The Grammy Award for Best R&B Song (sometimes known as the R&B Songwriter’s Award) has been awarded since 1969. From 1969 to 2000, it was known as the Grammy Award for Best Rhythm and Blues Song. Beyoncé has won it a record five times, while Babyface, Stevie Wonder, Bill Withers and Alicia Keys have three wins each.
The award goes to the songwriter. If the winning song contains samples or interpolations of songs, the original songwriter and publisher can apply for a Winner’s Certificate. Only Stevie Wonder and SZA have won the award back to back.[1] The performing artist does not receive an award unless they are also credited as a songwriter.
Years reflect the year in which the Grammy Awards were presented, for music released in the previous year.
Recipients
1960s
| Year[I] | Song | Songwriter(s) | Artist(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 [2] | |||
| “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay” | Steve Cropper and Otis Redding | Otis Redding | |
| “Chain of Fools” | Don Covay | Aretha Franklin | |
| “I Wish It Would Rain” | Roger Penzabene, Barrett Strong and Norman Whitfield | The Temptations | |
| “Pickin’ Wild Mountain Berries” | Bob McRee, Clifton Thomas and Edward Thomas | Peggy Scott and Jo Jo Benson | |
| “Who’s Making Love” | Homer Banks, Bettye Crutcher, Donald Davis and Raymond Jackson | Johnnie Taylor |
1970s
1980s
1990s
2000s
2010s
2020s
- ^[I] Each year is linked to the article about the Grammy Awards held that year.
- ^[II] The performing artist is only listed but does not receive the award.
Category facts
- Most Wins
| Rank | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Artist | Beyoncé | Babyface | Stevie Wonder Alicia Keys Bill Withers |
Johnta Austin Anita Baker Jay Graydon Jay Z Bruno Mars Raphael Saadiq SZA |
| Total Wins | 5 wins | 4 wins | 3 wins | 2 wins |
- Most Nominations
| Rank | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Artist | Babyface | Beyoncé | Stevie Wonder | Leon Huff, Luther Vandross | Rodney Jerkins, L.A. Reid, Daryl Simmons |
| Total Nominations | 14 nominations | 9 nominations | 8 nominations | 7 nominations | 6 nominations |
See also
References
- General
- “Past Winners Search”. National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Retrieved March 4, 2011. Note: User must select the “General” category as the genre under the search feature.
- “Grammy Awards: Album of the Year”. Rock on the Net. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
- Specific
- ^ Grammy Blue Book (edition 2021)
- ^ “‘Now’ Singers To Get Grammys”. St. Petersburg Times. Times Publishing Company. February 11, 1969. Retrieved April 24, 2010.[permanent dead link]
- ^ “Grammy Awards 1970”. Awards & Shows.
- ^ “Grammy Awards 1971”. Awards & Shows.
- ^ “Grammy Awards 1972”. Awards & Shows.
- ^ “Grammy Awards 1973”. Awards & Shows.
- ^ “Grammy Awards 1974”. Awards & Shows.
- ^ “17th Annual GRAMMY Awards”. Grammy Awards. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
- ^ “Grammy Awards 1976”. Awards & Shows.
- ^ “Grammy Awards 1977”. Awards & Shows.
- ^ “Grammy Awards 1978”. Awards & Shows.
- ^ “Bee Gees Head Lists For 6 Grammy Awards”. Daytona Beach Morning Journal. The News-Journal Corporation. January 9, 1979. Retrieved April 23, 2010.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Arar, Yardena (January 9, 1980). “Grammy awards field a definite mixed bag”. The Spokesman-Review. Cowles Publishing Company. Retrieved April 23, 2010.[permanent dead link]
- ^ “Newcomer Is Top Grammy Nominee”. Sarasota Herald-Tribune. The New York Times Company. January 20, 1981. Retrieved April 23, 2010.[permanent dead link]
- ^ “Lennon, Jones lead Grammy nominees”. The Milwaukee Journal. January 14, 1982. Retrieved April 23, 2010.[permanent dead link]
- ^ “Toto, Stevie Wonder top Grammy nominations”. Lodi News-Sentinel. January 12, 1983. Retrieved April 24, 2010.[permanent dead link]
- ^ “Michael Jackson Tops Grammy Nominations”. Detroit Free Press. 11 January 1984. p. 5B.
