Grammy Award for Best Audio Book, Narration & Storytelling Recording
Award
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The Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album has been awarded since 1959. The award has 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 (other than comedy)
- From 1962 to 1963 it was awarded as Best Documentary or Spoken Word Recording (other than comedy)
- From 1964 to 1965 it was awarded as Best Documentary, Spoken Word or Drama Recording (other than comedy)
- 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
- From 1998 to 2022 it was awarded as Best Spoken Word Album. In 2020, spoken-word children's albums were moved here from the Best Children's Album category.[1]
- From 2023 it has been awarded as Best Audio Book, Narration & Storytelling Recording.[2] Poetry reading now has its own Grammy category, Best Spoken Word Poetry Album.
Awarded forquality spoken word albums
CountryUnited States
Presented byNational Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences
First award1959
| Grammy Award for Best Audio Book, Narration & Storytelling Recording | |
|---|---|
| Awarded for | quality spoken word albums |
| Country | United States |
| Presented by | National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences |
| First award | 1959 |
| Currently held by | The Dalai Lama, Meditations: The Reflections of His Holiness The Dalai Lama (2026) |
| Website | grammy.com |
Years reflect the year in which the Grammy Awards were handed out, for a recording released in the previous year.
Recipients
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1950s
| Year[I] | Performing Artist | Work |
|---|---|---|
| 1959 [3] |
Stan Freberg | The Best of the Stan Freberg Shows |
| Melvyn Douglas, Vincent Price, Carl Sandburg, & Ed Begley | Great American Speeches | |
| Stan Freberg | Green Christmas | |
| Elaine May & Mike Nichols | Improvisations to Music | |
1960s
1970s
1980s
1990s
2000s
2010s
2020s
| Year[I] | Performing Artist | Work |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 [64] |
Michelle Obama | Becoming |
| Michael Diamond, Adam Horovitz, Scott Sherratt & Dan Zitt (producers) | The Beastie Boys Book | |
| Eric Alexandrakis | Catatonia: 20 Years as a Two-Time Cancer Survivor | |
| John Waters | Mr. Know-It-All | |
| Sekou Andrews & the String Theory | Sekou Andrews & the String Theory | |
| 2021 [65] |
Rachel Maddow | Blowout |
| Flea | Acid for the Children: A Memoir | |
| Ken Jennings | Alex Trebek — The Answer Is... | |
| Ronan Farrow | Catch and Kill | |
| Meryl Streep (& Full Cast) | Charlotte's Web | |
| 2022 [66] |
Don Cheadle | Carry On: Reflections for a New Generation from John Lewis |
| LeVar Burton | Aftermath | |
| J. Ivy | Catching Dreams: Live at Fort Knox Chicago | |
| Dave Chappelle & Amir Sulaiman | 8:46 | |
| Barack Obama | A Promised Land | |
| 2023 [67] |
Viola Davis | Finding Me |
| Mel Brooks | All About Me!: My Remarkable Life in Show Business | |
| Jamie Foxx | Act Like You Got Some Sense | |
| Lin-Manuel Miranda | Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World | |
| Questlove | Music Is History | |
| 2024 [68] |
Michelle Obama | The Light We Carry: Overcoming In Uncertain Times |
| Meryl Streep | Big Tree | |
| William Shatner | Boldly Go: Reflections on a Life of Awe and Wonder | |
| Rick Rubin | The Creative Act: A Way of Being | |
| Bernie Sanders | It’s OK to Be Angry About Capitalism | |
| 2025 | Jimmy Carter (posthumous) | Last Sunday in Plains: A Centennial Celebration |
| George Clinton | ...And Your Ass Will Follow | |
| Guy Oldfield | All You Need Is Love: The Beatles In Their Own Words | |
| Dolly Parton | Behind the Seams: My Life in Rhinestones | |
| Barbra Streisand | My Name Is Barbra | |
| 2026 | The Dalai Lama | Meditations: The Reflections of His Holiness The Dalai Lama |
| Kathy Garver | Elvis, Rocky & Me: The Carol Connors Story | |
| Trevor Noah | Into the Uncut Grass | |
| Ketanji Brown Jackson | Lovely One: A Memoir | |
| Fab Morvan | You Know It’s True: The Real Story of Milli Vanilli | |
Multiple wins & nominations
The following individuals received two or more awards:
| Wins | Person |
|---|---|
| 4 | Jimmy Carter |
| 3 | Maya Angelou |
| 2 | Barack Obama |
| Michelle Obama | |
| Orson Welles | |
The following individuals received three or more nominations:
| Nominations | Person |
|---|---|
| 10 | Jimmy Carter |
| 8 | John Gielgud |
| 7 | Orson Welles |
| 5 | Maya Angelou |
| 4 | Walter Cronkite |
| 3 | Carol Burnett |
| Barack Obama | |
| James Earl Jones | |
| James Mason | |