The Stanley Clarke Band – The Stanley Clarke Band
- Never Can Say Goodbye – Joey DeFrancesco
- Now Is the Time – Jeff Lorber Fusion
- To the One – John McLaughlin
- Backatown – Trombone Shorty
- Eleanora Fagan (1915-1959): To Billie with Love from Dee Dee Bridgewater – Dee Dee Bridgewater
- Freddy Cole Sings Mr. B – Freddy Cole
- When Lights Are Low – Denise Donatelli
- Ages – Lorraine Feather
- Water – Gregory Porter
- "A Change Is Gonna Come" – Herbie Hancock
- "Solar" – Alan Broadbent
- "Body and Soul" – Keith Jarrett
- "Lonely Woman" – Hank Jones
- "Van Gogh" – Wynton Marsalis
- Moody 4B – James Moody
- Positootly! – John Beasley
- The New Song and Dance – Clayton Brothers
- Historicity – Vijay Iyer Trio
- Providencia – Danilo Pérez
- Mingus Big Band Live at Jazz Standard – Mingus Big Band
- Infernal Machines – Darcy James Argue's Secret Society
- Autumn: In Moving Pictures Jazz – Chamber Music Vol. 2 – Billy Childs Ensemble featuring the Ying String Quartet
- Pathways – Dave Holland Octet
- 54 – Metropole Orkest, John Scofield & Vince Mendoza
- Chucho's Steps – Chucho Valdés and the Afro-Cuban Messengers
- Tango Grill – Pablo Aslan
- Second Chance – Hector Martignon
- Psychedelic Blues – Poncho Sanchez
- ¡Bien Bien! – Wayne Wallace Latin Jazz Quintet
Gospel
;Best Gospel Performance- "Grace" – BeBe & CeCe Winans
- "He Wants It All" – Forever Jones
- "You Hold My World" – Israel Houghton
- "Nobody Greater" – VaShawn Mitchell
- "He's Been Just That Good – Kirk Whalum & Lalah Hathaway
- "It's What I Do"
- *Jerry Peters & Kirk Whalum, songwriters
- "Beautiful Things"
- *Lisa Gungor & Michael Gungor, songwriters
- "Better Than a Hallelujah"
- *Sarah Hart & Chapin Hartford, songwriters
- "Our God"
- *Jonas Myrin, Matt Redman, Jesse Reeves & Chris Tomlin, songwriters
- "Return to Sender"
- *Gordon Kennedy, songwriter
- Hello Hurricane – Switchfoot
- Church Music – David Crowder Band
- For Those Who Wait – Fireflight
- Beautiful Things – Gungor
- Rehab – Lecrae
- Love God. Love People. – Israel Houghton
- Beauty Will Rise – Steven Curtis Chapman
- Pieces of a Real Heart – Sanctus Real
- Mosaic – Ricky Skaggs
- Tonight – TobyMac
- The Reason – Diamond Rio
- Times Like These – Austins Bridge
- Expecting Good Things – Jeff & Sheri Easter
- Journey On – Ty Herndon
- Live at Oak Tree: Karen Peck & New River – Karen Peck & New River
- Downtown Church – Patty Griffin
- The Experience – Vanessa Bell Armstrong
- A City Called Heaven – Shirley Caesar
- Here I Am – Marvin Sapp
- All in One – Karen Clark Sheard
- Still – BeBe & CeCe Winans
- Get Ready – Forever Jones
- Love Unstoppable – Fred Hammond
- Triumphant – VaShawn Mitchell
- Aaron Sledge – Aaron Sledge
Latin
;Best Latin Pop Album- Paraíso Express – Alejandro Sanz
- Poquita Ropa – Ricardo Arjona
- Alex Cuba – Alex Cuba
- Boleto de Entrada – Kany García
- Otra Cosa – Julieta Venegas
- El Existential – Grupo Fantasma
- Oro – ChocQuibTown
- Amor Vincit Omnia – Draco
- Bulevar 2000 – Nortec Collective Presents: Bostich+Fussible
- 1977 – Ana Tijoux
- Viva la Tradición – Spanish Harlem Orchestra
- Sin Salsa No Hay Paraiso – El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico
- A Son de Guerra – Juan Luis Guerra 4.40
- Irrepetible – Gilberto Santa Rosa
- 100 Sones Cubanos – ; Edesio Alejandro, Nelson Estevez & Juan Hidalgo, producers
- Recuerdos – Little Joe & la Familia
- Sabes Bien – Juan P. Moreno
- In the Pocket – Joe Posada
- Homenaje a Mi Padre – Sunny Sauceda y Todo Eso
- Cookin – Tortilla Factory
- Classic – Intocable
- Indispensable – Angel Fresnillo
- Ni Hoy Ni Mañana – Gerardo Ortíz
- Desde la Cantina Volumen 1 – Pesado
- Intensamente – Principez de la Musica Norteña
- Enamórate de Mí – El Guero Y Su Banda Centenario
- Ando Bien Pedo – Banda Los Recoditos
