Grammy Award for Best Album Notes
The Grammy Award for Best Album Notes has been presented since 1964. From 1973 to 1976, a separate award was presented for Best Album Notes – Classical. Those awards are listed under those years below. The award recognizes albums with excellent liner notes. It is presented to the liner notes author or authors, not to the artists or performers on the winning work, except if the artist is also the liner notes author.
Years reflect the year in which the Grammy Awards were presented, for works released in the previous year.
2020s
2010s
| Year | Winner | Work | Nominations | Ref. |
| 2019 | David Evans | ', performed by Various Artists | ||
| 2018 | Lynell George | Live at the Whisky A Go Go: The Complete Recordings, performed by Otis Redding | ||
| 2017 | Ken Bloom & Richard Carlin | Sissle and Blake Sing Shuffle Along, performed by Eubie Blake & Noble Sissle | ||
| 2016 | Joni Mitchell | Love Has Many Faces: A Quartet, A Ballet, Waiting To Be Danced, performed by Joni Mitchell | ||
| 2015 | Ashley Kahn | ', performed by John Coltrane | ||
| 2014 | Neil Tesser | Afro Blue Impressions , performed by John Coltrane | ||
| 2013 | Billy Vera | Singular Genius: The Complete ABC Singles, performed by Ray Charles | ||
| 2012 | Adam Machado | Hear Me Howling!: Blues, Ballads & Beyond as Recorded by the San Francisco Bay by Chris Strachwitz in the 1960s, performed by various artists | ||
| 2011 | Robert Gordon | Keep an Eye on the Sky, performed by Big Star | ||
| 2010 | Dan Morgenstern | The Complete Louis Armstrong Decca Sessions , performed by Louis Armstrong |
2000s
| Year | Winner | Work | Nominations | Ref. |
| 2009 | Francis Davis | Kind of Blue: 50th Anniversary Collector's Edition, performed by Miles Davis | ||
| 2008 | Bruce Nemerov | John Work III: Recording Black Culture, performed by various artists | ||
| 2007 | Dan Morgenstern | If You Got To Ask, You Ain't Got It!, performed by Fats Waller | ||
| 2006 | Alan Lomax and John Szwed | The Complete Library of Congress Recordings, performed by Jelly Roll Morton | ||
| 2005 | Loren Schoenberg | The Complete Columbia Recordings of Woody Herman and His Orchestra & Woodchoppers , performed by Woody Herman and His Orchestra | ||
| 2004 | Tom Piazza | ', performed by various artists | ||
| 2003 | David Evans | ', performed by Charlie Patton | ||
| 2002 | Walter Mosley | ...And It's Deep Too! The Complete Warner Bros. Recordings , performed by Richard Pryor Elijah Wald for Arhoolie Records 40th Anniversary Collection: 1960–2000 The Journey of Chris Strachwitz, performed by various artists | ||
| 2001 | Bob Blumenthal | The Complete Columbia Recordings 1955–1961, performed by Miles Davis and John Coltrane | ||
| 2000 | Bob Blumenthal | , performed by John Coltrane |
1990s
| Year | Winner | Work | Nominations | Ref. |
| 1999 | Bob Belden, Todd Coolman, and Michael Cuscuna | Miles Davis Quintet 1965–1968, performed by the Miles Davis Quintet | ||
| 1998 | John Fahey, Luis Kemnitzer, Jon Pankake, Chuck Pirtle, Jeff Place, Neil V. Rosenberg, Luc Sante, Peter Stampfel, and Eric Von Schmidt | Anthology of American Folk Music, performed by various artists | ||
| 1997 | George Avakian, Bob Belden, Bill Kirchner, and Phil Schaap | ', performed by Miles Davis and Gil Evans | ||
| 1996 | Rob Bowman | The Complete Stax/Volt Soul Singles, Vol. 3: 1972–1975, performed by various artists | ||
| 1995 | Dan Morgenstern and Loren Schoenberg | Louis Armstrong: Portrait of the Artists as a Young Man, 1923–1934, performed by Louis Armstrong | ||
| 1994 | Buck Clayton, Phil Schaap, and Joel E. Siegel | The Complete Billie Holiday on Verve 1945–1959, performed by Billie Holiday | ||
