Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album (Grammy Awards)

Grammy Awards

The Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album has been awarded since 1959. The award had several minor name changes: In 1959 the award was known as Best Performance, Documentary or Spoken Word From 1960 to 1961 it was awarded as Best Performance - Documentary or Spoken Word From 1962 to 1963 it was awarded as Best Documentary or Spoken Word Recording From 1964 to 1965 it was awarded as Best Documentary, Spoken Word or Drama Recording In 1966 it was awarded as Best Spoken Word or Drama Recording From 1967 to 1968 it was awarded as Best Spoken Word, Documentary or Drama Recording From 1969 to 1979 it was awarded as Best Spoken Word Recording From 1980 to 1983 it returned to the title of Best Spoken Word, Documentary or Drama Recording From 1984 to 1991 it was awarded as Best Spoken Word or Non-Musical Recording From 1992 to 1997 it was awarded as Best Spoken Word or Non-Musical Album Since 1998 it has been awarded as Best Spoken Word Album The category now also includes audio books, poetry readings and story telling. Three US Presidents have won the awards: Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, along with spoken recordings of John F. Kennedy and Franklin D. Roosevelt. Four U.S. Senators have won: Barack Obama, Everett Dirksen, Al Franken, and Hillary Clinton.

Check all the winners of Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album presented under Grammy Awards since 1958 .

Videos

Sam Smith The Topper of the 57th Grammy Awards

Winners of the 57th Grammy Awards

57th Grammey Awards

News

58th Annual GRAMMY Awards Winners Announced (Wed, Feb 17 2016)
Sam Smith Won four Awards at 57th Grammy Awards (Wed, Feb 11 2015)
57th Annual Grammy Awards 2015 Winners are Announced (Mon, Feb 09 2015)

Stephen Colbert

Honored for : America Again: Re-becoming The Greatness We Never Weren't

Nominations 2013 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Stephen Colbert	America Again: Re-becoming The Greatness We Never Weren't
Carol Burnett	Carrie and Me: A Mother-Daughter Love Story
David Sedaris	Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls
Billy Crystal	Still Foolin' 'Em
Pete Seeger	The Storm King

Janis Ian, Stefan Rudnicki, Ted Scott, Mike Charzuk, Christina Harcar, Jason Ojalvo

Honored for : Society's Child: My Autobiography

(Janis Ian, artist. Stefan Rudnicki & Ted Scott, engineers/mixers. Mike Charzuk, Christina Harcar, Jason Ojalvo & Stefan Rudnicki, producers.)

Nominations 2012 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Janis Ian	Society's Child: My Autobiography
Stefan Rudnicki	Society's Child: My Autobiography
Ted Scott	Society's Child: My Autobiography
Mike Charzuk	Society's Child: My Autobiography
Christina Harcar	Society's Child: My Autobiography
Jason Ojalvo	Society's Child: My Autobiography
Daniel Zitt	American Grown producers
Scott Cresswell	American Grown producers
Bill Clinton	Back To Work: Why We Need Smart Government For A Strong Economy
Rachel Maddow	Drift: The Unmooring Of American Military Power
Ellen DeGeneres	Seriously... I'm Kidding

Betty White

Honored for : If You Ask Me (And of Course You Won't)

Nominations 2011 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Betty White	If You Ask Me (And of Course You Won't)
Tina Fey	Bossypants
Nathan Burbank	Fab Fan Memories - The Beatles Bond
David Toledo	Fab Fan Memories - The Beatles Bond
Bryan Cumming	Fab Fan Memories - The Beatles Bond
Dennis Scott	Fab Fan Memories - The Beatles Bond
Dan Donohue	Hamlet (William Shakespeare)
Val Kilmer	The Mark of Zorro

Jon Stewart, Rory Albanese, Josh Lieb, John McElroy, David Javerbaum, Steve Bodow, Charles de Montebello, Tim Lester

Honored for : The Daily Show with Jon Stewart Presents Earth (The Audiobook)

(With Samantha Bee, Wyatt Cenac, Jason Jones, John Oliver & Sigourney Weaver, Producers, Artist, Engineers/mixers)

