Last Updated on March 21, 2023 by Scott Shetler
Most career Album of the Year nominations (as primary artist)
Paul McCartney 9 (includes 5 with the Beatles & 1 with Wings)
George Harrison 8 (includes 5 with the Beatles & 1 with Traveling Wilburys)
Frank Sinatra 8
Paul Simon 7 (includes 2 with Simon & Garfunkel)
John Lennon 6 (includes 5 with the Beatles)
Barbra Streisand 6
Beatles 5
Donald Fagen 5 (includes 3 with Steely Dan)
Billy Joel 5
Taylor Swift 5
Kendrick Lamar 5
Beyonce 4
Bob Dylan 4 (includes 1 with Traveling Wilburys)
Henry Mancini 4
Sting 4 (includes 1 with the Police)
U2 4
Kanye West 4
Most career Album of the Year wins (as primary artist)
Taylor Swift 3
Stevie Wonder 3
Paul Simon 3 (includes 1 with Simon & Garfunkel)
Frank Sinatra 3
Adele 2
U2 2
Most career Album of the Year wins (as engineer/mixer)
Tom Coyne 4
John Hanes 4
Serban Ghenea 4
Grammy Awards: Album of the Year Winners and Nominees By Year
Winners in bold; other nominees listed beneath.
2023: Harry’s House, Harry Styles
Voyage, ABBA
30, Adele
Un Verano Sin Ti, Bad Bunny
Renaissance, Beyonce
Good Morning Gorgeous, Mary J. Blige
In These Silent Days, Brandi Carlile
Music of the Spheres, Coldplay
Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers, Kendrick Lamar
Special, Lizzo
2022: We Are, Jon Batiste
Love for Sale, Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga
Justice, Justin Bieber
Planet Her, Doja Cat
Happier Than Ever, Billie Eilish
Back of My Mind, H.E.R.
Montero, Lil Nas X
Sour, Olivia Rodrigo
Evermore, Taylor Swift
Donda, Kanye West
2021: Folklore, Taylor Swift
Chilombo, Jhene Aiko
Black Pumas (Deluxe Edition), Black Pumas
Everyday Life, Coldplay
Djesse Vol. 3, Jacob Collier
Women in Music Pt. III, Haim
Future Nostalgia, Dua Lipa
Hollywood’s Bleeding, Post Malone
2020: When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?, Billie Eilish
i, i, Bon Iver
Norman Fucking Rockwell, Lana Del Rey
I Used to Know Her, H.E.R.
Thank U, Next, Ariana Grande
7, Lil Nas X
Cuz I Love You (Deluxe), Lizzo
Father of the Bride, Vampire Weekend
2019: Golden Hour, Kacey Musgraves
Invasion of Privacy, Cardi B
By the Way, I Forgive You, Brandi Carlile
Scorpion, Drake
H.E.R., H.E.R.
Black Panther: The Album, Kendrick Lamar & others
Beerbongs & Bentleys, Post Malone
Dirty Computer, Janelle Monae
2018: 24K Magic, Bruno Mars
Awaken My Love, Childish Gambino
4:44, Jay-Z
DAMN, Kendrick Lamar
Melodrama, Lorde
2017: 25, Adele
Lemonade, Beyonce
Purpose, Justin Bieber
Views, Drake
A Sailor’s Guide to Earth, Sturgill Simpson
2016: 1989, Taylor Swift
Sound & Color, Alabama Shakes
To Pimp a Butterfly, Kendrick Lamar
Traveller, Chris Stapleton
Beauty Behind the Madness, the Weeknd
2015: Morning Phase, Beck
Beyonce, Beyonce
Girl, Pharrell Williams
In the Lonely Hour, Sam Smith
X, Ed Sheeran
2014: Random Access Memories, Daft Punk
The Blessed Unrest, Sara Bareilles
Good Kid, m.a.a.d City, Kendrick Lamar
The Heist, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
Red, Taylor Swift
2013: Babel, Mumford & Sons
El Camino, Black Keys
Channel Orange, Frank Ocean
Some Nights, fun.