| 1993 | Dave Marsh, Jerry Wexler, David Ritz, Thulani Davis, Ahmet Ertegun, Tom Down, and Arif Mardin | ', performed by Aretha Franklin | ||
| 1992 | James Brown, Cliff White, Harry Weinger, Nelson George, and Alan M. Leeds | Star Time, performed by James Brown | ||
| 1991 | Dan Morgenstern | Brownie: The Complete Emarcy Recordings of Clifford Brown, performed by Clifford Brown | ||
| 1990 | Phil Schaap | Bird: The Complete Charlie Parker on Verve, performed by Charlie Parker |
1980s
| Year | Winner | Work | Nominations | Ref. |
| 1989 | Anthony DeCurtis | Crossroads performed by Eric Clapton | ||
| 1988 | Orrin Keepnews | The Complete 1957 Riverside Recordings, performed by Thelonious Monk | ||
| 1987 | Gary Giddins, Wilfrid Sheed, Jonathan Schwartz, Murray Kempton, Andrew Sarris, Stephen Holden, and Frank Conroy | The Voice: The Columbia Years 1943–1952, performed by Frank Sinatra | ||
| 1986 | Peter Guralnick | Live at the Harlem Square Club, 1963, performed by Sam Cooke | ||
| 1985 | Gunther Schuller and Martin Williams | Big Band Jazz, performed by various artists | ||
| 1984 | Orrin Keepnews | The "Interplay" Sessions, performed by Bill Evans | ||
| 1983 | John Chilton and Richard Sudhalter | Giants of Jazz: Bunny Berigan, performed by Bunny Berigan | ||
| 1982 | Dan Morgenstern | Erroll Garner: Master of the Keyboard, performed by Erroll Garner | ||
| 1981 | David McClintock | , performed by Frank Sinatra | ||
| 1980 | Bob Porter & James Patrick | Charlie Parker: The Complete Savoy Sessions, performed by Charlie Parker |
1970s
| Year | Winner | Work | Nominations | Ref. |
| 1979 | Michael Brooks | A Bing Crosby Collection, Volumes 1 and 2, performed by Bing Crosby | ||
| 1978 | George T. Simon | Bing Crosby: A Legendary Performer, performed by Bing Crosby | ||
| 1977 | Dan Morgenstern | The Changing Face of Harlem: Savoy Sessions, performed by various artists | ||
| 1976 | Gunther Schuller | Footlifters: A Century of American Marches, performed by Gunther Schuller conducting the All-Star Band | ||
| 1976 | Pete Hamill | Blood on the Tracks, performed by Bob Dylan | ||
| 1975 | Rory Guy | The Classic Erich Wolfgang Korngold, conducted by Willy Mattes with a solo by Ulf Hoelscher | ||
| 1975 | Charles R. Townsend Dan Morgenstern | For the Last Time, performed by Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys The Hawk Flies, performed by Coleman Hawkins | ||
| 1974 | Glenn Gould | Hindemith: Sonatas for Piano Complete, performed by the Villa Musica Ensemble | ||
| 1974 | Dan Morgenstern | God Is in the House, performed by Art Tatum | ||
| 1973 | James Lyons | Vaughan Williams: Symphony No. 2 , performed by André Previn conducting the London Symphony Orchestra | ||
| 1973 | Tom T. Hall | Tom T. Hall's Greatest Hits, performed by Tom T. Hall | ||
| 1972 | Sam Samudio | Sam, Hard and Heavy, performed by Sam the Sham | ||
| 1971 | Chris Albertson | The World's Greatest Blues Singer, performed by Bessie Smith | ||
| 1970 | Johnny Cash | Nashville Skyline, performed by Bob Dylan |
1960s
| Year | Winner | Work | Nominations | Ref. |
| 1969 | Johnny Cash | At Folsom Prison, performed by Johnny Cash | ||
| 1968 | John D. Loudermilk | Suburban Attitudes in Country Verse, performed by John D. Loudermilk | ||
| 1967 | Stan Cornyn | Sinatra at the Sands, performed by Frank Sinatra | ||
| 1966 | Stan Cornyn | September of My Years, performed by Frank Sinatra | ||
| 1965 | Stanton Catlin and Carleton Beals | Mexico , performed by Carlos Chávez | ||
| 1964 | Leonard Feather and Stanley Dance | The Ellington Era, performed by Duke Ellington |