- Caricias Compradas... – Cuisillos
- Con la Fuerza del Corrido – El Chapo
- Todo Depende de Ti – La Arrolladora Banda El Limón
American roots music
;Best Americana Album- You Are Not Alone – Mavis Staples
- The List – Rosanne Cash
- Tin Can Trust – Los Lobos
- Country Music – Willie Nelson
- Band of Joy – Robert Plant
- Mountain Soul II – Patty Loveless
- Circles Around Me – Sam Bush
- Family Circle – The Del McCoury Band
- Legacy – Peter Rowan Bluegrass Band
- Reckless – The SteelDrivers
- Joined at the Hip – Pinetop Perkins & Willie 'Big Eyes' Smith
- Giant – James Cotton
- Memphis Blues – Cyndi Lauper
- The Well – Charlie Musselwhite
- Plays Blues, Ballads & Favorites – Jimmie Vaughan
- Living Proof – Buddy Guy
- Nothing's Impossible – Solomon Burke
- Tribal – Dr. John and the Lower 911
- Interpretations: The British Rock Songbook – Bettye LaVette
- Live! In Chicago – Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band featuring Hubert Sumlin, Willie "Big Eyes" Smith, Bryan Lee, and Buddy Flett
- Genuine Negro Jig – Carolina Chocolate Drops
- Onward and Upward – Luther Dickinson & The Sons Of Mudboy
- Memories of John – The John Hartford Stringband
- Maria Muldaur & Her Garden Of Joy – Maria Muldaur
- Ricky Skaggs Solo: Songs My Dad Loved – Ricky Skaggs
- God Willin' & the Creek Don't Rise – Ray LaMontagne and the Pariah Dogs
- Love Is Strange: En Vivo Con Tino – Jackson Browne & David Lindley
- The Age of Miracles – Mary Chapin Carpenter
- Somedays the Song Writes You – Guy Clark
- Dream Attic – Richard Thompson
- Huana Ke Aloha – Tia Carrere
- Amy Hanaiali'i and Slack Key Masters of Hawaii – Amy Hanaiali'i And Slack Key Masters of Hawaii
- Polani – Daniel Ho
- The Legend – Ledward Kaapana
- Maui on My Mind – Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar – Jeff Peterson
- 2010 Gathering of Nations Pow Wow: A Spirit's Dance – ; Derek Mathews, Dr. Lita Mathews & Melonie Mathews, producers
- XI – Bear Creek
- Temptations: Cree Round Dance Songs – Northern Cree
- Woodnotes Wyld: Historic Flute Sounds from the Dr. Richard W. Payne Collection – Peter Phippen
- Zydeco Junkie – Chubby Carrier and the Bayou Swamp Band
- En Couleurs – Feufollet
- Happy Go Lucky – D. L. Menard
- Back Home – The Pine Leaf Boys
- Creole Moon: Live at the Blue Moon Saloon – Cedric Watson et Bijou Créole
[Reggae]
;Best Reggae Album- Before the Dawn – Buju Banton
- Isaacs Meets Isaac – Gregory Isaacs & King Isaac
- Revelation – Lee "Scratch" Perry
- Made in Jamaica – Bob Sinclar And Sly & Robbie
- One Pop Reggae + – Sly & Robbie and the Family Taxi
- Legacy An Acoustic Tribute to Peter Tosh – Andrew Tosh
World music
;Best Traditional World Music Album- Ali and Toumani – Ali Farka Touré & Toumani Diabaté
- Pure Sounds – Gyuto Monks of Tibet
- I Speak Fula – Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba
- Mushtari- a live concert - Cassius Khan
- Grace – Soweto Gospel Choir
- Tango Universal – Vayo
- Throw Down Your Heart, Africa Sessions Part 2: Unreleased Tracks – Béla Fleck
- All in One – Bebel Gilberto
- ÕŸÖ – Angelique Kidjo
- Bom Tempo – Sérgio Mendes
- Om Namo Narayanaya: Soul Call – Chandrika Krishnamurthy Tandon
Children's
;Best Musical Album for Children- Tomorrow's Children – Pete Seeger with the Rivertown Kids and Friends
- Here Comes Science – They Might Be Giants
- Jungle Gym – Justin Roberts
- Sunny Days –
- Weird Things Are Everywhere! – Judy Pancoast
- Julie Andrews' Collection of Poems, Songs, And Lullabies – Julie Andrews & Emma Walton Hamilton
- Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl: The Definitive Edition – Selma Blair
- The Best Candy in the Whole World – Bill Harley
- Healthy Food For Thought: Good Enough to Eat – ; Jim Cravero, Paula Lizzi & Steve Pullara, producers