- ^ “David Foster Leading Grammy Nominations”. Spartanburg Herald-Journal. The New York Times Company. January 12, 1985. Retrieved April 24, 2010.[permanent dead link]
- ^ “Best new artist category causes Grammys’ only stir”. The Gazette. Canwest. February 26, 1986. Retrieved April 24, 2010.[permanent dead link]
- ^ “Veterans top Grammy nominations”. The Herald. The McClatchy Company. January 8, 1987. Retrieved April 24, 2010.[permanent dead link]
- ^ McShane, Larry (January 15, 1988). “Irish rockers among Grammy nominees”. The Telegraph. Telegraph Publishing Company. Retrieved April 24, 2010.[permanent dead link]
- ^ De Atley, Richard (January 11, 1989). “Grammy nominations: Tracy Chapman, Bobby McFerrin lead pack”. Pittsburgh Press. E. W. Scripps Company. Retrieved April 24, 2010.[permanent dead link]
- ^ “Grammys reach out to young listeners”. Lodi News-Sentinel. February 21, 1990. Retrieved April 24, 2010.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Pareles, Jon (January 11, 1991). “Grammy Nominees Announced”. The New York Times. Retrieved April 24, 2010.
- ^ Snider, Eric (February 26, 1992). “Cole’s ‘Unforgettable’ wins song of the year”. St. Petersburg Times. Times Publishing Company. Retrieved April 24, 2010.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Antczak, John (January 8, 1993). “Clapton leads the pack of Grammy nominees”. Deseret News. Deseret News Publishing Company. Retrieved April 24, 2010.[permanent dead link]
- ^ “Sting Leads Grammy Nominations With Six”. Reading Eagle. Reading Eagle Company. January 7, 1994. Retrieved April 24, 2010.[permanent dead link]
- ^ “The line forms for Grammys”. St. Petersburg Times. Times Publishing Company. January 6, 1995. Retrieved April 24, 2010.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Strauss, Neil (January 5, 1996). “New Faces in Grammy Nominations”. The New York Times. Retrieved April 24, 2010.
- ^ Strauss, Neil (January 8, 1997). “Babyface, Celine Dion & Pumpkins Compete For Multiple Grammys”. The New York Times. p. 2. Retrieved April 24, 2010.
- ^ Strauss, Neil (January 7, 1998). “Grammy Nominations Yield Surprises, Including Newcomer’s Success”. The New York Times. Retrieved April 24, 2010.
- ^ “Top Grammy nominations”. The Register-Guard. Guard Publishing. January 6, 1999. Retrieved April 24, 2010.[permanent dead link]
- ^ “Santana Tops List With 10 Grammy Nominations”. The Seattle Times. January 5, 2000. Archived from the original on 30 November 2016. Retrieved 24 June 2012.
- ^ “43rd Grammy Awards”. CNN. February 21, 2001. Archived from the original on November 6, 2008. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
- ^ “Complete List Of Grammy Nominees”. CBS News. January 4, 2002. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
- ^ “Complete list of Grammy nominees; ceremony set for Feb. 23”. San Francisco Chronicle. January 8, 2003. Retrieved 24 June 2012.
- ^ “Complete List Of 2004 Grammy Nominations”. Music-Slam.com. Retrieved 24 June 2012.
- ^ “Grammy Award nominees in top categories”. USA Today. Gannett Company. February 7, 2005. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
- ^ “The Complete List of Grammy Nominations”. The New York Times. December 8, 2005. p. 1. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
- ^ “49th Annual Grammy Awards Winners List”. National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences. Archived from the original on December 20, 2006. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
- ^ “Grammy 2008 Winners List”. MTV. February 10, 2008. Archived from the original on December 16, 2008. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
- ^ “Grammy 2009 Winners List”. MTV. February 8, 2009. Archived from the original on February 15, 2009. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
- ^ “Nominees for 2010 Grammy Awards Announced — Full List”. AOL Inc. Archived from the original on 6 March 2012. Retrieved 24 June 2012.
- ^ “2011 Grammy Awards – complete list of nominees”. Los Angeles Newspaper Group. Archived from the original on 27 December 2010. Retrieved 24 June 2012.
- ^ a b “2011 – 54th Annual GRAMMY Awards Nominees & Winners: General Field”. The Recording Academy. November 30, 2011.
- ^ “2014 Nominees” (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-12-16. Retrieved 2013-12-08.
- ^ “57th Grammy Nominees”. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 5, 2014.
- ^ Billboard.com, 7 December 2015
- ^ Grammy.com, 31 December 2016
- ^ “See The Full List Of 60th GRAMMY Nominees”.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ Grammy.com, 7 December 2018
- ^ Grammy.com, 22 November 2019
- ^ Grammy.com, 24 November 2020
- ^ Grammy.com, 23 November 2021
- ^ “2023 GRAMMY Nominations: See The Complete Nominees List”. GRAMMYs. 2022-11-15. Retrieved 2022-11-15.
- ^ “2023 GRAMMY Nominations: See The Complete Nominees List”. GRAMMY.com. 2023-11-10. Retrieved 2023-11-10.
- ^ “2025 GRAMMYs: See The Full Nominations List | GRAMMY.com”. grammy.com. Retrieved 2024-11-09.
- ^ “2026 GRAMMYS: See The Full Nominations List | GRAMMY.com”. grammy.com. Retrieved 2025-11-09.