33rd Annual Grammy Awards


The 33rd Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 20, 1991. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the previous year. Quincy Jones was the night's biggest winner, winning a total of six awards including Album of the Year.

Presenters

Award winners

General

;Record of the Year"Another Day in Paradise" – Phil Collins
;Album of the YearBack on the Block – Quincy Jones
;Song of the Year"From a Distance"
;Best New ArtistMariah Carey

Alternative

;Best Alternative Music AlbumI Do Not Want What I Haven't Got – Sinéad O'ConnorStrange Angels – Laurie AndersonThe Sensual World – Kate BushAll Shook Down – The ReplacementsGoodbye Jumbo – World Party

Blues

;Best Traditional Blues RecordingLive at San Quentin – B. B. KingStanding My Ground – Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown
;Best Contemporary Blues RecordingFamily Style – Jimmie Vaughan & Stevie Ray VaughanMidnight Stroll – The Robert Cray Band featuring The Memphis HornsJump for Joy – Koko Taylor

Children's

;Best Recording for ChildrenThe Little Mermaid – Alan Menken & Howard Ashman Doc Watson Sings Songs for Little Pickers – Doc WatsonHow the Leopard Got His Spots – Danny Glover & Ladysmith Black MambazoThe Little Mermaid: Read Along – Roy DotriceThe Rock-A-Bye Collection, Volume 2 – Tanya Goodman

Classical

;Best Orchestral PerformanceShostakovich: Symphonies Nos. 1 & [Symphony No. Symphony No. 7 (Shostakovich)|7 (Shostakovich)|7]
;Best Classical Vocal PerformanceCarreras, Domingo, Pavarotti in Concert
;Best Opera RecordingWagner: Das Rheingold
;Best Choral Performance (other than opera)Walton: Belshazzar's Feast/Bernstein: Chichester Psalms; Missa Brevis
;Best Classical Performance, Instrumental Soloist (with orchestra)Shostakovich: Violin Concerto No. 1 in A Minor/ Glazunov: Violin Concerto in A Minor
;Best Classical Performance, Instrumental Soloist (without orchestra)The Last Recording – Vladimir HorowitzCarter: Night Fantasies; Adams: Phrygian Gates – Ursula OppensDebussy: 12 Piano Études – Mitsuko UchidaMozart: Piano Sonatas K. 283, 331, 332, 333 – Alicia de LarrochaPaganini: 24 Caprices for Solo Violin, Op. 1 – Midori
;Best Chamber Music or Other Small Ensemble PerformanceBrahms: The Three Violin Sonatas
;Best Contemporary CompositionBernstein: Arias & Barcarolles
;Best Classical AlbumIves: Symphony No. 2; The Gong on the Hook and Ladder; Central Park in the Dark; The Unanswered Question

Comedy

Composing and arranging

Country

Folk

Gospel

Historical

Jazz

Latin

Musical show

Music video

New Age

Packaging and notes

Polka

Pop

Production and engineering

R&B

Rap

Reggae

Rock

Spoken

Special merit awards

[MusiCares Person of the Year]

Reception

In a contemporary review, Variety described the telecast was "one of the most unmemorable in memory" and that "This year's telecast was doomed from the moment Sinead O'Connor, the artist behind the year's most compelling record, announced that she would boycott the show because the awards celebrate commercialism." The review critiqued the performers stating that Garth Brooks stage set up resembled a "Noël Coward play", Billy Idol changed a lyric of "Cradle of Love" to state "This song is so cheesy" and that MC Hammer appeared to be wrapped in aluminium foil.
The review spoke positively about performance of En Vogue and Take 6 and the a cappella performance by Tracy Chapman.