Blunderbuss, Jack White
2012: 21, Adele
Wasting Light, Foo Fighters
Born This Way, Lady Gaga
Doo Wops and Hooligans, Bruno Mars
Loud, Rihanna
2011: The Suburbs, Arcade Fire
Recovery, Eminem
Need You Now, Lady Antebellum
The Fame Monster, Lady Gaga
Teenage Dream, Katy Perry
2010: Fearless, Taylor Swift
I Am…Sasha Fierce, Beyonce
The E.N.D., Black Eyed Peas
The Fame, Lady Gaga
Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King, Dave Matthews Band
2009: Raising Sand, Robert Plant & Alison Krauss
Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends, Coldplay
Year of the Gentleman, Ne-Yo
In Rainbows, Radiohead
Tha Carter III, Lil Wayne
2008: River: The Joni Letters, Herbie Hancock
Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace, Foo Fighters
These Days, Vince Gill
Graduation, Kanye West
Back to Black, Amy Winehouse
2007: Taking the Long Way, Dixie Chicks
St. Elsewhere, Gnarls Barkley
Continuum, John Mayer
Stadium Arcadium, Red Hot Chili Peppers
FutureSex/LoveSounds, Justin Timberlake
2006: How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, U2
The Emancipation of Mimi, Mariah Carey
Chaos and Creation in the Backyard, Paul McCartney
Love.Angel.Music.Baby, Gwen Stefani
Late Registration, Kanye West
2005: Genius Loves Company, Ray Charles
American Idiot, Green Day
The Diary of Alicia Keys, Alicia Keys
Confessions, Usher
The College Dropout, Kanye West
2004: Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, Outkast
Under Construction, Missy Elliott
Fallen, Evanescence
Justified, Justin Timberlake
Elephant, White Stripes
2003: Come Away With Me, Norah Jones
Home, Dixie Chicks
The Eminem Show, Eminem
Nellyville, Nelly
The Rising, Bruce Springsteen
2002: O Brother, Where Art Thou?, soundtrack
Acoustic Soul, India.Arie
Love and Theft, Bob Dylan
Stankonia, Outkast
All That You Can’t Leave Behind, U2
2001: Two Against Nature, Steely Dan
Midnite Vultures, Beck
The Marshall Mathers LP, Eminem
Kid A, Radiohead
You’re the One, Paul Simon
2000: Supernatural, Santana
Millennium, Backstreet Boys
Fly, Dixie Chicks
When I Look in Your Eyes, Diana Krall
FanMail, TLC
1999: The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, Lauryn Hill
Ray of Light, Madonna
The Globe Sessions, Sheryl Crow
Version 2.0, Garbage
Come on Over, Shania Twain
1998: Time Out of Mind, Bob Dylan
The Day, Babyface
This Fire, Paula Cole
Flaming Pie, Paul McCartney
OK Computer, Radiohead
1997: Falling Into You, Celine Dion
Odelay, Beck
The Score, Fugees
Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, Smashing Pumpkins
Waiting to Exhale, soundtrack
1996: Jagged Little Pill, Alanis Morissette
Daydream, Mariah Carey
HIStory: Past Present and Future Book 1, Michael Jackson
Relish, Joan Osborne
Vitalogy, Pearl Jam
1995: MTV Unplugged, Tony Bennett
The Three Tenors in Concert 1994, Jose Carreras, Placido Domingo, Luciano Pavarotti, Zubin Mehta
From the Cradle, Eric Clapton
Longing in Their Hearts, Bonnie Raitt
Seal, Seal
1994: The Bodyguard soundtrack, Whitney Houston
Kamakiriad, Donald Fagen
River of Dreams, Billy Joel
Automatic for the People, R.E.M.