- Nanny McPhee Returns – Emma Thompson
Spoken Word
;Best Spoken Word Album- Earth – Jon Stewart
- American on Purpose – Craig Ferguson
- The Bedwetter – Sarah Silverman
- A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Future... – Michael J. Fox
- This Time Together: Laughter and Reflection – Carol Burnett
- The Woody Allen Collection: Mere Anarchy, Side Effects, Without Feathers, Getting Even – Woody Allen
Comedy
;Best Comedy Album- Stark Raving Black – Lewis Black
- Cho Dependent – Margaret Cho
- I Told You I Was Freaky – Flight of the Conchords
- Kathy Griffin Does the Bible Belt – Kathy Griffin
- Weapons of Self Destruction – Robin Williams
Musical show
;Best Musical Show Album- American Idiot – Billie Joe Armstrong, producer Fela! – Robert Sher, producer A Little Night Music – Tommy Krasker, producer Promises, Promises – David Caddick & David Lai, producers Sondheim on Sondheim – Philip Chaffin & Tommy Krasker, producers
Film, TV and other visual media
;Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media;Best Score Soundtrack Album for Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media
- Toy Story 3 – Randy Newman
- Alice in Wonderland – Danny Elfman
- Avatar – James Horner
- Inception – Hans Zimmer
- Sherlock Holmes – Hans Zimmer
- "The Weary Kind"
- *Ryan Bingham & T Bone Burnett, songwriters
- "Down in New Orleans"
- *Randy Newman, songwriter
- "I See You"
- *Simon Franglen, Kuk Harrell & James Horner, songwriters
- "Kiss Like Your Kiss"
- *Lucinda Williams, songwriter
- "This City"
- *Steve Earle, songwriter
Composing and arranging
;Best Instrumental Composition- "The Path Among the Trees" – Billy Childs
- "Aurora" – Patrick Williams
- "Battle Circle" – Gerald Clayton
- "Box of Cannoli" – Tim Hagans
- "Fourth Stream...La Banda" – Bill Cunliffe
- "Carlos" – Vince Mendoza
- "Fanfare for a New Day" – Patrick Williams
- "Itsbynne Reel" – Gil Goldstein
- "Monet" – Ted Nash
- "Skip to My Lou" – Frank Macchia
- "Baba Yetu"
- *Christopher Tin, arranger
- "Baby"
- *Roger Treece, arranger
- "Based on a Thousand True Stories"
- *Vince Mendoza, arranger
- "Don't Explain"
- *Geoffrey Keezer, arranger
- "Imagine"
- *Herbie Hancock & Larry Klein, arrangers
Package
;Best Recording Package- Brothers – Michael Carney, art director
- Eggs – Malene Mathiasson, Malthe Fischer, Kristoffer Rom, Nis Svoldgård & Aske Zidore, art directors
- Hadestown – Brian Grunert, art director
- What Will We Be – Devendra Banhart & Jon Beasley, art directors
- Yonkers NY – Andrew Taray, art director
- Under Great White Northern Lights – Rob Jones & Jack White III, art directors
- Light: On the South Side – Tom Lunt, Rob Sevier & Ken Shipley, art directors
- Minotaur – Jeff Anderson & Vaughan Oliver, art directors
- A Sideman's Journey – Daniel Reiss & Klaus Voormann, art directors
- Story Island – Qing-Yang Xiao, art director
Album notes
;Best Album Notes- Keep an Eye on the Sky – Robert Gordon, album notes writer
- Alan Lomax in Haiti: Recordings for the Library of Congress, 1936–1937 – Gage Averill, album notes writer
- Side Steps – Ashley Kahn, album notes writer
- There Breathes a Hope: The Legacy of John Work III and His Fisk Jubilee Quartet, 1909–1916 – Doug Seroff, album notes writer
- True Love Cast Out All Evil – Will Sheff, album notes writer
Historical
;Best Historical Album- The Beatles (The Original Studio Recordings)
- *Jeff Jones, compilation producer; Paul Hicks, Sean Magee, Guy Massey, Sam Okell & Steve Rooke, mastering engineers
- Alan Lomax In Haiti: Recordings For The Library Of Congress, 1936–1937
- *Jeffrey A. Greenberg, David Katznelson & Anna Lomax Wood, compilation producers; Steve Rosenthal & Warren Russell-Smith, mastering engineers
- The Complete Mother's Best Recordings...Plus!
