The 33rd Grammy Awards were held in 1991. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the previous year.

Award winners:

• Record of the Year
  • Hugh Padgham (producer) & Phil Collins (producer & artist) for "Another Day in Paradise"

• Album of the Year
  • Quincy Jones (producer & artist) for Back on the Block

• Song of the Year
  • Julie Gold (songwriter) for "From a Distance" performed by Bette Midler

• Best New Artist
  • Mariah Carey

Alternative

• Best Alternative Music Performance
  • Sinéad O'Connor for I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got

Blues

• Best Traditional Blues Recording
  • B. B. King for Live at San Quentin
• Best Contemporary Blues Recording
  • Jimmie Vaughan & Stevie Ray Vaughan for Family Style

Children's

• Best Recording for Children
  • Alan Menken (composer) & Howard Ashman (lyricist) for The Little Mermaid performed by various artists

Classical

• Best Orchestral Performance
  • Leonard Bernstein (conductor) & the Chicago Symphony Orchestra for Shostakovich: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 7
• Best Classical Vocal Performance
  • Zubin Mehta (conductor), José Carreras, Plácido Domingo, Luciano Pavarotti, & the Orchestra Del Maggio Musicale for Carreras, Domingo, Pavarotti in Concert
• Best Opera Recording
  • Cord Garben (producer), James Levine (conductor), Siegfried Jerusalem , Christa Ludwig, Kurt Moll, James Morris, Jan Hendrik Rootering , Ekkehard Wlaschiha , Heinz Zednik & the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra for Wagner: Das Rheingold
• Best Choral Performance (other than opera)
  • Robert Shaw (conductor) & the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra & Chorus for Walton: Belshazzar's Feast/Bernstein: Chichester Psalms; Missa Brevis
• Best Classical Performance, Instrumental Soloist (with orchestra)
  • Zubin Mehta (conductor), Itzhak Perlman & the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra for Shostakovich: Violin Concerto No. 1 in A Minor/ Glazunov: Violin Concerto in A Minor
• Best Classical Performance, Instrumental Soloist (without orchestra)
  • Vladimir Horowitz for The Last Recording
• Best Chamber Music or Other Small Ensemble Performance
  • Daniel Barenboim & Itzhak Perlman for Brahms: The Three Violin Sonatas
• Best Contemporary Composition
  • Leonard Bernstein (composer), Judy Kaye & William Sharp for Bernstein: Arias & Barcarolles
• Best Classical Album
  • Hans Weber (producer), Leonard Bernstein (conductor) & the New York Philharmonic for Ives: Sym. No. 2; Gong on the Hook and Ladder; Central Park in the Dark; The Unanswered Question

Comedy

• Best Comedy Recording
  • Peter Schickele for P. D. Q. Bach: Oedipus Tex and Other Choral Calamities

Composing and arranging

• Best Instrumental Composition
  • Pat Metheny (composer) for "Change of Heart" performed by Roy Haynes, Dave Holland & Pat Metheny
• Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or Television
  • Alan Menken (composer) & Howard Ashman (lyricist) for "Under the Sea" performed by various artists
• Best Instrumental Composition Written for a Motion Picture or for Television
  • James Horner (composer) for Glory performed by James Horner & the Boys Choir of Harlem
• Best Arrangement on an Instrumental
  • Jerry Hey , Quincy Jones, Ian Prince & Rod Temperton (arrangers) for "Birdland" performed by Quincy Jones
• Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocal(s)
  • Glen Ballard, Jerry Hey , Quincy Jones & Clif Magness (arrangers) for "The Places You Find Love" performed by Siedah Garrett & Chaka Khan

Country

• Best Country Vocal Performance, Female
  • Kathy Mattea for "Where've You Been"
• Best Country Vocal Performance, Male
  • Vince Gill for "When I Call Your Name"
• Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal
  • The Kentucky Headhunters for Pickin' on Nashville
• Best Country Vocal Collaboration
  • Chet Atkins & Mark Knopfler for "Poor Boy Blues"
• Best Country Instrumental Performance
  • Chet Atkins & Mark Knopfler for "So Soft, Your Goodbye"
• Best Country Song
  • Don Henry & Jon Vesner (songwriters) for "Where've You Been" performed by Kathy Mattea
• Best Bluegrass Recording
  • Alison Krauss for I've Got That Old Feeling

Folk

• Best Traditional Folk Recording
  • Doc Watson for On Praying Ground
• Best Contemporary Folk Recording
  • Shawn Colvin for Steady On