Nominations 2010 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Jon Stewart	The Daily Show with Jon Stewart Presents Earth (The Audiobook) With Samantha Bee, Wyatt Cenac, Jason Jones, John Oliver & Sigourney Weaver","2011 Best Spoken Word Album (Includes Poetry, Audio Books & Story Telling)
John McElroy	The Daily Show with Jon Stewart Presents Earth (The Audiobook) With Samantha Bee, Wyatt Cenac, Jason Jones, John Oliver & Sigourney Weaver","2011 Best Spoken Word Album (Includes Poetry, Audio Books & Story Telling)
Steve Bodow	The Daily Show with Jon Stewart Presents Earth (The Audiobook) With Samantha Bee, Wyatt Cenac, Jason Jones, John Oliver & Sigourney Weaver","2011 Best Spoken Word Album (Includes Poetry, Audio Books & Story Telling)
David Javerbaum	The Daily Show with Jon Stewart Presents Earth (The Audiobook) With Samantha Bee, Wyatt Cenac, Jason Jones, John Oliver & Sigourney Weaver","2011 Best Spoken Word Album (Includes Poetry, Audio Books & Story Telling)
Rory Albanese	The Daily Show with Jon Stewart Presents Earth (The Audiobook) With Samantha Bee, Wyatt Cenac, Jason Jones, John Oliver & Sigourney Weaver","2011 Best Spoken Word Album (Includes Poetry, Audio Books & Story Telling)
Josh Lieb	The Daily Show with Jon Stewart Presents Earth (The Audiobook) With Samantha Bee, Wyatt Cenac, Jason Jones, John Oliver & Sigourney Weaver","2011 Best Spoken Word Album (Includes Poetry, Audio Books & Story Telling)
Tim Lester	The Daily Show with Jon Stewart Presents Earth (The Audiobook) With Samantha Bee, Wyatt Cenac, Jason Jones, John Oliver & Sigourney Weaver","2011 Best Spoken Word Album (Includes Poetry, Audio Books & Story Telling)
Charles de Montebello	The Daily Show with Jon Stewart Presents Earth (The Audiobook) With Samantha Bee, Wyatt Cenac, Jason Jones, John Oliver & Sigourney Weaver","2011 Best Spoken Word Album (Includes Poetry, Audio Books & Story Telling)
Craig Ferguson	American on Purpose
Sarah Silverman	The Bedwetter
Michael J. Fox	A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Future...
Carol Burnett	This Time Together: Laughter and Reflection
Woody Allen	The Woody Allen Collection: Mere Anarchy, Side Effects, Without Feathers, Getting Even

Michael J. Fox, Zane Birdwell, Paul Ruben, Lance Neal

Honored for : Always Looking Up

(Engineers/Mixers, Artist, Producer)

Nominations 2009 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Zane Birdwell	Always Looking Up
Lance Neal	Always Looking Up
Paul Ruben	Always Looking Up
Michael J. Fox	Always Looking Up

Elisa Shokoff, Cynthia Nixon, Blair Underwood, Beau Bridges, Rick Bradley

Honored for : An Inconvenient Truth

(Artists, Producers)

Nominations 2008 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Sidney Poitier	Life Beyond Measure
Steve Martin	Born Standing Up: A Comic's Life
David Sedaris	When you are engulfed in flames
Stephen Colbert	I Am America (And So Can You!)
Blair Underwood	An Inconvenient Truth
Cynthia Nixon	An Inconvenient Truth
Beau Bridges	An Inconvenient Truth
Elisa Shokoff	An Inconvenient Truth
Rick Bradley	An Inconvenient Truth

Barack Obama, Scott Cresswell, Jacob Bronstein, Nick Bogart

Honored for : The Audacity of Hope

Nominations 2007 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Barack Obama	The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream
Scott Cresswell	The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream
Jacob Bronstein	The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream
Nick Bogart	The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream

Ossie Davis, Steven Strassman, Peter Pantelis, Ruby Dee, Taro Meyer

Honored for : With Ossie And Ruby: In This Life Together

(Artist, Producer, Engineer/mixer)

Nominations 2006 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Peter Pantelis	With Ossie And Ruby: In This Life Together
Taro Meyer	With Ossie And Ruby: In This Life Together
Ossie Davis	With Ossie And Ruby: In This Life Together
Steven Strassman	With Ossie And Ruby: In This Life Together
Ruby Dee	With Ossie And Ruby: In This Life Together
Elisa Shokoff	Our Endangered Values: America's Moral Crisis
Jimmy Carter	Our Endangered Values: America's Moral Crisis
Steven Strassman	Our Endangered Values: America's Moral Crisis
John P. St. Denis	Our Endangered Values: America's Moral Crisis

Elisa Shokoff, Jimmy Carter, Steven Strassman, John P. St. Denis

Honored for : Our Endangered Values: America's Moral Crisis

(Engineers/mixers, Producer, Artist)

Nominations 2006 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Peter Pantelis	With Ossie And Ruby: In This Life Together
Taro Meyer	With Ossie And Ruby: In This Life Together
Ossie Davis	With Ossie And Ruby: In This Life Together
Steven Strassman	With Ossie And Ruby: In This Life Together
Ruby Dee	With Ossie And Ruby: In This Life Together
Elisa Shokoff	Our Endangered Values: America's Moral Crisis
Jimmy Carter	Our Endangered Values: America's Moral Crisis
Steven Strassman	Our Endangered Values: America's Moral Crisis
John P. St. Denis	Our Endangered Values: America's Moral Crisis