- *Colin Escott, Mike Jason & Jett Williams, compilation producers; Joseph M. Palmaccio, mastering engineer
- Not Fade Away: The Complete Studio Recordings And More
- *Andy McKaie, compilation producer; Erick Labson, mastering engineer
- Where the Action Is! Los Angeles Nuggets 1965–1968
- *Alec Palao, Cheryl Pawelski & Andrew Sandoval, compilation producers; Dan Hersch & Andrew Sandoval, mastering engineers
Production, non-classical
;Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical- Battle Studies
- *Michael H. Brauer, Joe Ferla, Chad Franscoviak & Manny Marroquin, engineers
- Dirty Side Down
- *John Keane, engineer
- Emotion & Commotion
- *Steve Lipson, engineer
- God Willin' & The Creek Don't Rise
- *Ryan Freeland, engineer
- Pink Elephant
- *Seth Presant & Leon F. Sylvers III, engineers
- Danger Mouse
- * Broken Bells – Broken Bells
- * Dark Night of the Soul – Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse
- * "Tighten Up" – The Black Keys
- Rob Cavallo
- * Brand New Eyes – Paramore
- * Hang Cool Teddy Bear – Meat Loaf
- * Happy Hour – Uncle Kracker
- * "Music Again" – Adam Lambert
- * "Soaked" – Adam Lambert
- * "Sure Fire Winners" – Adam Lambert
- * "Time for Miracles" – Adam Lambert
- * "When It's Time" – Green Day
- Dr. Luke
- * "California Gurls" – Katy Perry featuring Snoop Dogg
- * "For Your Entertainment" – Adam Lambert
- * "Hungover" – Ke$ha
- * "Kiss n Tell" – Ke$ha
- * "Magic" – B.o.B. featuring Rivers Cuomo
- * "Take It Off" – Ke$ha
- * "Teenage Dream" – Katy Perry
- * "Your Love Is My Drug" – Ke$ha
- RedOne
- * "Alejandro" – Lady Gaga
- * "Bad Romance" – Lady Gaga
- * The Fame Monster – Lady Gaga
- * "I Like It" – Enrique Iglesias Featuring Pitbull
- * "More" – Usher
- * "We Are the World 25 for Haiti" – Various Artists
- * "Whole Lotta Love" – Mary J. Blige
- The Smeezingtons
- * "Billionaire" – Travie McCoy Featuring Bruno Mars
- * "Bow Chicka Wow Wow" – Mike Posner
- * "Fuck You" – Cee Lo Green
- * "Island Queen" – Sean Kingston
- * "Just the Way You Are" – Bruno Mars
- * "Nothin' on You" – B.o.B Featuring Bruno Mars
- "Revolver "
- *David Guetta & Afrojack, remixers
- "Fantasy (Morgan Page Remix)"
- *Morgan Page, remixer
- "Funk Nasty "
- *Wolfgang Gartner, remixer
- "Orpheus "
- *Mike Rizzo, remixer
- "Sweet Disposition "
- *Axel Hedfors & Dragan Roganovic, remixers
Production, surround sound
;Best Surround Sound Album- Britten's Orchestra
- *Keith O. Johnson, surround mix engineer; Keith O. Johnson, surround mastering engineer; David Frost, surround producer
- The Incident
- *Steven Wilson, surround mix engineer; Darcy Proper, surround mastering engineer; Steven Wilson, surround producer
- Parallax Eden
- *David Miles Huber, surround mix engineer; David Miles Huber, surround mastering engineer; David Miles Huber, surround producer
- Songs and Stories
- *Don Murray, surround mix engineer; Sangwook Nam & Doug Sax, surround mastering engineers; John Burk, Noel Lee & Marcus Miller, surround producers
- Trondheimsolistene – In Folk Style
- *Morten Lindberg, surround mix engineer; Morten Lindberg, surround mastering engineer; Morten Lindberg, surround producer
Production, classical
;Best Engineered Album, Classical- Daugherty: Metropolis Symphony; Deus Ex Machina
- *Mark Donahue, John Hill & Dirk Sobotka, engineers
- Have You Ever Been...?
