The 3rd Grammy Awards, Revisited: A Comedy Album Wins Album of the Year, and Film Themes Take Record and Song

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The 3rd Grammy Awards were held in April 1961, honoring recordings released between Sept. 1, 1959, and Nov. 30, 1960, according to GRAMMY.com. The television broadcast that debuted at the 2nd Grammys did not return this time; winners were announced only at private dinner ceremonies.

The General Field came out in an unusual shape: one comedian won two of the four awards, and film music won the other two. Here is a look at Album, Record and Song of the Year and Best New Artist through their winners and nominees.

Album of the Year: Bob Newhart, 'The Button-Down Mind Of Bob Newhart'

Album of the Year went not to a music album but to a live recording of comedian Bob Newhart's stand-up set. It remains the only comedy album to win the award. The same night, Newhart also won Best Comedy Performance (Spoken Word) for the follow-up 'The Button-Down Mind Strikes Back!', giving him three awards including Best New Artist.

★ Bob Newhart, 'The Button-Down Mind Of Bob Newhart'
Harry Belafonte, 'Belafonte Returns To Carnegie Hall'
Sviatoslav Richter, 'Brahms: Concerto'
Frank Sinatra, 'Nice 'N Easy'
Erich Leinsdorf, 'Puccini: Turandot'
Nat "King" Cole, 'Wild Is Love'

Record of the Year: Percy Faith, 'The Theme From A Summer Place'

Record of the Year went to Percy Faith and his orchestra for their instrumental recording of Max Steiner's theme from the film 'A Summer Place.' In Japan, the tune is still widely known by its local title, 'Natsu no Hi no Koi.'

★ Percy Faith, 'The Theme From A Summer Place'
Elvis Presley, 'Are You Lonesome Tonight?'
Ray Charles, 'Georgia On My Mind'
Ella Fitzgerald, 'Mack The Knife'
Frank Sinatra, 'Nice 'N Easy'

'Mack The Knife' was the same song that won Record of the Year for Bobby Darin a year earlier, now nominated again in Ella Fitzgerald's version, which won her a female vocal award. Ray Charles missed Record of the Year but won four awards that night, including for 'Georgia On My Mind.'

Song of the Year: 'Theme From Exodus' (Ernest Gold)

The songwriters' award went to Ernest Gold for his theme from the film 'Exodus.' Gold also won the soundtrack award for the same film.

★ 'Theme From Exodus' — Ernest Gold
'He'll Have To Go' — Audrey Allison, Joe Allison, Charles Grean
'Nice 'n Easy' — Alan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman, Lew Spence
'Second Time Around' — Sammy Cahn, Jimmy Van Heusen
'Theme From A Summer Place' — Max Steiner

Two of the five nominees were film themes, and so was the Record of the Year winner. Music that reached people together with a film took two of the four General Field awards.

Best New Artist: Bob Newhart

★ Bob Newhart
Miriam Makeba
Leontyne Price
Joanie Sommers
The Brothers Four

South African singer Miriam Makeba, opera singer Leontyne Price (who won a classical vocal award that night), pop singer Joanie Sommers and folk group The Brothers Four: newcomers from very different worlds were weighed in a single category.

The GAJ View: Music That Travels With the Screen

Film themes won Record and Song of the Year. Songs that travel with films reach far more listeners, much like the anime, film and drama themes that now serve as an entry point for Japanese music overseas.
Album of the Year went to a recording of spoken comedy. The Grammys honor recordings, and what can be recorded and delivered is broader than it first seems.
'Mack The Knife' was nominated two years running with different singers. A song can return to the awards stage every time it gets a new recording; its value to the writer does not end with the first version.