| Record of the Year |
"We Are the World", USA for Africa |
| Album of the Year |
No Jacket Required, Phil Collins (Atlantic) |
| Song of the Year |
"We Are the World", Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, songwriters |
| Best New Artist |
Sade |
| Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male |
No Jacket Required, Phil Collins |
| Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female |
"Saving All My Love for You", Whitney Houston |
| Best Pop Performance By a Duo or Group With Vocal |
"We Are the World", USA for Africa |
| Best Pop Instrumental Performance |
"Miami Vice Theme", Jan Hammer |
| Best Rock Vocal Performance, Male |
"The Boys of Summer", Don Henley |
| Best Rock Vocal Performance, Female |
"One of the Living", Tina Turner |
| Best Rock Performance By a Duo or Group With Vocal |
"Money for Nothing", Dire Straits |
| Best Rock Instrumental Performance |
"Escape", Jeff Beck |
| Best Rhythm and Blues Song |
"Freeway of Love", Narada Michael Walden and Jeffrey Cohen, songwriters |
| Best Rhythm and Blues Vocal Performance, Male |
In Square Circle, Stevie Wonder |
| Best Rhythm and Blues Vocal Performance, Female |
"Freeway of Love", Aretha Franklin |
| Best Rhythm and Blues Performance By a Duo or Group With Vocal |
"Nightshift", Commodores |
| Best Rhythm and Blues Instrumental Performance |
Musician, Ernie Watts |
| Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Male |
"Another Night in Tunisia", Jon Hendricks and Bobby McFerrin |
| Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Female |
Cleo at Carnegie (The 10th Anniversary Concert), Cleo Laine |
| Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Duo or Group |
Vocalese, Manhattan Transfer |
| Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Soloist |
Black Codes From the Underground, Wynton Marsalis |
| Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Group |
Black Codes From the Underground, Wynton Marsalis Group |
| Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Big Band |
The Cotton Club - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, John Barry and Bob Wilber |
| Best Jazz Fusion Performance, Vocal or Instrumental |
Straight to the Heart, David Sanborn |
| Best Country Song |
"Highwayman", Jimmy L. Webb, songwriter |
| Best Country Vocal Performance, Male |
"Lost in the Fifties Tonight” (In the Still of the Night), Ronnie Milsap |
| Best Country Vocal Performance, Female |
"I Don't Know Why You Don't Want Me", Rosanne Cash |
| Best Country Performance By a Duo or Group With Vocal |
Why Not Me, Judds |
| Best Country Instrumental Performance |
"Cosmic Square Dance", Chet Atkins and Mark Knopfler |
| Best Gospel Performance, Male |
"How Excellent Is Thy Name", Larnelle Harris |
| Best Gospel Performance, Female |
Unguarded, Amy Grant |
| Best Soul Gospel Performance, Male |
"Bring Back the Days of Yea and Nay", Marvin Winans |
| Best Soul Gospel Performance, Female |
"Martin", Shirley Caesar |
| Best Soul Gospel Performance By a Duo or Group |
Tomorrow, Winans |
| Best Latin Pop Performance |
Ec Facil Amar, Lani Hall |
| Best Tropical Latin Performance (tie) |
Mambo Diablo, Tito Puente and His Latin Ensemble |
|
Solito, Eddie Palmieri |
| Best Mexican/American Performance |
Simplemente Mujer, Vikki Carr |
| Best Inspirational Performance |
"Come Sunday", Jennifer Holliday |
| Best Traditional Blues Recording |
"My Guitar Sings the Blues", B.B. King (MCA) |
| Best Ethnic or Traditional Folk Recording |
"My Toot Toot", Rockin' Sidney (Maison De Soul) |
| Best Reggae Recording |
Cliff Hanger, Jimmy Cliff (Columbia/CBS) |
| Best Polka Recording |
70 Years of Hits, Frank Yankovic (Cleveland International/CBS) |
| Best Arrangement on an Instrumental |
"Early a.m. Attitude", Dave Grusin and Lee Ritenour, arrangers |
| Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocal(s) |
"Lush Life", Nelson Riddle, arranger |
| Best Vocal Arrangement for Two or More Voices |
"Another Night in Tunisia", Cheryl Bentyne and Bobby McFerrin, arrangers |
| Best Instrumental Composition |
"Miami Vice Theme", Jan Hammer, composer |
| Best Cast Show Album |
West Side Story, Stephen Sondheim, lyricist; Leonard Bernstein, composer (Deutsche Grammophone) |
| Best Album of Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or Television Special |
Beverly Hills Cop, Sharon Robinson, Jon Gilutin, Bunny Hull, Hawk, Howard Hewett, Micki Free, Sue Sheridan, Howie Rice, Keith Forsey, Harold Faltermeyer, Allee Willis, Dan Sembello, Marc Benno and Richard Theisen, composers and songwriters (MCA) |
| Best Contemporary Composition |
Requiem, Andrew Lloyd Webber, composer (Angel) |
| Best Classical Album |
Berlioz, Requiem, Robert Shaw conducting Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chorus; solo: Aler (Telarc) |
| Best New Classical Artist |
Chicago Pro Musica |
| Best Classical Orchestral Recording |
Fauré, Pelléas et Mélisande, Robert Shaw conducting Atlanta Symphony Orchestra |
| Best Chamber Music Performance |
Brahms, Cello and Piano Sonatas in E Minor and F Major, Emanuel Ax and Yo-Yo Ma |
| Best Classical Performance, Instrumental Soloist(s) (With Orchestra) |
Elgar, Cello Concerto, Op. 85; Walton, Concerto for Cello and Orchestra, Yo-Yo Ma; André Previn conducting London Symphony Orchestra |
| Best Classical Performance, Instrumental Soloist(s) (Without Orchestra) |
Ravel, Gaspard de la Nuit, Pavane Pour Une Infant Defunte, Valses Nobles et Sentimentales, Vladimir Ashkenazy |
| Best Opera Recording |
Schoenberg, Moses und Aron, Sir Georg Solti conducting Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Chorus; solos: Mazura and Langridge (London) |
| Best Choral Performance (Other Than Opera) |
Berlioz, Requiem, Robert Shaw conducting Atlanta Symphony Chorus and Orchestra |
| Best Classical Vocal Soloist Performance |
Berlioz, Requiem, John Aler; Robert Shaw conducting Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chorus |
| Best Comedy Recording |
Whoopi Goldberg (Original Broadway Show Recording), Whoopi Goldberg (Geffen) |
| Best Spoken Word or Non-Musical Recording |
Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, Original Broadway cast (Manhattan) |
| Best Recording for Children |
Follow That Bird (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack), Jim Henson's Muppets and the Sesame Street cast (RCA) |
| Best Album Package |
Lush Life, Kosh and Ron Larson, art directors (Asylum) |
| Best Album Notes |
Sam Cooke Live at the Harlem Square Club, 1963, Peter Guralnick, annotator (RCA) |
| Best Historical Album |
RCA/MET - 100 Singers-100 Years, Melba, Schumann-Heink, Caruso, Price, Verrett, Domingo and 94 others (RCA Red Seal) |
| Best Music Video, Short Form |
"We Are the World, the Video Event", USA for Africa |
| Best Music Video, Long Form |
"Huey Lewis and the News: The Heart of Rock 'n Roll", Huey Lewis and the News |
| Producers of the Year (Non-Classical) |
Phil Collins and Hugh Padgham |
| Classical Producer of the Year |
Robert Woods |