- *Robert Friedrich, engineer
- Mackey, Steven: Dreamhouse
- *David Frost, Tom Lazarus, Steven Mackey & Dirk Sobotka, engineers
- Porter, Quincy: Complete Viola Works
- *Leslie Ann Jones, Kory Kruckenberg & David Sabee, engineers
- Vocabularies
- *Steve Miller, Allen Sides & Roger Treece, engineers
- Blanton Alspaugh
- * Corigliano: Violin Concerto 'The Red Violin'
- * Daugherty: Metropolis Symphony; Deus Ex Machina
- * Rachmaninov: Symphony No. 2
- * Tower Of The Eight Winds – Music For Violin & Piano By Judith Shatin
- * Tyberg: Symphony No. 3; Piano Trio
- * Wind Serenades
- David Frost
- * Britten's Orchestra
- * Chambers, Evan: The Old Burying Ground
- * Dorman, Avner: Concertos For Mandolin, Piccolo, Piano And Concerto Grosso
- * The 5 Browns In Hollywood
- * Mackey, Steven: Dreamhouse
- * Meeting Of The Spirits
- * Two Roads To Exile
- Tim Handley
- * Adams: Nixon In China
- * Debussy: Le Martyre De Saint Sébastien
- * Dohnányi: Variations On A Nursery Song
- * Harris: Symphonies Nos. 5 & 6
- * Hubay: Violin Concertos Nos. 1 And 2
- * Messiaen: Poèmes pour Mi
- * Piazzolla: Sinfonía Buenos Aires
- * Ries: Works For Flute And Piano
- * Roussel: Symphony No. 1
- * Shchedrin: Concertos For Orchestra Nos. 4 & 5
- * Stamitz: Flute Concertos
- * Strauss, R: Josephs-Legende; Rosenkavalier; Die Frau Ohne Schatten
- Marina A. Ledin, Victor Ledin
- * Brubeck: Songs Of Praise
- * Cascade Of Roses
- * Gnattali: Solo & Chamber Works For Guitar
- * If I Were A Bird
- * Kletzki: Piano Concerto
- * Porter, Quincy: Complete Viola Works
- * Rubinstein: Piano Music
- * Rubinstein: Piano Music
- * 20th Century Harp Sonatas
- James Mallinson
- * Mahler: Symphony No. 2
- * Prokofiev: Romeo And Juliet
- * Shchedrin: The Enchanted Wanderer
- * Strauss, R: Ein Heldenleben; Webern: Im Sommerwind
- * Strauss, R: Eine Alpensinfonie
- * Tchaikovsky: Rococo Variations; Prokofiev: Sinfonia Concertante
- * Wagner: Parsifal
Classical
Best Classical Album- Bruckner: Symphonies Nos. 3 & 4 – Mariss Jansons, conductor; Everett Porter, producer; Everett Porter, mastering engineer
- Daugherty: Metropolis Symphony; Deus Ex Machina – Giancarlo Guerrero, conductor; Blanton Alspaugh, producer; Mark Donahue, John Hill & Dirk Sobotka, engineers/mixers
- Mackey, Steven: Dreamhouse – Gil Rose, conductor; Rinde Eckert; Catch Electric Guitar Quartet; David Frost, producer; David Frost, Tom Lazarus, Steven Mackey & Dirk Sobotka, engineers/mixers; Silas Brown, mastering engineer
- Sacrificium – Giovanni Antonini, conductor; Cecilia Bartoli; Arend Prohmann, producer; Philip Siney, engineer/mixer
- Verdi: Requiem – Riccardo Muti, conductor; Duain Wolfe, chorus master; Christopher Alder, producer; David Frost, Tom Lazarus & Christopher Willis, engineers/mixers
- Bruckner: "Symphonies Nos. 3 & 4" – Mariss Jansons, conductor
- Berg: "Lulu"
- *Antonio Pappano, conductor; Agneta Eichenholz, Jennifer Larmore, Klaus Florian Vogt & Michael Volle; David Groves, producer
- Hasse: "Marc' Antonio E Cleopatra"
- *Matthew Dirst, conductor; Jamie Barton & Ava Pine; Keith Weber, producer
- Bach: "Cantatas" – Nikolaus Harnoncourt, conductor; Erwin Ortner, chorus master
- "Baltic Runes" – Paul Hillier, conductor
- Haydn: "The Creation" – René Jacobs, conductor; Hans-Christoph Rademann, choir director
- Martin: "Golgotha" – Daniel Reuss, conductor
- Daugherty: "Deus Ex Machina" – Giancarlo Guerrero, conductor; Terrence Wilson
- Dorman, Avner: "Mandolin Concerto" – Andrew Cyr, conductor; Avi Avital
- Kletzki: "Piano Concerto in D Minor, Op. 22" – Thomas Sanderling, conductor; Joseph Banowetz
- Beethoven: "Complete Sonatas for Violin & Piano" – Isabelle Faust and Alexander Melnikov
- Gnattali: "Solo & Chamber Works for Guitar – Marc Regnier"
- "Ceremony and Devotion – Music for the Tudors" – Harry Christophers, conductor; The Sixteen
- "Ombre de Mon Amant – French Baroque Arias" – Anne Sofie von Otter
- Meeting of the Spirits – Matt Haimovitz
- Off the Map – The Silk Road Ensemble
- Roots – My Life, My Song – Jessye Norman
- Tin, Christopher: Calling All Dawns – Lucas Richman, conductor. Bill Hare & John Kurlander, engineers/mixers. Christopher Tin, producer.
