The 39th Grammy Awards were held in 1997. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the previous year.

Award winners:

• Record of the Year
  • Babyface (producer) & Eric Clapton for "Change the World"

• Album of the Year
  • Roy Bittan, Jeff Bova , David Foster, Humberto Gatica , Jean-Jacques Goldman, Rick Hahn , Dan Hill, John Jones, Aldo Nova, Rick Nowels, Steven Rinkoff , Billy Steinberg, Jim Steinman, Ric Wake (producers) & Céline Dion for Falling Into You

• Song of the Year
  • Gordon Kennedy , Wayne Kirkpatrick & Tommy Sims (songwriters) for "Change the World" performed by Eric Clapton & Babyface / Wynonna

• Best New Artist
  • LeAnn Rimes

Alternative

• Best Alternative Music Performance
  • Beck for Odelay

Blues

• Best Traditional Blues Album
  • James Cotton for Deep in the Blues
• Best Contemporary Blues Album
  • Keb' Mo' for Just Like You

Children's

• Best Musical Album for Children
  • George Massenburg (producer) & Linda Ronstadt (producer & artist) for Dedicated to the One I Love
• Best Spoken Word Album for Children
  • Virginia Callaway , Steven Heller (producers) & David Holt (producer & narrator) for Stellaluna

Classical

• Best Orchestral Performance
  • Michael Tilson Thomas (conductor) & the San Francisco Symphony for Prokofiev: Romeo and Juliet (Scenes From the Ballet)
• Best Classical Vocal Performance
  • James Levine (conductor), Bryn Terfel & the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra for Opera Arias - Works of Mozart, Wagner, Borodin
• Best Opera Recording
  • Brian Couzens (producer), Richard Hickox (conductor), Philip Langridge , Alan Opie , Janice Watson , the London Symphony Chorus & the City of London Sinfonia for Britten: Peter Grimes
• Best Choral Performance
  • Andrew Litton (conductor), Neville Creed , David Hill (chorus masters) & the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra & Chorus for Walton: Belshazzar's Feast
• Best Instrumental Soloist(s) Performance (with orchestra)
  • Esa-Pekka Salonen (conductor), Yefim Bronfman & the Los Angeles Philharmonic for Bartók: The Three Piano Concertos
• Best Instrumental Soloist Performance (without orchestra)
  • Earl Wild for The Romantic Master - Works of Saint-Saëns, Handel
• Best Small Ensemble Performance (with or without conductor)
  • Pierre Boulez (conductor) & the Ensemble Inter-Contemporain for Boulez: ...Explosante-Fixe...
• Best Chamber Music Performance
  • The Cleveland Quartet for Corigliano: String Quartet
• Best Classical Contemporary Composition
  • John Corigliano (composer) & the Cleveland Quartet for Corigliano: String Quartet
• Best Classical Album
  • Joanna Nickrenz (producer), Leonard Slatkin (conductor), Michelle De Young , various artists, the Washington Choral Arts Society Male Chorus , the Washington Oratorio Society Male Chorus & the National Symphony Orchestra for Corigliano: Of Rage and Remembrance

Composing and arranging

• Best Instrumental Composition
  • Herbie Hancock & Jean Hancock (composers) for "Manhattan (Island of Lights and Love)" performed by Herbie Hancock
• Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or for Television
  • Diane Warren (songwriter) for "Because You Loved Me" (Theme from Up Close & Personal) performed by Céline Dion
• Best Instrumental Composition Written for a Motion Picture or for Television
  • David Arnold (composer) for Independence Day
• Best Instrumental Arrangement
  • Michael Kamen (arranger) for "An American Symphony (Mr. Holland's Opus)"
• Best Instrumental Arrangement with Accompanying Vocal(s)
  • Alan Broadbent & David Foster (arrangers) for "When I Fall in Love" performed by Natalie Cole with Nat King Cole

Country

• Best Female Country Vocal Performance
  • LeAnn Rimes for "Blue"
• Best Male Country Vocal Performance
  • Vince Gill for "Worlds Apart"
• Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal
  • Brooks & Dunn for "My Maria"
• Best Country Collaboration with Vocals
  • Alison Krauss & Union Station & Vince Gill for "High Lonesome Sound"
• Best Country Instrumental Performance
  • Chet Atkins for "Jam Man"
• Best Country Song
  • Bill Mack (songwriter) for "Blue" performed by LeAnn Rimes
• Best Country Album
  • Billy Williams (producer) & Lyle Lovett (producer & artist) for The Road to Ensenada
• Best Bluegrass Album
  • Todd Phillips (producer) for True Life Blues - The Songs of Bill Monroe performed by various artists

Folk

• Best Traditional Folk Album
  • Pete Seeger for Pete
• Best Contemporary Folk Album
  • Bruce Springsteen for The Ghost of Tom Joad

Gospel

• Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album
  • Neal Joseph & Norman Miller (producers) for Tribute - The Songs of Andrae Crouch performed by various artists
• Best Rock Gospel Album
  • dc Talk for Jesus Freak
• Best Traditional Soul Gospel Album
  • Cissy Houston for Face to Face
• Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album
  • Kirk Franklin for Whatcha Lookin' 4
• Best Gospel, Country Gospel or Bluegrass Gospel Album
  • Andy Griffith for I Love to Tell the Story - 25 Timeless Hymns
• Best Gospel Album by a Choir or Chorus
  • Shirley Caesar (choir director) for Just a Word performed by Shirley Caesar's Outreach Convention Choir