Ten Summoner’s Tales, Sting
1993: Unplugged, Eric Clapton
Ingenue, k.d. lang
Diva, Annie Lennox
Achtung Baby, U2
Beauty and the Beast, soundtrack
1992: Unforgettable…with Love, Natalie Cole
Heart in Motion, Amy Grant
Luck of the Draw, Bonnie Raitt
Out of Time, R.E.M.
The Rhythm of the Saints, Paul Simon
1991: Back on the Block, Quincy Jones
Mariah Carey, Mariah Carey
…But Seriously, Phil Collins
Please, Hammer, Don’t Hurt ‘Em, MC Hammer
Wilson Phillips, Wilson Phillips
1990: Nick of Time, Bonnie Raitt
The End of the Innocence, Don Henley
The Raw and the Cooked, Fine Young Cannibals
Full Moon Fever, Tom Petty
Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1, Traveling Wilburys
1989: Faith, George Michael
Tracy Chapman, Tracy Chapman
Simple Pleasures, Bobby McFerrin
…Nothing Like the Sun, Sting
Roll With It, Steve Winwood
1988: The Joshua Tree, U2
Whitney, Whitney Houston
Bad, Michael Jackson
Trio, Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt & Emmylou Harris
Sign ‘o’ the Times, Prince
1987: Graceland, Paul Simon
So, Peter Gabriel
Control, Janet Jackson
The Broadway Album, Barbra Streisand
Back in the High Life, Steve Winwood
1986: No Jacket Required, Phil Collins
Brothers in Arms, Dire Straits
Whitney Houston, Whitney Houston
The Dream of the Blue Turtles, Sting
We are the World, USA for Africa (Quincy Jones)
1985: Can’t Slow Down, Lionel Richie
She’s So Unusual, Cyndi Lauper
Purple Rain, Prince
Born in the USA, Bruce Springsteen
Private Dancer, Tina Turner
1984: Thriller, Michael Jackson
Let’s Dance, David Bowie
An Innocent Man, Billy Joel
Synchronicity, the Police
Flashdance, soundtrack
1983: Toto IV, Toto
American Fool, John Cougar
The Nightfly, Donald Fagen
The Nylon Curtain, Billy Joel
Tug of War, Paul McCartney
1982: Double Fantasy, John Lennon & Yoko Ono
Mistaken Identity, Kim Carnes
Breakin’ Away, Al Jarreau
The Dude, Quincy Jones
Gaucho, Steely Dan
1981: Christopher Cross, Christopher Cross
Glass Houses, Billy Joel
The Wall, Pink Floyd
Trilogy: Past Present Future, Frank Sinatra
Guilty, Barbra Streisand
1980: 52nd Street, Billy Joel
Minute by Minute, Doobie Brothers
The Gambler, Kenny Rogers
Bad Girls, Donna Summer
Breakfast in Americam Supertramp
1979: Saturday Night Fever, Bee Gees
Even Now, Barry Manilow
Grease, soundtrack
Running on Empty, Jackson Browne
Some Girls, Rolling Stones
1978: Rumours, Fleetwood Mac
Aja, Steely Dan
Hotel California, Eagles
JT, James Taylor
Star Wars soundtrack, John Williams
1977: Songs in the Key of Life, Stevie Wonder
Breezin’, George Benson
Chicago X, Chicago
Frampton Comes Alive!, Peter Frampton
Silk Degrees, Boz Scaggs
1976: Still Crazy After All These Years, Paul Simon
Between the Lines, Janis Ian
Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy, Elton John
Heart Like a Wheel, Linda Ronstadt
One of These Nights, the Eagles
1975: Fulfillingness’ First Finale, Stevie Wonder
Back Home Again, John Denver
Band on the Run, Paul McCartney & Wings
Caribou, Elton John
Court and Spark, Joni Mitchell
1974: Innervisions, Stevie Wonder
Behind Closed Doors, Charlie Rich
The Divine Miss M, Bette Midler
Killing Me Softly, Roberta Flack
There Goes Rhymin’ Simon, Paul Simon