Music video
;Best Short Form Music Video- "Bad Romance" – Lady Gaga
- *Francis Lawrence, video director; Heather Heller, Kathy Angstadt, Nicole Ehrlich video producers
- "Ain't No Grave" –
- *Chris Milk, video director; Jennifer Heath, Aaron Koblin & Rick Rubin, video producers
- "Love the Way You Lie" – Eminem & Rihanna
- *Joseph Kahn, video director; MaryAnn Tanedo, video producer
- "Stylo" – Gorillaz, Mos Def & Bobby Womack
- *Pete Candeland & Jamie Hewlett, video directors; Cara Speller, video producer
- "Fuck You" – Cee Lo Green
- *Matt Stawski, video director; Paul Bock, video producer
- When You're Strange – The Doors
- *Tom Dicillo, video director; John Beug, Jeff Jampol, Peter Jankowski & Dick Wolf, video producers
- No Distance Left to Run – Blur
- *Will Lovelace, Dylan Southern & Giorgio Testi, video directors; Thomas Benski, Laura Collins & Lucas Ochoa, video producers
- The Greatest Ears in Town: The Arif Mardin Story – Arif Mardin
- *Doug Biro & Joe Mardin, video directors; Doug Biro & Joe Mardin, video producers
- Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage – Rush
- *Sam Dunn & Scot McFadyen, video directors; Sam Dunn & Scot McFadyen, video producers
- Under Great White Northern Lights – The White Stripes
- *Emmett Malloy, video director; Ian Montone & Mike Sarkissian, video producers
Special Merit Awards
[MusiCares Person of the Year]
- '''Barbra Streisand'''
President's Merit Award
- '''David Geffen'''
Lifetime Achievement Award">Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award">Lifetime Achievement Award
- Julie Andrews
- Roy Haynes
- Juilliard String Quartet
- The Kingston Trio
- Dolly Parton
- Ramones
- George Beverly Shea
Trustees Award">Grammy Trustees Award">Trustees Award
[Technical Grammy Award]
Artists with multiple nominations and awards
The following artists received multiple nominations:- Ten: Eminem
- Seven: Bruno Mars
- Six: Jay-Z, Lady Antebellum, and Lady Gaga
- Five: Jeff Beck, B.o.B, David Frost, Philip Lawrence, John Legend and The Roots
- Four: Alex da Kid, The Black Keys, Drake, Cee Lo Green, Ari Levine, Katy Perry, Rihanna, Dirk Sobotka and Zac Brown
- Three: Damon Albarn, Arcade Fire, Beyoncé, Chris Brown, David Frost, Alicia Keys, Miranda Lambert, John Mayer, Muse and Neil Young
- Two: Justin Bieber, Michael Bublé, Matt Cameron, Kristin Chenoweth, Fantasia, Glee Cast, Goldfrapp La Roux, Mumford & Sons, Monica, Usher, Janelle Monáe, Pink, Robert Plant, Sade, Hayley Williams, and The White Stripes
- Five: Lady Antebellum
- Three: David Frost, Jay-Z, John Legend, Jeff Beck and Lady Gaga
- Two: The Black Keys, Eminem, Herbie Hancock, Alicia Keys, The Roots, Usher, Christopher Tin and BeBe Winans