Historical

• Best Historical Album
  • Bob Belden (producer), Phil Schaap (producer & engineer) Phil Schaap & Mark Wilder (engineer) for The Complete Columbia Studio Recordings performed by Miles Davis & Gil Evans

Jazz

• Best Jazz Instrumental Solo
  • Michael Brecker for "Cabin Fever"
• Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Individual or Group
  • Michael Brecker for Tales From the Hudson
• Best Large Jazz Ensemble Performance
  • Grover Mitchell for Live at Manchester Craftsmen's Guild
• Best Jazz Vocal Performance
  • Cassandra Wilson for New Moon Daughter
• Best Contemporary Jazz Performance
  • Wayne Shorter for High Life
• Best Latin Jazz Performance
  • Paquito D'Rivera for Portraits of Cuba

Latin

• Best Latin Pop Performance
  • Enrique Iglesias for Enrique Iglesias
• Best Tropical Latin Performance
  • Rubén Blades for La Rosa de los Vientos
• Best Mexican-American/Tejano Music Performance
  • La Mafia for Un Millon de Rosas

Musical Show

• Best Musical Show Album
  • Bill Whelan (composer, lyricist & producer) & various artists for Riverdance

Music Video

• Best Music Video, Short Form
  • Vincent Joliet (video producer), Joe Pytka (video director) & The Beatles for "Free as a Bird"
• Best Music Video, Long Form
  • Chips Chipperfield , Neil Aspinall (video producers), Bob Smeaton , Geoff Wonfor (video directors) & The Beatles for The Beatles Anthology

New Age

• Best New Age Album
  • Enya for The Memory of Trees

Packaging and Notes

• Best Recording Package
  • Andy Engel & Tommy Steele (art directors) for Ultra-Lounge (Leopard Skin Sampler) performed by various artists
• Best Recording Package - Boxed
  • Arnold Levine & Chika Azuma (art directors) for The Complete Columbia Studio Recordings performed by Miles Davis & Gil Evans
• Best Album Notes
  • Bill Kirchner , Bob Belden , George Avakian & Phil Schaap (notes writers) for The Complete Columbia Studio Recordings performed by Miles Davis & Gil Evans

Polka

• Best Polka Album
  • Jimmy Sturr for Polka! All Night Long

Pop

• Best Female Pop Vocal Performance
  • Toni Braxton for "Un-break My Heart"
• Best Male Pop Vocal Performance
  • Eric Clapton for "Change the World"
• Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal
  • The Beatles for "Free as a Bird"
• Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals
  • Natalie Cole for "When I Fall in Love" performed by Natalie Cole with Nat King Cole
• Best Pop Instrumental Performance
  • Béla Fleck and the Flecktones for "The Sinister Minister"
• Best Pop Album
  • Céline Dion for Falling Into You

Production and engineering

• Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical
  • Al Schmitt, Bruce Swedien , Francis Buckley & Tommy Vicari for Q's Jook Joint performed by Quincy Jones
• Best Classical Engineered Recording
  • Lawrence Rock , William Hoekstra (engineers), Leonard Slatkin (conductor) & the Saint Louis Symphony for Copland: Dance Symphony; Short Symphony; Organ Symphony
• Producer of the Year
  • Babyface
• Classical Producer of the Year
  • Joanna Nickrenz

R&B

• Best Female R&B Vocal Performance
  • Toni Braxton for "You're Makin' Me High"
• Best Male R&B Vocal Performance
  • Luther Vandross for "Your Secret Love"
• Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal
  • The Fugees for "Killing Me Softly With His Song"
• Best Rhythm & Blues Song
  • Babyface (songwriter) for "Exhale (Shoop Shoop)" performed by Whitney Houston
• Best R&B Album
  • Tony Rich for Words performed by The Tony Rich Project

Rap

• Best Rap Solo Performance
  • LL Cool J for "Hey Lover"
• Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group
  • Bone Thugs-N-Harmony for "Tha Crossroads"
• Best Rap Album
  • The Fugees (producer and artist) for The Score

Reggae

• Best Reggae Album
  • Bunny Wailer for Hall of Fame - A Tribute to Bob Marley's 50th Anniversary

Rock

• Best Female Rock Vocal Performance
  • Sheryl Crow for "If It Makes You Happy"
• Best Male Rock Vocal Performance
  • Beck for "Where It's At"
• Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal
  • Dave Matthews Band for "So Much to Say"
• Best Rock Instrumental Performance
  • Eric Clapton, Robert Cray, Buddy Guy, Dr. John, B.B. King, Art Neville , Bonnie Raitt & Jimmie Vaughan for "SRV Shuffle"
• Best Hard Rock Performance
  • Smashing Pumpkins for "Bullet With Butterfly Wings"
• Best Metal Performance
  • Rage Against the Machine for "Tire Me"
• Best Rock Song
  • Tracy Chapman (songwriter) for "Give Me One Reason"
• Best Rock Album
  • Sheryl Crow (producer & artist) for Sheryl Crow

Spoken

• Best Spoken Word or Non-musical Album
  • Hillary Rodham Clinton for It Takes a Village
• Best Spoken Comedy Album
  • Al Franken for Rush Limbaugh Is a Big Fat Idiot

Trad Pop

• Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance
  • Tony Bennett for Here's to the Ladies

World

• Best World Music Album
  • The Chieftains for Santiago