The first Grammy inaugural ceremony was held on 4th May 1959; the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences was officially composed two years earlier before its existence. In fact, two ceremonies were held simultaneously; first in Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills California, and the second in the Park Sheraton Hotel in New York City. The Grammy Awards are presented by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Science. The major objective of the Academy was to keep rock ‘n’ roll at bay. The winners are honored with a miniature gramophone trophy; hence the award is been nicknamed as “The Grammy Awards”. These awards were presented to the artists for their outstanding performance in the music industry for the year 1958. From 1959 to 1993, The Best Comedy Album award was included in the list of Award category. From 1959 to 1967, it was presented as Best Comedy Performance. This award was included in the list till 1993. Over time there were several minor changes made to the name of the award.Frank Sinatra was the only artist nominated in 7 categories for the year. Ella Fitzgerald, Henry Mancini, Domenico Modugno and Ross Bagdasarian Sr. won 2 awards each in the ceremony. The following is the list of nominees and winners who walked away with pride for being honored in the first Grammys ceremony.
Grammy Award Winners 1959 (May)
Best Album Cover
- Frank Sinatra - Only the Lonely
- Frank Sinatra - Come Fly with Me
- Ray Rennahan – For Whom the Bell Tolls
- Ira Ironstrings – Music for Peopl with $3.98
- Julie London – Julie
Best Album Of The Year
- Henry Mancini – The Music from Peter Gunn
- Ella Fitzgerald – Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Irving Berlin Songbook
- Frank Sinatra – Only the Lonely
- Frank Sinatra – Come Fly with Me
- Van Cliburn – Tchaikovsky: Concerto No. 1 in B Flat Minor, Op. 23
Best Arrangement
- Henry Mancini – The Music from Peter Gunn
- Billy May – Billy May’s Big Fat Brass
- Billy May – Come Fly with Me
- Jack Marshall – Fever
- Nelson Riddle – Witchcraft
Best Classical Performance – Orchestra
- Felix Slatkin conducting the Hollywood Bowl Symphony – Gaite Parisienne
- Charles Munch conducting the Boston Symphony – Barber: Meditation and Dance of Vengeance
- Bruno Walter conducting the Columbia Symphony Orchestra – Beethoven: Symphony No. 6 in F Major
- Pierre Monteux conducting the London Symphony – Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade
- Leonard Bernstein conducting the New York Philharmonic - Stravinsky: Le Sacre du Printemps
Best Classical Performance – Chamber Music
- Hollywood String Quartet – Beethoven: Quartet No – 130
- Pablo Casals, Eugene Istomin, Fuchs – Beethoven: Trio in E Flat Major/Trio in D Major
- Jascha Heifetz, William Primrose, Gregor Piatigorsky – Beethoven: Trio in E Flat, Op.3
- Budapest String Quartet – Ravel: Quartet in F Major / Debussy: Quartet in G Minor
- Jascha Heifetz, William Primrose, Gregor Piatigorsky – Beethoven: Trio in G, Op. 9, No. 1/Trio in C Minor, Op. 9, No. 3
Best Classical Performance – Instrumental
- Van Cliburn, Kondrashin Symphony – Tchaikovsky: Concerto No. 1 in B Flat Minor, Op. 23
- Isaac Stern – Bartok: Concerto for Violin
- Emil Gilels – Brahms: Piano Concerto No.2
- Leonard Pennario – Rachmaninoy: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini
- Andree Segovia – Segovia Golden Jubilee
Best Classical Performance – Operatic Or Choral
- Roger Wagner Chorale – Virtuoso
- Dimitri Mitropoulos – Barber: Vanessa
- Erich Leinsdorf – Donizetti: Lucia di Lammermoor
- Maria Callas, Tito Gobbi – Rossini: Barber of Seville
- Dom David Nicholson - Victoria: Requiem Mass
Best Classical Performance – Vocal Soloist
- Renata Tebaldi – Recital of Songs and Arias
- Maria Callas – Cherubini: Medea
- Salli Terri – Duets for Spanish Guitar
- Eileen Farrell – Eileen Farrell as Medea
- Eileen Farrell – Wagner; Prelude and Liebestod (Tristan and Isolde) / Brunnhilde’s Immolation
Best Comedy Recording
- David Seville – The Chipmunk Song
- Stan Freberg – Green Christmas
- Mike Nichols, Elaine May – Improvisations to Music
- Stan Freberg – The Best of the Stan Freberg Shows
