| Year | Recipient | Work | Performing artist | Nominees
| Ref. |
| 1969 | Otis Redding
Steve Cropper | "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" | Otis Redding | | |
| 1970 | Richard Lewis Spencer | "Color Him Father" | The Winstons | | |
| 1971 | Ronald Dunbar
General Johnson | "Patches" | Clarence Carter | | |
| 1972 | Bill Withers | "Ain't No Sunshine" | Bill Withers | | |
| 1973 | Barrett Strong
Norman Whitfield | "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" | The Temptations | | |
| 1974 | Stevie Wonder | "Superstition" | Stevie Wonder | | |
| 1975 | Stevie Wonder | "Living for the City" | Stevie Wonder | | |
| 1976 | Harry Wayne Casey
Willie Clarke
Richard Finch
Betty Wright | "Where Is the Love" | Betty Wright | | |
| 1977 | Boz Scaggs
David Paich | "Lowdown" | Boz Scaggs | | |
| 1978 | Leo Sayer
Vini Poncia | "You Make Me Feel Like Dancing" | Leo Sayer | | |
| 1979 | Paul Jabara | "Last Dance" | Donna Summer | | |
| 1980 | David Foster
Jay Graydon
Bill Champlin | "After the Love Has Gone" | Earth, Wind & Fire | | |
| 1981 | Reggie Lucas
James Mtume | "Never Knew Love Like This Before" | Stephanie Mills | | |
| 1982 | Bill Withers
William Salter
Ralph MacDonald | "Just the Two of Us" | Grover Washington Jr. & Bill Withers | | |
| 1983 | Jay Graydon
Steve Lukather
Bill Champlin | "Turn Your Love Around" | George Benson | | |
| 1984 | Michael Jackson | "Billie Jean" | Michael Jackson | | |
| 1985 | Prince | "I Feel for You" | Chaka Khan | | |
| 1986 | Jeffrey E. Cohen
Narada Michael Walden | "Freeway of Love" | Aretha Franklin | | |
| 1987 | Anita Baker
Louis A. Johnson
Gary Bias | "Sweet Love" | Anita Baker | | |
| 1988 | Bill Withers | "Lean on Me" | Club Nouveau | | |
| 1989 | Anita Baker
Randy Holland
Skip Scarborough | "Giving You the Best That I Got" | Anita Baker | | |
| 1990 | Kenny Gamble
Leon Huff | "If You Don't Know Me by Now" | Simply Red | | |
| 1991 | MC Hammer
Rick James
Alonzo Miller | "U Can't Touch This" | MC Hammer | | |
| 1992 | Marcus Miller
Luther Vandross
Teddy Vann | "Power of Love/Love Power" | Luther Vandross | | |
| 1993 | Babyface
L.A. Reid
Daryl Simmons | "End of the Road" | Boyz II Men | | |
| 1994 | Janet Jackson
Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis | "That's the Way Love Goes" | Janet Jackson | | |
| 1995 | Babyface | "I'll Make Love to You" | Boyz II Men | | |
| 1996 | Stevie Wonder | "For Your Love" | Stevie Wonder | | |
| 1997 | Babyface | "Exhale (Shoop Shoop)" | Whitney Houston | | |
| 1998 | R. Kelly | "I Believe I Can Fly" | R. Kelly | | |
| 1999 | Lauryn Hill | "Doo Wop (That Thing)" | Lauryn Hill | | |
| 2000 | Kandi Burruss
Kevin Briggs
Tameka Cottle | "No Scrubs" | TLC | | |
| 2001 | Beyoncé
Rodney Jerkins
LaShawn Daniels
Fred Jerkins III
LeToya Luckett
LaTavia Roberson
Kelly Rowland | "Say My Name" | Destiny's Child | | |
| 2002 | Alicia Keys | "Fallin'" * | Alicia Keys | | |
| 2003 | Erykah Badu
Glenn Standridge
James Poyser
Madukwu Chinwah
Raphael Saadiq
Lonnie Lynn
Robert Ozuna | "Love of My Life (An Ode to Hip-Hop)" | Erykah Badu featuring Common | | |
| 2004 | Beyoncé
Jay Z
Rich Harrison | "Crazy in Love" | Beyoncé featuring Jay Z | | |
| 2005 | Alicia Keys
Harold Lilly
Kanye West | "You Don't Know My Name" | Alicia Keys | | |
| 2006 | Mariah Carey
Johntá Austin
Manuel Seal Jr.
Jermaine Dupri | "We Belong Together" | Mariah Carey | | |
| 2007 | Bryan-Michael Cox
Jason Perry
Johntá Austin
Mary J. Blige | "Be Without You" | Mary J. Blige | | |
| 2008 | Alicia Keys
Dirty Harry
Kerry "Krucial" Brothers | "No One" | Alicia Keys | | |
| 2009 | Mikkel Eriksen
Tor Hermansen
Ne-Yo | "Miss Independent" | Ne-Yo | | |
| 2010 | Thaddis Harrell
Beyoncé Knowles
Terius Nash
Christopher Stewart | "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" * | Beyoncé | | |
| 2011 | John Legend | "Shine" | John Legend & The Roots | | |
| 2012 | CeeLo Green
Melanie Fiona
Jack Splash | "Fool for You" | CeeLo Green featuring Melanie Fiona | | |
| 2013 | Miguel Pimentel | "Adorn" | Miguel | | |
| 2014 | James Fauntleroy
Jerome Harmon
Timothy Mosley
Justin Timberlake | "Pusher Love Girl" | Justin Timberlake | | |
| 2015 | Shawn Carter
Rasool Diaz
Noel Fisher
Jerome Harmon
Beyoncé Knowles
Timothy Mosley
Andre Eric Proctor
Brian Soko | "Drunk in Love" | Beyoncé | | |
| 2016 | D'Angelo
Gina Figueroa
Kendra Foster | "Really Love" | D'Angelo & The Vanguard | | |
| 2017 | Hod David
Musze | "Lake by the Ocean" | Maxwell | | |
| 2018 | Christopher Brody Brown
James Fauntleroy
Philip Lawrence
Bruno Mars
Ray Charles McCullough II
Jeremy Reeves
Ray Romulus
Jonathan Yip | "That's What I Like" * | Bruno Mars | | |
| 2019 | Larrance Dopson
Joelle James
Ella Mai
Dijon McFarlane | "Boo'd Up" | Ella Mai | | |
| 2020 | PJ Morton | "Say So" | PJ Morton featuring JoJo | | |
| 2021 | Robert Glasper, Meshell Ndegeocello & Gabriella Wilson | "Better Than I Imagined" | Robert Glasper featuring H.E.R. & Meshell Ndegeocello | | |
| 2022 | Brandon Anderson, Christopher Brody Brown, Dernst Emile II & Bruno Mars | "Leave the Door Open" * | Silk Sonic | | |
| 2023 | Denisia "Blu June" Andrews, Beyoncé, Brittany "Chi" Coney, Terius "The-Dream" Gesteelde-Diamant, Morten Ristorp, Nile Rodgers and Raphael Saadiq | "Cuff It" | Beyoncé | | |
| 2024 | Babyface, Blair Ferguson, Khris Riddick-Tynes, Solána Rowe and Leon Thomas | "Snooze" | SZA | | |
| 2025 | Rob Bisel, Carter Lang, Solána Rowe, Jared Solomon & Scott Zhang | "Saturn" | SZA | | |
| 2026 | | | | | |