Every Winner Of Album Of The Year At The Grammys
Taylor Swift at the 2024 Grammy Awards.
Kevin Winter/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
- There have been 66 album of the year winners since the first Grammys ceremony in 1959.
- Taylor Swift made history in 2024 as the first person to win album of the year four times.
- Beyoncé, Chappell Roan, Sabrina Carpenter, and Billie Eilish are among those nominated this year.
The 67th Annual Grammy Awards will be held on Sunday in Los Angeles.
Every nominee hopes to clinch the top prize of the night: album of the year. The coveted prize 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.
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.
Swift could break her own record again this year for most album of the year wins if "The Tortured Poets Department" takes home the award.
However, she's got strong competition in the category. Grammy darlings Billie Eilish and Beyoncé, as well as pop superstars Sabrina Carpenter and Charli XCX, whose hit songs "Espresso" and "360" dominated pop culture this summer, are all nominated. Another nominee, Chappell Roan, has had a standout year, with six Grammy nominations to show for it. Rounding out the category are the multi-talented André 3000 and Jacob Collier, whom BI's Callie Ahlgrim called "dark horses in a pop-heavy album of the year contest."
Here's every winner of album of the year throughout history.
Harold P. Matosian
Mancini, pictured left, was the inaugural winner of the award.
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Sinatra won his first of three album of the year awards in 1960.
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Newhart starred in "The Big Bang Theory" as Professor Proton.
Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Garland was recently played by Renee Zellweger in "Judy," for which she won an Oscar — one award that eluded Garland.
AP Photo
The album was a musical spoof based on the Kennedys.
Photo by John Salangsang/Invision/AP
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.
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This year marked the first time two people won the award.
Associated Press
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.
AP Photo/Bill Kostroun
Until 2024 — when Taylor Swift won for the fourth time — Sinatra held the joint record for the most wins for this award.
AP
The Beatles became the first band to win album of the year.
Harold Matosian/AP
Campbell beat The Beatles and Simon & Garfunkel to the award this year.
Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
Johnny Cash and The Beatles lost the award to Blood, Sweat & Tears.
AP Photo
Paul Simon also won twice as a solo artist. Therefore, he has technically won this award three times.
Michael Loccisano/Getty Images
Carole King has won a total of five competitive categories, plus three honorary awards.
AP
Harrison also won the award as a member of The Beatles in 1968.
Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
Stevie Wonder won his first of three album of the year awards in 1974.
AP
Wonder won consecutive awards in 1975 and 1976, the first person to do so since Frank Sinatra in 1966 and 1967.
AP
This was the first of Simon's wins as a solo artist.
AP
Wonder won his third album of the year this year, making it three wins in four years.
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Fleetwood Mac beat John Williams and his "Star Wars" score to the award this year.
Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
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.
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Billy Joel beat Donna Summer and Kenny Rogers to become the first winner of the 1980s.
AP Photo
Christopher Cross beat three-time winner Frank Sinatra to claim this award.
AP Photo/Steve Sands
John Lennon won his second award with his wife, Yoko, following his first win with The Beatles in 1968.
Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
Paul McCartney lost his first nomination for this award as a solo artist to the band.
Doug Pizac/AP Images
Michael Jackson won eight awards this year.
Barry King/WireImage/Getty Images
Lionel Richie beat legend Tina Turner to the award this year.
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This album contained two US No. 1 hits: "One More Night" and "Sussudio."
Ilya S. Savenok/Getty Images
Simon won his second award as a solo artist this year.
Al Bello/ Getty Images
This was the first of U2's two album of the year wins.
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"Faith" contained hits such as "Faith" and "One More Try."
Bettmann/Getty Images
Bonnie Raitt beat Tom Petty's "Full Moon Fever" to this award in 1990.
Jason Merritt/Getty
Surprisingly, this was Quincy Jones's first win in this category, despite serving as a producer on several album of the year-winning albums.
Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images
Natalie Cole won the award this year, preventing nominee Paul Simon from winning his third award for album of the year.
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As well as winning this prestigious award, Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Getty/Kevin Winter
This was Houston's only win in this category and only the second time a movie's soundtrack won this award.
AP
This album was created as a result of Bennett's appearance on the MTV show "MTV Unplugged."
REUTERS
Alanis Morissette beat Michael Jackson and Mariah Carey to win this award.
Richard Corkery/NY Daily News Archive/Getty Images
Two years after her win here, Dion also won four Grammys for her "Titanic" song, "My Heart Will Go On."
Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
In 2001, Dylan added to his awards collection with a best original song Oscar for "Things Have Changed" from the film "Wonder Boys."
Getty/Kevin Winter
Lauryn Hill beat Shania Twain and Madonna to win this award.
HECTOR GUERRERO/AFP via Getty Images
Santana won this award with their 18th studio album.
Scott Gries/Getty Images
Steely Dan beat Radiohead, Paul Simon, Eminem, and Beck to win this award.
Buena Vista Pictures Distribution/Universal Pictures
It was the third film to win.
Scott Gries/Getty Images
Norah Jones won this award with her debut studio album.
Rick Diamond/WireImage
OutKast is an American hip-hop duo consisting of Andre 3000 and Big Boi.
Kevork Djansezian/AP
This same year, Jamie Foxx won the best actor Oscar for playing Ray Charles in the biopic "Ray."
David McNew/Newsmakers/Getty Images
This was U2's second win in this category.
Frank Micelotta/Getty Images
The Chicks have won a total of 12 Grammys, including five in 2007 when they won this award.
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This album is only the second jazz album to win this award and is a tribute album of cover songs written by Joni Mitchell.
Jason Merritt/Getty Images
Robert Plant was previously the lead singer of Led Zeppelin, who were never nominated for album of the year.
Matt Sayles/AP
Taylor Swift became the youngest artist to ever win album of the year. This record has since been broken by Billie Eilish.
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Arcade Fire beat Eminem, Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, and Lady A to win this award.
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
This was Adele's first Grammy win for album of the year.
Getty
Mumford & Sons beat Frank Ocean's "Channel Orange" to win this award.
Jamie McCarthy/Getty
Daft Punk won five Grammy awards this year.
Jason Merritt/Getty Images
Beck beat Beyonce, Sam Smith, Pharrell Williams, and Ed Sheeran.
Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic/Getty Images
Taylor Swift won her second album of the year award this year. She was the youngest person ever to win two.
AP
Adele matched Taylor Swift's two wins (at this point) in this category with her own second win, following her first in 2012.
Michael Loccisano/Getty Images for NARAS
Bruno Mars has won 15 Grammys, six of which came in 2018.
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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.
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Billie Eilish became the youngest-ever winner of this award at age 18, beating Swift's previous record of 20 years old.
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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."
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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.
Kevin Winter/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
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."
VALERIE MACON/AFP/Getty Images
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.