The 24th Grammy Awards were held in 1982, and were broadcast live on American television. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the year 1981.

Award winners:

• Record of the Year
  • Val Garay (producer) & Kim Carnes for "Bette Davis Eyes"

• Album of the Year
  • Jack Douglas (producer), John Lennon & Yoko Ono (producers and artists) for Double Fantasy

• Song of the Year
  • Donna Weiss & Jackie DeShannon (songwriters) for "Bette Davis Eyes" performed by Kim Carnes

• Best New Artist
  • Sheena Easton

Children's

• Best Recording for Children
  • Dennis Scott & Jim Henson (producers) for Sesame Country perfomed by The Muppets, Glen Campbell, Crystal Gayle, Loretta Lynn & Tanya Tucker

Classical

• Best Classical Orchestral Recording
  • James Mallinson (producer), Georg Solti (conductor) & the Chicago Symphony Orchestra & Chorus for Mahler: Symphony No. 2 in C Minor
• Best Classical Vocal Soloist Performance
  • Richard Bonynge (conductor), Marilyn Horne, Luciano Pavarotti, Joan Sutherland & the New York City Opera Orchestra for Live From Lincoln Center - Sutherland/Horne/Pavarotti
• Best Opera Recording
  • James Mallinson (producer), Charles Mackerras (conductor), Jiri Zahradnicek , Ivo Zidek , Vaclav Zitek & the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra for Janáček: From the House of the Dead
• Best Choral Performance (other than opera)
  • Neville Marriner (conductor) & the Academy of St Martin in the Fields & Chorus for Haydn: The Creation
• Best Classical Performance - Instrumental Soloist or Soloists (with orchestra)
  • Zubin Mehta (conductor), Itzhak Perlman, Isaac Stern, Pinchas Zukerman & the New York Philharmonic for Isaac Stern 60th Anniversary Celebration
• Best Classical Performance - Instrumental Soloist or Soloists (without orchestra)
  • Vladimir Horowitz for The Horowitz Concerts 1979/80
• Best Chamber Music Performance
  • Vladimir Ashkenazy, Lynn Harrell & Itzhak Perlman for Tchaikovsky: Piano Trio in A Minor
• Best Classical Album
  • James Mallinson (producer), Georg Solti (conductor) & the Chicago Symphony Orchestra & Chorus for Mahler: Symphony No. 2 in C Minor

Comedy

• Best Comedy Recording
  • Richard Pryor for Rev. Du Rite

Composing and arranging

• Best Instrumental Composition
  • Mike Post (composer) for "The Theme From Hill Street Blues"
• Best Album of Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or a Television Special
  • John Williams (composer) for Raiders of the Lost Ark
• Best Instrumental Arrangement
  • Quincy Jones & Johnny Mandel (arrangers) for "Velas" performed by Quincy Jones
• Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocal(s)
  • Jerry Hey & Quincy Jones (arrangers) for "Ai No Corrida" performed by Quincy Jones
• Best Vocal Arrangement for Two or More Voices
  • Gene Puerling (arranger) for "A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square" performed by The Manhattan Transfer

Country

• Best Country Vocal Performance, Female
  • Dolly Parton for "9 to 5"
• Best Country Vocal Performance, Male
  • Ronnie Milsap for "(There's) No Gettin' Over Me"
• Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal
  • The Oak Ridge Boys for "Elvira"
• Best Country Instrumental Performance
  • Chet Atkins for Country After All These Years
• Best Country Song
  • Dolly Parton (songwriter) for "9 to 5"

Folk

• Best Ethnic or Traditional Recording
  • B. B. King for There Must Be a Better World Somewhere

Gospel

• Best Gospel Performance, Traditional
  • The Masters V for The Masters V
• Best Gospel Performance, Contemporary or Inspirational
  • The Imperials for Priority
• Best Soul Gospel Performance, Traditional
  • Al Green for The Lord Will Make a Way
• Best Soul Gospel Performance, Contemporary
  • Andrae Crouch for Don't Give Up
• Best Inspirational Performance
  • B.J. Thomas for Amazing Grace

Historical

• Best Historical Album
  • Michael Brooks & George Spitzer (producers) for Hoagy Carmichael - From Stardust to Ole Buttermilk Sky

Jazz

• Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Female
  • Ella Fitzgerald for Digital III at Montreaux
• Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Male
  • Al Jarreau for "Blue Rondo a la Turk"
• Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Duo or Group
  • The Manhattan Transfer for "Until I Met You (Corner Pocket)"
• Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Soloist
  • John Coltrane for Bye Bye Blackbird
• Best Instrumental Jazz Performance, Group
  • Chick Corea & Gary Burton for Chick Corea & Gary Burton in Concert - Zurich, October 28, 1979
• Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Big Band
  • Gerry Mulligan for Walk on the Water
• Best Jazz Fusion Performance, Vocal or Instrumental
  • Grover Washington Jr. for Winelight

Latin

• Best Latin Recording
  • Clare Fischer for "Guajira Pa la Jeva"

Musical Show

• Best Cast Show Album
  • Quincy Jones (producer) & Lena Horne for Lena Horne - The Lady and Her Music, Live on Broadway

Music Video

• Video of the Year
  • Michael Nesmith for Michael Nesmith in Elephant Parts

Packaging and Notes

• Best Album Package
  • Peter Corriston (art director) for Tattoo You performed by The Rolling Stones
• Best Album Notes
  • Dan Morgenstern (notes writer) for Erroll Garner - Master of the Keyboard performed by Erroll Garner

Pop

• Best Vocal Performance, Female
  • Lena Horne for Lena Horne - The Lady and Her Music, Live on Broadway
• Best Vocal Performance, Male
  • Al Jarreau for Breakin' Away
• Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal
  • The Manhattan Transfer for "Boy From New York City"
• Best Pop Instrumental Performance
  • Larry Carlton & Mike Post for "The Theme From Hill Street Blues"

Production and engineering

• Best Engineered Recording, Non-Classical
  • Bill Schnee , Elliot Scheiner , Jerry Garszva & Roger Nichols (engineers) for Gaucho performed by Steely Dan
• Best Engineered Recording, Classical
  • Andrew Kazdin , Edward (Bud) T. Graham , Ray Moore (engineers), Zubin Mehta (conductor), Isaac Stern, Itzhak Perlman, Pinchas Zukerman, & the New York Philharmonic for Isaac Stern 60th Anniversary Celebration
• Producer of the Year
  • Quincy Jones
• Classical Producer of the Year
  • James Mallinson

R&B

• Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female
  • Aretha Franklin for "Hold On I'm Comin'"
• Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male
  • James Ingram for "One Hundred Ways"
• Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal
  • Quincy Jones for The Dude
• Best R&B Instrumental Performance
  • David Sanborn for "All I Need Is You"
• Best Rhythm & Blues Song
  • Bill Withers, Ralph MacDonald & William Salter (songwriters) for "Just the Two of Us" performed by Grover Washington Jr. & Bill Withers

Rock

• Best Rock Vocal Performance, Female
  • Pat Benatar for "Fire and Ice"
• Best Rock Vocal Performance, Male
  • Rick Springfield for "Jessie's Girl"
• Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal
  • The Police for "Don't Stand So Close to Me"
• Best Rock Instrumental Performance
  • The Police for "Behind My Camel"

Spoken

• Best Spoken Word, Documentary or Drama Recording
  • Orson Welles for Donovan's Brain