Barack Obama

Honored for : Dreams from My Father

(Artist)

Nominations 2005 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Barack Obama	Dreams from My Father

Bill Clinton, Daniel Zitt, Jacob Bronstein

Honored for : My Life [Abridged] [Audible Audio Edition]

(Producer, Artist)

Nominations 2004 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Bill Clinton	My Life [Abridged] [Audible Audio Edition]

Al Franken, Paul Reubens

Honored for : Lies And the Lying Liars Who Tell Them. A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right.

(producer, Artist)

Nominations 2003 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Al Franken	Lies And the Lying Liars Who Tell Them. A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right.

Charles B. Potter, Maya Angelou

Honored for : A Song Flung Up To Heaven

Nominations 2002 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Charles B. Potter	A Song Flung Up To Heaven
Maya Angelou	A Song Flung Up To Heaven

Steven Strassman, Elisa Shokoff, Jeffrey S. Thomas, Quincy Jones

Honored for : Q: the autobiography of Quincy Jones

Nominations 2001 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Jeffrey S. Thomas	Q: the autobiography of Quincy Jones
Quincy Jones	Q: the autobiography of Quincy Jones
Steven Strassman	Q: the autobiography of Quincy Jones
Elisa Shokoff	Q: the autobiography of Quincy Jones

Sidney Poitier, John Runnette, Rick Harris

Honored for : The Measure of a Man: A Spiritual Autobiography

Nominations 2000 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
John Runnette	The Measure of a Man: A Spiritual Autobiography
Sidney Poitier	The Measure of a Man: A Spiritual Autobiography
Rick Harris	The Measure of a Man: A Spiritual Autobiography

LeVar Burton

Honored for : The Autobiography Of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Nominations 1999 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
LeVar Burton	The Autobiography Of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Christopher Reeve

Honored for : Still me

Nominations 1998 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Christopher Reeve	Still me

Charles Kuralt, John McElroy

Honored for : Charles Kuralt's Spring

(Narrator)

Nominations 1997 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Charles Kuralt	Charles Kuralt's Spring
John McElroy	Charles Kuralt's Spring

Hillary Rodham Clinton

Honored for : It Takes A Village

Nominations 1996 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Hillary Rodham Clinton	It Takes A Village

Maya Angelou

Honored for : Phenomenal woman

(narrator)

Nominations 1995 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Maya Angelou	Phenomenal woman

Henry Rollins

Honored for : Get in the Van: On the Road With Black Flag

Nominations 1994 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Henry Rollins	Get in the Van: On the Road With Black Flag

Maya Angelou

Honored for : On the Pulse of Morning

(Narrator)

Nominations 1993 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Maya Angelou	On the Pulse of Morning

Magic Johnson, Robert O'Keefe

Honored for : What You Can Do To Avoid AIDS

Nominations 1992 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Robert O'Keefe	What You Can Do To Avoid AIDS
Magic Johnson	What You Can Do To Avoid AIDS

Ken Burns

Honored for : The Civil War

Nominations 1991 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Ken Burns	The Civil War

George Burns

Honored for : Gracie: A Love Story

(Narrator)

Nominations 1990 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
George Burns	Gracie: A Love Story

Gilda Radner

Honored for : It's Always Something

(Narrator)

Nominations 1989 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Gilda Radner	It's Always Something

Jesse Jackson

Honored for : Speech By Rev. Jesse Jackson

(Narrator)

Nominations 1988 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Jesse Jackson	Speech By Rev. Jesse Jackson

Garrison Keillor

Honored for : Lake Wobegon Days

Nominations 1987 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Garrison Keillor	Lake Wobegon Days

Carl Perkins, Sam Phillips, Johnny Cash, Chips Moman, Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison, Ricky Nelson

Honored for : Interviews From The Class Of '55 Recording Sessions

Nominations 1986 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Sam Phillips	Interviews From The Class Of '55 Recording Sessions
Johnny Cash	Interviews From The Class Of '55 Recording Sessions
Chips Moman	Interviews From The Class Of '55 Recording Sessions
Ricky Nelson	Interviews From The Class Of '55 Recording Sessions
Roy Orbison	Interviews From The Class Of '55 Recording Sessions
Jerry Lee Lewis	Interviews From The Class Of '55 Recording Sessions
Carl Perkins	Interviews From The Class Of '55 Recording Sessions

Mike Berniker

Honored for : Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

Nominations 1985 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Mike Berniker	Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

