American Music Awards of 1981
Encyclopedia
The 8th Annual American Music Awards
were held on January 30, 1981.
American Music Awards
-Conception:The AMAs were created by Dick Clark in 1973 to compete with the Grammys after the move of that year's show to Nashville, Tennessee led to CBS picking up the Grammy telecasts after its first two in 1971 and 1972 were broadcast on ABC...
were held on January 30, 1981.
Pop/Rock Category
| Subcategory | Winner | Nominees |
|---|---|---|
| Favorite Pop/Rock Male Artist | Kenny Rogers Kenny Rogers Kenneth Donald "Kenny" Rogers is an American singer-songwriter, photographer, record producer, actor, and entrepreneur... |
Billy Joel Billy Joel William Martin "Billy" Joel is an American musician and pianist, singer-songwriter, and classical composer. Since releasing his first hit song, "Piano Man", in 1973, Joel has become the sixth best-selling recording artist and the third best-selling solo artist in the United States, according to... Bob Seger Bob Seger Robert Clark "Bob" Seger is an American rock and roll singer-songwriter, guitarist and pianist.As a locally successful Detroit-area artist, he performed and recorded as Bob Seger and the Last Heard and Bob Seger System throughout the 1960s... |
| Favorite Pop/Rock Female Artist | Barbra Streisand Barbra Streisand Barbra Joan Streisand is an American singer, actress, film producer and director. She has won two Academy Awards, eight Grammy Awards, four Emmy Awards, a Special Tony Award, an American Film Institute award, a Peabody Award, and is one of the few entertainers who have won an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy,... |
Olivia Newton-John Olivia Newton-John Olivia Newton-John AO, OBE is a singer and actress. She is a four-time Grammy award winner who has amassed five No. 1 and ten other Top Ten Billboard Hot 100 singles and two No. 1 Billboard 200 solo albums. Eleven of her singles and 14 of her albums have been certified gold by the RIAA... Linda Ronstadt Linda Ronstadt Linda Ronstadt is an American popular music recording artist. She has earned eleven Grammy Awards, two Academy of Country Music awards, an Emmy Award, an ALMA Award, numerous United States and internationally certified gold, platinum and multiplatinum albums, in addition to Tony Award and Golden... |
| Favorite Pop/Rock Band, Duo, or Group | Eagles | Queen Queen (band) Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor... Rolling Stones |
| Favorite Pop/Rock Album | Glass Houses Glass Houses Glass Houses is the seventh album by American singer-songwriter Billy Joel, released in 1980 . It features Joel's first song to peak at #1 on Billboard's Pop Singles chart, "It's Still Rock and Roll to Me." The album itself topped the Pop Albums chart for six weeks and was ranked number 4 on... - Billy Joel Billy Joel William Martin "Billy" Joel is an American musician and pianist, singer-songwriter, and classical composer. Since releasing his first hit song, "Piano Man", in 1973, Joel has become the sixth best-selling recording artist and the third best-selling solo artist in the United States, according to... |
Off the Wall - Michael Jackson Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records... Against the Wind - Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band |
| Favorite Pop/Rock Single | "Another One Bites the Dust Another One Bites the Dust "Another One Bites the Dust" is a song by the English rock band Queen. Written by bass guitarist John Deacon, the song featured on the group's eighth studio album The Game . The song was a worldwide hit, charting number one on the United States Billboard Hot 100, number two on the R&B charts and... " - Queen Queen (band) Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor... |
"Another Brick in the Wall Another Brick in the Wall "Another Brick in the Wall" is the title of three songs set to variations of the same basic theme, on Pink Floyd's 1979 rock opera, The Wall, subtitled Part 1 , Part 2 , and Part 3... " - Pink Floyd Pink Floyd Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially... "Upside Down" - Diana Ross Diana Ross Diana Ernestine Earle Ross is an American singer, record producer, and actress. Ross was lead singer of the Motown group The Supremes during the 1960s. After leaving the group in 1970, Ross began a solo career that included successful ventures into film and Broadway... |
Soul/R&B Category
| Subcategory | Winner | Nominees |
|---|---|---|
| Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist | Michael Jackson Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records... |
George Benson George Benson George Benson is a ten Grammy Award winning American musician, whose production career began at the age of twenty-one as a jazz guitarist.... Teddy Pendergrass Teddy Pendergrass Theodore DeReese "Teddy" Pendergrass was an American R&B/soul singer and songwriter. Pendergrass first rose to fame as lead singer of Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes in the 1970s before a successful solo career at the end of the decade... |
| Favorite Soul/R&B Female Artist | Diana Ross Diana Ross Diana Ernestine Earle Ross is an American singer, record producer, and actress. Ross was lead singer of the Motown group The Supremes during the 1960s. After leaving the group in 1970, Ross began a solo career that included successful ventures into film and Broadway... |
