Blood, Sweat and Tears Wins Grammy

New York Times
March 13, 1970

The rock group Blood, Sweat and Tears was named winner of the Grammy award for best album of the year, "Blood, Sweat and Tears," at the annual award ceremonies at the National Academy of Recording Artists and Sciences held Wednesday night in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Nashville, and Atlanta.

The winning album was voted by the 3,000-member academy over the Beatles's "Abbey Road," and Johnny Cash's "Johnny Cash at San Quentin," Crosby, Stills and Nash's "Crosby, Stills and Nash," and the Fifth Dimension's "Age of Aquarius," which had also been nominated in the best album category.

The Record of the Year Award, another top honor, will not be announced until the academy's Grammy television show on May 7.

Crosby, Stills and Nash, a folk-rock trio, won a Grammy as the best new artists of the year. "Games People Play," by Joe South was the best song of the year. "Switched-On Bach," played on the electric Moog synthesizer by Walter Carlos, was named best classical album of the year.

Mr. Cash won an award for the best country vocal performance for his song "A Boy Named Sue," which was also named the best country vocal song of the year. "Abbey Road," by the Beatles, was named the best engineered recording other than classical.

Other highlights among the 44 awards were:
Best contemporary vocal performance, female: Peggy Lee, "Is That All There Is."
Best contemporary vocal performance, male: Harry Nilsson, Everybody's Talkin'."
Best contemporary vocal performance by a group: the Fifth Dimension, "Aquarius / Let the Sunshine In."
Best rhythm and blues performance, female: Aretha Franklin, "Share Your Love With Me."
Best rhythm and blues performance, male: Joe Simon, "The Chokin' Kind."
Best folk performance, Joni Mitchell, "Clouds!"
Best small group jazz performance: Wes Montgomery's "Willow Weep for Me."
Best large group jazz: Quincy Jones's "Walkin' in Space."