1973: The Concert for Bangladesh, Billy Preston, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, George Harrison, Klaus Voormann, Leon Russell, Ravi Shankar & Ringo Starr
American Pie, Don McLean
Jesus Christ Superstar, cast recording
Moods, Neil Diamond
Nilsson Schmilsson, Nilsson
1972: Tapestry, Carole King
All Things Must Pass, George Harrison
The Carpenters, Carpenters
Jesus Christ Superstar, London production
Shaft, Isaac Hayes
1971: Bridge Over Troubled Water, Simon & Garfunkel
Chicago, Chicago
Close to You, Carpenters
Déjà vu, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
Elton John, Elton John
Sweet Baby James, James Taylor
1970: Blood, Sweat & Tears, Blood, Sweat & Tears
Abbey Road, Beatles
The Age of Aquarius, the 5th Dimension
Crosby, Stills & Nash, Crosby, Stills & Nash
At San Quentin, Johnny Cash
1969: By the Time I Get to Phoenix, Glen Campbell
Bookends, Simon & Garfunkel
Feliciano!, Jose Feliciano
Magical Mystery Tour, Beatles
A Tramp Shining, Richard Harris
1968: Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, Beatles
Francis Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim, Frank Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim
It Must Be Him, Vicki Carr
My Cup Runneth Over, Ed Ames
Ode to Billie Joe, Bobbie Gentry
1967: A Man and His Music, Frank Sinatra
Color Me Barbra, Barbra Streisand
Dr. Zhivago soundtrack, Maurice Jane
Revolver, Beatles
What Now My Love, Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass
1966: September of My Years, Frank Sinatra
Help!, Beatles
My Name is Barbra, Barbra Streisand
My World, Eddy Arnold
The Sound of Music, soundtrack
1965: Getz/Gilberto, Stan Getz & Joao Gilberto
Cotton Candy, Al Hirt
Funny Girl, Broadway cast recording
People, Barbra Streisand
The Pink Panther, Henry Mancini
1964: The Barbra Streisand Album, Barbra Streisand
Bach’s Greatest Hits, Swingle Sisters
Days of Wine and Roses and Other TV Requests, Andy Williams
Honey in the Horn, Al Hirt
The Singing Nun, the Singing Nun
1963: The First Family, Vaughn Meader
I Left My Heart in San Francisco, Tony Bennett
Jazz Samba, Stan Getz & Charlie Byrd
Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music, Ray Charles
My Son, the Folk Singer, Allan Sherman
1962: Judy at Carnegie Hall, Judy Garland
Breakfast at Tiffany’s soundtrack, Henry Mancini
Genius + Soul = Jazz, Ray Charles
Great Band with Great Voices, Si Zentner & the Johnny Mann Singers
The Nat King Cole Story, Nat King Cole
West Side Story, soundtrack
1961: The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart, Bob Newhart
Belafonte Returns to Carnegie Hall, Harry Belafonte
Brahms: Concert No. 2 in B-Flat, Sviatoslav Richter
Nice ‘n’ Easy, Frank Sinatra
Puccini: Turandot, Erich Leinsdorf
Wild is Love, Nat King Cole
1960: Come Dance With Me!, Frank Sinatra
Belafonte at Carnegie Hall, Harry Belafonte
More Music from Peter Gunn, Henry Mancini
Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 3, Van Cliburn
Victory at Sea, Vol. 1, Robert Russell Bennett
1959: The Music from Peter Gunn, Henry Mancini
Come Fly With Me, Frank Sinatra
Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Irving Berlin Songbook, Ella Fitzgerald
Frank Sinatra Sings for Only the Lonely, Frank Sinatra
Tchaikovsky: Concerto No. 1 in B Flat Minor, Op. 23, Van Cliburn
Find the Grammy Awards at grammy.com.