Chaka Khan Chaka Khan Chaka Khan , frequently known as the Queen of Funk, is a 10-time Grammy Award winning American singer-songwriter who gained fame in the 1970s as the frontwoman and focal point of the funk band Rufus. While still a member of the group in 1978, Khan embarked on a successful solo career... Stephanie Mills Stephanie Mills Stephanie Dorthea Mills is an American R&B and soul singer, and a former Broadway star.-Career:Mills began her career appearing in her first play at the age of nine. Two years later, Mills won Amateur Night at the Apollo Theater a record six times... |
| Favorite Soul/R&B Band, Duo, or Group | Earth Wind and Fire | Kool & the Gang Kool & the Gang Kool & the Gang are an American jazz, R&B, soul, and funk group, originally formed as the Jazziacs in Jersey City, New Jersey in 1964.They went through several musical phases during the course of their recording career, starting out with a purist jazz sound, then becoming practitioners of R&B and... The O'Jays The O'Jays The O'Jays are an American R&B group from Canton, Ohio, formed in 1963 and originally consisting of Eddie Levert , Walter Williams , William Powell , Bobby Massey and Bill Isles. The O'Jays were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2004, and The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005... |
| Favorite Soul/R&B Album | Off the Wall - Michael Jackson | Teddy - Teddy Pendergrass Diana - Diana Ross |
| Favorite Soul/R&B Single | "Upside Down Upside Down "Upside Down" is a hit song by Diana Ross released on the Motown label. It was the first single taken from her 1980 album diana and hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 on September 6, 1980. It also hit number one on the Billboard Disco/Dance and R&B charts... " - Diana Ross |
"Give Me the Night" - George Benson "One in a Million You" - Larry Graham |
Country Category
| Subcategory | Winner | Nominees |
|---|---|---|
| Favorite Country Male Artist | Kenny Rogers | Willie Nelson Willie Nelson Willie Hugh Nelson is an American country music singer-songwriter, as well as an author, poet, actor, and activist. The critical success of the album Shotgun Willie , combined with the critical and commercial success of Red Headed Stranger and Stardust , made Nelson one of the most recognized... Charley Pride Charley Pride Charley Frank Pride is an American country music singer. His smooth baritone voice was featured on thirty-nine number-one hits on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts. His greatest success came in the early- to mid-1970s, when he became the best-selling performer for RCA Records since Elvis... |
| Favorite Country Female Artist | Barbara Mandrell Barbara Mandrell Barbara Ann Mandrell is an American country music singer best known for a 1970s–1980s series of Top 10 hits and TV shows that helped her become one of country's most successful female vocalists of the 1970s and 1980s... |
Crystal Gayle Crystal Gayle Crystal Gayle is an American country music singer best known for her 1977 country-pop hit, "Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue". An award-winning singer, she accumulated 18 number one country hits during the 1970s and 1980s... Anne Murray Anne Murray Morna Anne Murray CC, ONS is a Canadian singer in pop, country and adult contemporary styles whose albums have sold over 54 million copies.... |
| Favorite Country Band, Duo, or Group | The Statler Brothers | Charlie Daniels Band The Oak Ridge Boys The Oak Ridge Boys The Oak Ridge Boys are an American country and gospel vocal quartet.The group was founded in the 1940s as the Oak Ridge Quartet. They became popular in southern gospel during the 1950s... |
| Favorite Country Album | The Gambler The Gambler (album) The Gambler is the sixth studio album by Kenny Rogers', released by United Artists in 1978. One of his most popular, it has established Rogers' status as one of the most successful artists of the 1970s and 1980s... - Kenny Rogers |
Music Man Music Man (album) Music Man is an album by Waylon Jennings, released in 1980 on RCA Victor. It was Jennings' final album in a streak of releases which mostly reached #1 on the country charts... - Waylon Jennings Waylon Jennings Waylon Arnold Jennings was an American country music singer, songwriter, and musician. Jennings began playing at eight. He began performing at twelve, on KVOW radio. Jennings formed a band The Texas Longhorns. Jennings worked as a D.J on KVOW, KDAV and KLLL... Ten Years of Gold Ten Years Of Gold -Overview:As his fourth solo album, Ten Years of Gold is a collection of ten songs spanning the last decade. The album features solo reworkings of hits Kenny had with The First Edition. Though Kenny had already scored three other solo hits, "Lucille", "Daytime Friends", "Love Lifted Me" and "While... - Kenny Rogers |
| Favorite Country Single | "Coward of the County" - Kenny Rogers | "If You Ever Change Your Mind If You Ever Change Your Mind "If You Ever Change Your Mind" is a 1980 single written by Parker McGee and Bob Gundry and recorded by Crystal Gayle. "If You Ever Change Your Mind" would be Crystal Gayle's eight number one country hit. The single stayed at number one for one week and spent a total of ten weeks on the chart... " - Crystal Gayle "Don't Fall in Love with a Dreamer Don't Fall in Love with a Dreamer "Don't Fall in Love with a Dreamer" is the title of a song written by David Ellingson and Kim Carnes and recorded by Kenny Rogers and Carnes as a duet. It was released in March 1980 as the first single from Rogers' album Gideon. The song reached #3 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart and #1... " - Kenny Rogers & Kim Carnes Kim Carnes Kim Carnes is an American singer-songwriter. She is a two-time Grammy Award winner noted for her distinctive raspy vocal style. Some people have called her "The Female Rod Stewart" due to her raspy voice.... |