32nd Annual Grammy Awards

The 32nd Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 21, 1990, and hosted by Garry Shandling. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the previous year.

Performers

• Bette Midler - Wind Beneath My Wings
• Gloria Estefan - Don't Wanna Lose You
• Fine Young Cannibals - She Drives Me Crazy
• Michael Bolton & Kenny G - How Am I Supposed To Live Without You
• Don Henley - The End of the Innocence
• Rodney Crowell - After All This Time
• k.d. lang - Luck in My Eyes
• Billy Joel - We Didn't Start The Fire
• Bonnie Raitt - Thing Called Love
• Mike + The Mechanics - The Living Years
• Aaron Neville & Linda Ronstadt - Don't Know Much
• Milli Vanilli - Girl You Know It's True
• Ray Charles - Eleanor Rigby
• Stevie Wonder - We Can Work It Out
• DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince - I Think I Can Beat Mike Tyson
• Miles Davis - Hannibal

Presenters

• Anita Baker, Sting & Stevie Wonder - Record of the Year
• Natalie Cole & Ella Fitzgerald - Album of the Year
• Michael Bolton & Kenny G - Song of the Year
• Kris Kristofferson & Young MC - Best New Artist
• Exposé & Randy Travis - Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals
• Patrick Swayze & Paula Abdul - Best Male Pop Vocal Performance
• Olivia Newton-John & Sam Kinison - Best Female Pop Vocal Performance
• B.B. King & John Lee Hooker - Best Female R&B Vocal Performance
• The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band & Dwight Yoakam - Best Male & Female Country Vocal Performance
• New Kids on the Block - Best Rap Performance
• Taylor Dayne & Mötley Crüe - Best Female Rock Vocal Performance
• Meryl Streep - Presents Paul McCartney with the Lifetime Achievement Award
• Bob Seger & Melissa Etheridge - Best Male Rock Vocal Performance
• Lou Reed & Dave Stewart (Eurythmics) - Producer of the Year

Award winners

The Grammy Award for Best New Artist was originally awarded to Milli Vanilli, but the award was revoked by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences on November 19, 1990 after the admission by band members Fab Morvan and Rob Pilatus that they did not sing on their album, Girl You Know It's True: the award was declared vacant. As of 2025, this is the only occasion that a Grammy award has been revoked.

General

• Record of the Year
• Arif Mardin (producer) & Bette Midler (artist) for "Wind Beneath My Wings"
• Don Henley, Bruce Hornsby (producers) & Don Henley (artist) for "The End of the Innocence"
• Christopher Neil, Mike Rutherford (producers) & Mike + The Mechanics (artist) for "The Living Years"
• David Z. Fine, Fine Young Cannibals (producers) & Fine Young Cannibals (artist) for "She Drives Me Crazy"
• Mick Jones, Billy Joel (producers) & Billy Joel (artist) for "We Didn't Start The Fire"
• Album of the Year
• Don Was (producer) & Bonnie Raitt for Nick of Time
• Don Henley, Danny Kortchmar (producers) & Don Henley (artist) for The End of the Innocence
• Jeff Lynne, Tom Petty, Mike Campbell (producers) & Tom Petty (artist) for Full Moon Fever
• Fine Young Cannibals (producers) & Fine Young Cannibals (artist) for The Raw & the Cooked
• Jeff Lynne, George Harrison (producers) & Traveling Wilburys (artists) for Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1
• Song of the Year
• Jeff Silbar & Larry Henley (songwriters) for "Wind Beneath My Wings" performed by Bette Midler

Blues

• Best Traditional Blues Recording
• Bonnie Raitt & John Lee Hooker for "I'm in the Mood"
• Best Contemporary Blues Recording
• Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble for In Step

Children's

• Best Recording for Children
• J. Aaron Brown, David R. Lehman (producers) & Tanya Goodman for The Rock-A-Bye Collection, Vol. 1

Classical

• Best Orchestral Performance
• Leonard Bernstein (conductor) & the New York Philharmonic for Mahler: Symphony No. 3 in D Minor
• Best Classical Vocal Soloist Performance
• David Zinman (conductor), Dawn Upshaw & the Orchestra of St. Luke's for Knoxville - Summer of 1915 (Music of Barber, Menotti, Harbison, Stravinsky)
• Best Opera Recording
• Cord Garben (producer), James Levine (conductor), Hildegard Behrens, Gary Lakes, Christa Ludwig, Kurt Moll, James Morris, Jessye Norman & the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra for Wagner: Die Walküre
• Best Choral Performance (other than opera)
• Robert Shaw (conductor), the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra & Chorus, and the Atlanta Boy Choir for Britten: War Requiem
• Best Classical Performance, Instrumental Soloist (with orchestra)
• David Zinman (conductor), Yo-Yo Ma & the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra for Barber: Cello Concerto, Op. 22/Britten: Symphony for Cello and Orchestra, Op. 68
• Best Classical Performance - Instrumental Soloist (without orchestra)
• Andras Schiff for Bach: English Suites
• Best Chamber Music Performance
• The Emerson String Quartet for Bartók: 6 String Quartets
• Best Contemporary Composition
• Steve Reich (composer) & the Kronos Quartet for Reich: Different Trains
• Best Classical Album
• Wolf Erichson (producer) & the Emerson String Quartet for Bartók: 6 String Quartets

Comedy

• Best Comedy Recording
• Peter Schickele for P.D.Q. Bach: 1712 Overture and Other Musical Assaults

Composing and arranging

• Best Instrumental Composition
• Danny Elfman (composer) for "The Batman Theme" performed by the Sinfonia of London Orchestra
• Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or Television
• Carly Simon (songwriter) for "Let the River Run"
• Best Album of Original Instrumental Background Score Written for a Motion Picture or Television
• Dave Grusin (composer) for The Fabulous Baker Boys
• Best Arrangement on an Instrumental
• Dave Grusin (arranger) for "Suite From The Milagro Beanfield War"
• Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocals
• Dave Grusin (arranger) for "My Funny Valentine" performed by Michelle Pfeiffer

Country

• Best Country Vocal Performance, Female
• k.d. lang for Absolute Torch and Twang
• Best Country Vocal Performance, Male
• Lyle Lovett for Lyle Lovett and His Large Band
• Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal
• Nitty Gritty Dirt Band for '
• Best Country Vocal Collaboration
• Hank Williams Jr. & Hank Williams Sr. for "There's a Tear in My Beer"
• Best Country Instrumental Performance
• Randy Scruggs for "Amazing Grace"
• Best Country Song
• Rodney Crowell (songwriter) for "After All This Time"
• Best Bluegrass Recording
• Bruce Hornsby & Nitty Gritty Dirt Band for "The Valley Road"