Ben Kingsley

Honored for : The Words of Gandhi

(Narrator)

Nominations 1984 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Ben Kingsley	The Words of Gandhi

William Warfield

Honored for : Lincoln Portrait

(narrator)

Nominations 1983 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
William Warfield	Lincoln Portrait

Tom Voegeli

Honored for : Raiders Of The Lost Ark - The Movie On Record

Nominations 1982 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Tom Voegeli	Raiders Of The Lost Ark - The Movie On Record

Orson Welles

Honored for : Donovan's Brain

(Narrator)

Nominations 1981 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Orson Welles	Donovan's Brain

Pat Carroll

Honored for : Gertrude Stein, Gertrude Stein, Gertrude Stein

Nominations 1980 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Pat Carroll	Gertrude Stein, Gertrude Stein, Gertrude Stein

John Gielgud

Honored for : Ages of Man

(Narrator)

Nominations 1979 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
John Gielgud	Ages of Man

Orson Welles

Honored for : Citizen Kane

(Narrator; Best Spoken Word Recording)

Nominations 1978 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Orson Welles	Citizen Kane

Julie Harris

Honored for : The Belle of Amherst

(Narrator)

Nominations 1977 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Julie Harris	The Belle of Amherst

Orson Welles, James Earl Jones, Henry Fonda, Helen Hayes

Honored for : Great American Documents

(Narrators)

Nominations 1976 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Orson Welles	Great American Documents
James Earl Jones	Great American Documents
Helen Hayes	Great American Documents
Henry Fonda	Great American Documents

James Whitmore

Honored for : Give 'em Hell, Harry!

(Narrator)

Nominations 1975 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
James Whitmore	Give 'em Hell, Harry!

Peter Cook, Dudley Moore

Honored for : Good Evening

(Narrators)

Nominations 1974 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Peter Cook	Good Evening
Dudley Moore	Good Evening

Richard Harris

Honored for : Jonathan Livingston Seagull

(Narrator)

Nominations 1973 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Richard Harris	Jonathan Livingston Seagull

Bruce Botnick

Honored for : Lenny

(Producer)

Nominations 1972 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Bruce Botnick	Lenny

Les Crane

Honored for : Desiderata

(Narrator)

Nominations 1971 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Les Crane	Desiderata

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Honored for : Why I Oppose the War in Vietnam

(Narrator)

Nominations 1970 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Martin Luther King, Jr.	Why I Oppose the War in Vietnam

Diane Linkletter, Art Linkletter

Honored for : We Love You Call Collect

(Narrators)

Nominations 1969 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Art Linkletter	We Love You Call Collect
Diane Linkletter	We Love You Call Collect

Rod McKuen

Honored for : Lonesome Cities

(Narrator, Best Spoken Word Recording)

Nominations 1968 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Rod McKuen	Lonesome Cities

Everett Dirksen

Honored for : Gallant Men: Stories of the American Adventure

(Narrator)

Nominations 1967 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Everett Dirksen	Gallant Men: Stories of the American Adventure

Edward R. Murrow

Honored for : Edward R. Murrow - A Reporter Remembers Vol. I The War Years

Nominations 1966 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Edward R. Murrow	Edward R. Murrow - A Reporter Remembers Vol. I The War Years

Goddard Lieberson

Honored for : John Fitzgerald Kennedy; as we remember him

(Producer)

Nominations 1965 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Goddard Lieberson	John Fitzgerald Kennedy; as we remember him

BBC Tribute To John F. Kennedy

Nominations 1964 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
	BBC Tribute To John F. Kennedy

Edward Albee

Honored for : Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

Nominations 1963 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Edward Albee	Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

Charles Laughton

Honored for : The Story-Teller: A Session With Charles Laughton

(Narrator)

Nominations 1962 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Charles Laughton	The Story-Teller: A Session With Charles Laughton

Leonard Bernstein

Honored for : Humor In Music

(Narrator)

Nominations 1961 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Leonard Bernstein	Humor In Music

Robert Bialek

Honored for : FDR Speaks

(Best Performance - Documentary Or Spoken Word (Other Than Comedy))

Nominations 1960 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Robert Bialek	FDR Speaks

Carl Sandburg

Honored for : Lincoln Portrait (New York Philharmonic feat. conductor: Andre Kostelanetz, narrator: Carl Sandburg)

Nominations 1959 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Carl Sandburg	Lincoln Portrait (New York Philharmonic feat. conductor: Andre Kostelanetz, narrator: Carl Sandburg)

Stan Freberg

Honored for : The Best Of The Stan Freberg Shows

(Narrator)

Nominations 1958 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Stan Freberg	The Best Of The Stan Freberg Shows