| Record of the Year |
"What a Fool Believes", Doobie Brothers |
| Album of the Year |
52nd Street, Billy Joel (Columbia) |
| Song of the Year |
"What a Fool Believes", Kenny Loggins and Michael McDonald, songwriters |
| Best New Artist |
Rickie Lee Jones |
| Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male |
52nd Street, Billy Joel |
| Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female |
"I'll Never Love This Way Again", Dionne Warwick |
| Best Pop Vocal Performance By a Duo, Group or Chorus |
Minute by Minute, Doobie Brothers |
| Best Pop Instrumental Performance |
"Rise", Herb Alpert |
| Best Rock Vocal Performance, Male |
"Gotta Serve Somebody", Bob Dylan |
| Best Rock Vocal Performance, Female |
"Hot Stuff", Donna Summer |
| Best Rock Vocal Performance By a Duo or Group |
"Heartache Tonight", Eagles |
| Best Rock Instrumental Performance |
"Rockestra Theme", Wings |
| Best Rhythm and Blues Song |
"After the Love Has Gone", David Foster, Jay Graydon and Bill Champlin, songwriters |
| Best Rhythm and Blues Vocal Performance, Male |
"Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough", Michael Jackson |
| Best Rhythm and Blues Vocal Performance, Female |
"Deja Vu", Dionne Warwick |
| Best Rhythm and Blues Vocal Performance By a Duo, Group or Chorus |
"After the Love Has Gone", Earth, Wind and Fire |
| Best Rhythm and Blues Instrumental Performance |
"Boogie Wonderland", Earth, Wind and Fire |
Best Disco Recording
 Gloria Gaynor |
|
"I Will Survive", Gloria Gaynor (Polydor) |
| Best Jazz Vocal Performance |
Fine and Mellow, Ella Fitzgerald |
| Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Soloist |
Jousts, Oscar Peterson |
| Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Group |
Duet, Gary Burton and Chick Corea |
| Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Big Band |
At Fargo, 1940 Live, Duke Ellington |
| Best Jazz Fusion Performance, Vocal or Instrumental |
8:30, Weather Report |
| Best Country Song |
"You Decorated My Life", Debbie Hupp and Bob Morrison, songwriters |
| Best Country Vocal Performance, Male |
"The Gambler", Kenny Rogers |
| Best Country Vocal Performance, Female |
Blue Kentucky Girl, Emmylou Harris |
| Best Country Vocal Performance By a Duo or Group |
"The Devil Went Down to Georgia", Charlie Daniels Band |
| Best Country Instrumental Performance |
"Big Sandy/Leather Britches", Doc and Merle Watson |
| Best Gospel Performance, Contemporary or Inspirational |
Heed the Call, Imperials |
| Best Gospel Performance, Traditional |
Lift Up the Name of Jesus, Blackwood Brothers |
| Best Soul Gospel Performance, Contemporary |
I'll Be Thinking of You, Andrae Crouch |
| Best Soul Gospel Performance, Traditional |
Changing Times, Mighty Clouds of Joy |
| Best Latin Recording |
Irakere, Irakere (Columbia) |
| Best Inspirational Performance |
You Gave Me Love (When Nobody Gave Me a Prayer), B.J. Thomas |
| Best Ethnic or Traditional Recording |
Muddy "Mississippi” Waters Live, Muddy Waters (Sky/CBS) |
| Best Instrumental Arrangement |
"Soulful Strut", Claus Ogerman, arranger |
| Best Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s) |
"What a Fool Believes", Michael McDonald, arranger |
| Best Instrumental Composition |
"Main Title Theme From Superman", John Williams, composer |
| Best Cast Show Album |
Sweeney Todd, Stephen Sondheim, composer and Iyricist (RCA) |
| Best Album of Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or a Television Special |
Superman, John Williams, composer (Warner Bros.) |
| Best Classical Album |
Brahms, Symphonies Complete, Sir Georg Solti conducting Chicago Symphony Orchestra (London) |
| Best Classical Orchestral Recording |
Brahms, Symphonies Complete, Sir Georg Solti conducting Chicago Symphony Orchestra (London) |
| Best Chamber Music Performance |
Copland, Appalachian Spring, Dennis Russell Davies conducting St. Paul Chamber Orchestra |
| Best Classical Performance, Instrumental Soloist(s) (With Orchestra) |
Bartók, Concertos for Piano nos. 1 and 2, Maurizio Pollini; Abbado conducting Chicago Symphony Orchestra |
| Best Classical Performance, Instrumental Soloist(s) (Without Orchestra) |
The Horowitz Concerts 1978/79, Vladimir Horowitz |
| Best Opera Recording |
Britten, Peter Grimes, Colin Davis conducting Orchestra and Chorus of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden; solos: Vickers, Harper and Summers (Philips) |
| Best Choral Performance, Classical (Other Than Opera) |
Brahms, A German Requiem, Sir Georg Solti, conductor and Margaret Hillis, choral director, Chicago Symphony Chorus and Orchestra |
| Best Classical Vocal Soloist Performance |
O Sole Mio, Luciano Pavarotti |
| Best Comedy Recording |
Reality . . .What a Concept, Robin Williams (Casablanca) |
| Best Spoken Word, Documentary or Drama Recording |
Ages of Man (Readings From Shakespeare), Sir John Gielgud (Caedmon) |
| Best Recording for Children |
The Muppet Movie, Jim Henson, creator (Atlantic) |
| Best Album Package |
Breakfast in America, Mike Doud and Mick Haggerty, art directors (A&M) |
| Best Album Notes |
Charlie Parker: The Complete Savoy Sessions, Bob Porter and James Patrick, annotators (Savoy) |
| Best Historical Reissue |
Billie Holiday (Giants of Jazz) (Time Life) |
| Producer of the Year (Non-Classical) |
Larry Butler |
| Classical Producer of the Year |
James Mallinson |