Gospel

• Best Pop Gospel Album
  • Sandi Patti for Another Time... Another Place
• Best Rock/Contemporary Gospel Album
  • Petra for Beyond Belief
• Best Traditional Soul Gospel Album
  • Tramaine Hawkins for Tramaine Hawkins Live
• Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album
  • Take 6 for So Much 2 Say
• Best Southern Gospel Album
  • Bruce Carroll for The Great Exchange
• Best Gospel Album by a Choir or Chorus
  • James Cleveland (choir director) for Having Church performed by the Southern California Community Choir

Historical

• Best Historical Album
  • Lawrence Cohn & Stephen Lavere (producers) for Robert Johnson - The Complete Recordings

Jazz

• Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Female
  • Ella Fitzgerald for All That Jazz
• Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Male
  • Harry Connick Jr. for We Are In Love
• Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Soloist
  • Oscar Peterson for The Legendary Oscar Peterson Trio Live at the Blue Note
• Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Group
  • The Oscar Peterson Trio for The Legendary Oscar Peterson Trio Live at the Blue Note
• Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Big Band
  • Frank Foster for "Basie's Bag"
• Best Jazz Fusion Performance
  • Quincy Jones for "Birdland"

Latin

• Best Latin Pop Performance
  • Jose Feliciano for "Por Que Te Tengo Que Olvidar?"
• Best Tropical Latin Performance
  • Tito Puente for "Lambada Timbales"
• Best Mexican-American Performance
  • The Texas Tornados for "Soy de San Luis"

Musical Show

• Best Musical Cast Show Album
  • David Caddick (producer) & cast members with Garry Morris for Les Miserables - The Complete Symphonic Recording

Music Video

• Best Music Video, Short Form
  • Sharon Oreck (video producer), Candice Reckinger , Michael Patterson (video directors) & Paula Abdul for "Opposites Attract"
• Best Music Video, Long Form
  • John Oetjen (video producer), Rupert Wainwright (video director) & M.C. Hammer for Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em - The Movie

New Age

• Best New Age Performance
  • Mark Isham for Mark Isham

Packaging and Notes

• Best Album Package
  • Jeffrey Gold , Len Peltier & Suzanne Vega (art directors) for Days of Open Hand performed by Suzanne Vega
• Best Album Notes
  • Dan Morgenstern (notes writer) for Brownie - The Complete Emarcy Recordings of Clifford Brown performed by Clifford Brown

Polka

• Best Polka Recording
  • Jimmy Sturr for When It's Polka Time at Your House

Pop

• Best Vocal Performance, Female
  • Mariah Carey for "Vision of Love"
• Best Vocal Performance, Male
  • Roy Orbison for "Oh Pretty Woman"
• Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal
  • Aaron Neville & Linda Ronstadt for "All My Life"
• Best Pop Instrumental Performance
  • Angelo Badalamenti for "Twin Peaks Theme"

Production and engineering

• Best Engineered Recording, Non-Classical
  • Bruce Swedien (engineer) for Back On the Block performed by Quincy Jones
• Best Engineered Recording, Classical
  • Jack Renner (engineer), Robert Shaw (conductor) & the Robert Shaw Festival Singers for Sergei Rachmaninoff: Vespers
• Producer of the Year, (Non-Classical)
  • Quincy Jones
• Classical Producer of the Year
  • Adam Stern

R&B

• Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female
  • Anita Baker for Compositions
• Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male
  • Luther Vandross for "Here and Now"
• Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal
  • Ray Charles & Chaka Khan for "I'll Be Good to You"
• Best Rhythm & Blues Song
  • M.C. Hammer, Rick James & Alonzo Miller (songwriters) for "U Can't Touch This" performed by M.C. Hammer

Rap

• Best Rap Solo Performance
  • M.C. Hammer for "U Can't Touch This"
• Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group
  • Big Daddy Kane, Ice T, Kool Moe Dee, Melle Mel, Quincy D. III & Quincy Jones for "Back on the Block"

Reggae

• Best Reggae Recording
  • Bunny Wailer for Time Will Tell - A Tribute to Bob Marley

Rock

• Best Rock Vocal Performance, Female
  • Alannah Myles for "Black Velvet"
• Best Rock Vocal Performance, Male
  • Eric Clapton for "Bad Love"
• Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal
  • Aerosmith for "Janie's Got a Gun"
• Best Rock Instrumental Performance
  • Vaughan Brothers for "D/FW"
• Best Hard Rock Performance
  • Living Colour for Time's Up
• Best Metal Performance
  • Metallica for "Stone Cold Crazy"

Spoken

• Best Spoken Word or Non-musical Recording
  • George Burns for Gracie - A Love Story