3rd Annual Grammy Awards

The 3rd Annual Grammy Awards were held on April 13, 1961, at Los Angeles and New York. They recognized musical accomplishments by the performers for the year 1960. Ray Charles won four awards and Bob Newhart and Henry Mancini each won three awards. Award winners Record of the Year Percy Faith for "Theme from A Summer Place" Album of the Year Bob Newhart for The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart Song of the Year Ernest Gold for "Theme of Exodus" Best New Artist Bob Newhart Children's Best Album Created for Children Ross Bagdasarian Sr. for Let's All Sing With the Chipmunks performed by Ross Bagdasarian Sr. as "David Seville and the Chipmunks" Classical Best Classical Performance - Orchestra Fritz Reiner (conductor) & the Chicago Symphony Orchestra for Bartók: Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta Best Classical Performance - Vocal Soloist Leontyne Price for A Program of Song - Leontyne Price Recital Best Classical Opera Production Erich Leinsdorf (conductor), Birgit Nilsson, Giorgio Tozzi, Jussi Björling, Renata Tebaldi & the Rome Opera Orchestra for Puccini: Turandot Best Classical Performance - Choral (including oratorio) Thomas Beecham (conductor) & the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra & Chorus for Handel: Messiah Best Classical Performance - Concerto or Instrumental Soloist Erich Leinsdorf (conductor), Sviatoslav Richter & the Chicago Symphony Orchestra for Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 2 in B Flat Best Classical Performance - Instrumental Soloist or Duo (other than with orchestral accompaniment) Laurindo Almeida for The Spanish Guitars of Laurindo Almeida Best Classical Performance - Vocal or Instrumental - Chamber Music Laurindo Almeida for Conversations With the Guitar Best Contemporary Classical Composition Aaron Copland (composer & conductor) & the Boston Symphony Orchestra for Orchestral Suite from The Tender Land Suite