- Mort Sahl – The Future Lies Ahead
Best Country And Western Performance
- Kingston Trio - Tom Dooley Lyrics
- Everly Brothers – All I Have To Do Is Dream Lyrics
- Everly Brothers – Bird Dog Lyrics
- Don Gibson – Oh Lonesome Me Lyrics
- Jimmie Rodgers – Oh, Oh, I’m Falling in Love Again
Best Dance Band Performance
- Count Basie – Basie
- Jonah Jones – Baubles, Bangles and Beads
- Perez Prado – Patricia
- Warren Covington & the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra – Tea for Two Cha Cha
- Ray Anthony – The Music from Peter Gunn
Best Documentary Or Spoken Word Recording
- Stan Freberg – The Best of the Stan Freberg Shows
- Henry Jacobs – Two Interviews of Our Time
- Marion Anderson – The Lady from Philadelphia
- Melvyn Douglas, Vincent Price, Carl Sandburg, Ed Begley – Great American Speeches
- Stan Freberg - Green Christmas
Best Female Vocal Performance
- Ella Fitzgerald – Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Irving Berlin Songbook
- Doris Day – Everybody Loves a Lover
- Eydie Gorme – Eydie in Love
- Peggy Lee – Fever Lyrics
- Keely Smith – I Wish You Love
Best Group Jazz Performance
- Count Basie – Basie
- Jonah Jones – Baubles, Bangles and Beads
- George Shearing – Burnished Brass
- Basie Rhythm Section, Dave Lambert Singers – Sing a Song of Basie
- Four Freshmen – The Four Freshmen in Person
Best Group Or Chorus Vocal Performance
- Louis Prima, Keely Smith – That Old Black Magic
- Kirby Stone Four – Baubles, Bangles, and Beads
- The King Sisters – Imagination
- Lambert, Hendricks, and Ross – Sing a Song of Basie
- Kingston Trio – Tom Dooley Lyrics
Best Individual Jazz Performance
- Ella Fitzgerald – Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Duke Ellington Song Book
- Johan Jones – Baubles, Bangles and Beads
- George Shearing – Burnished Brass
- Matty Mattock – Dixieland Story
- Jonah Jones – Jumpin’ with Jonah
Best Male Vocal Performance
- Perry Como Lyrics
- Frank Sinatra Lyrics
- Andy Williams Lyrics
- Domenico Modugno
- Frank Sinatra Lyrics
Best Musical Composition
- Nelson Riddle – Cross Country Suite
- Johnny Mandel – I Want to Live
- Kurt Weill – Mahagonny
- Richard Rodgers – Victory at Sea, Vol. 3
- Samuel Barber – Vanessa
Best Orchestra Performance
- Billy May – Billy May’s Big Fat Brass
- George Shearing – Burnished Brass
- Buddy Defranco – Cross Country Suite
- Johny Mandel – I Want to Live
- Jack Kane – Kane Is Able
Best Original Cast Album – Broadway Or Television
- Meredith Willson – The Music Man
- Count Basie, Billie Holliday and others – Sound of Jazz, Seven Lively Arts
- Henry Mancini – The Music from Peter Gunn
- RCA Victor Symphony – Victory at Sea, Vol. 2
- Richard Rodgers – Flower Drum Song
Best Record Of The Year
- Domenico Modugeno - Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu (Volare)
- David Seville - The Chipmunk Song
- Frank Sinatra - Witchcraft Lyrics
- Peggy Lee - Fever Lyrics
- Perry Como - Catch A Falling Star Lyrics
Best Recording For Children
- David Seville - The Chipmunk Song
- Cyril Stapleton - Children's Marching Song
- Danny Kaye - Mommy, Give Me a Drinka Water
- David Seville - Witch Doctor Lyrics
- Jose Ferrer - Tubby the Tuba
- Shari Lewis - Fun in Shariland
Best Recording For Children
- David Seville - The Chipmunk Song
- Cyril Stapleton - Children's Marching Song
- Danny Kaye - Mommy, Give Me a Drinka Water
- David Seville - Witch Doctor Lyrics
- Jose Ferrer - Tubby the Tuba
- Shari Lewis - Fun in Shariland
Best Rhythm & Blues Performance
- The Champs - Tequila
- Harry Belafonte - Belafonte Sings the Blues
- Nat King Cole - Looking Back
- Perez Prado - Patricia
- Earl Grant - The End
Best Song Of The Year
- Domecnico Modugno - Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu (Volare)
- Alan Jay Lerner, Frederick Loewe - Gigi
- Cy Coleman, Carolyn Leigh - Witchcraft
- Johnny Davenport, Eddie Conley - Fever
- Paul Vance, Lee Pockriss - Catch a Falling Star
Best Soundtrack Album, Dramatic Picture Score Or Original Cast
- Andre Previn - Gigi
- Alfred Newman - South Pacific
- Jonny Mandel - I Want to Live
- Malcolm Arnold - The Bridge on the River Kwai
- Ray Heindorf Orchestra - Auntie Mame