The 40th Grammy Awards were held in 1998. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the previous year.

Unlike many Grammy award ceremonies, which are often criticized for being stead and boring, the 1998 Grammys had several memorable moments. Among them:

• Wu-Tang Clan member Ol' Dirty Bastard drunkenly interrupts Shawn Colvin's acceptance speech to protest the Clan's loss in the Best Rap Album category.
• LeAnn Rimes performs the song "How Do I Live," and then immediately afterwards, loses the award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance to Trisha Yearwood's version of the same song
• Aretha Franklin performs a stunning version of the aria Nessun Dorma after substituting in for Luciano Pavarotti at the last minute
• During a Bob Dylan performance, a shirtless backup dancer named Michael Portnoy rushes to the front of the stage with the words "Soy Bomb" written on his chest

Award winners:

• Record of the Year
  • John Leventhal (producer) & Shawn Colvin for "Sunny Came Home"

• Album of the Year
  • Daniel Lanois (producer) & Bob Dylan for Time Out of Mind

• Song of the Year
  • John Leventhal & Shawn Colvin (songwriters) for "Sunny Came Home" performed by Shawn Colvin

• Best New Artist
  • Paula Cole

Alternative

• Best Alternative Music Performance
  • Radiohead for OK Computer

Blues

• Best Traditional Blues Album
  • John Lee Hooker for Don't Look Back
• Best Contemporary Blues Album
  • Taj Mahal for Señor Blues

Children's

• Best Musical Album for Children
  • Roger Nichols , Kris O'Connor (producers) & John Denver (producer & artist) for All Aboard!
• Best Spoken Word Album for Children
  • John McElroy (producer) & Charles Kuralt for Winnie-the-Pooh

Classical

• Best Orchestral Performance
  • Pierre Boulez (conductor) & the Cleveland Orchestra for Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique; Tristia
• Best Classical Vocal Performance
  • Cecilia Bartoli for An Italian Songbook (Works of Bellini, Donizetti, Rossini)
• Best Opera Recording
  • Michael Woolcock (producer), Georg Solti (conductor), José van Dam , Ben Heppner, Herbert Lippert , Karita Mattila, Alan Opie , Rene Pape , Iris Vermillion & the Chicago Symphony Orchestra for Wagner: Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg
• Best Choral Performance
  • Robert Shaw (conductor) & the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra & Chorus for Adams: Harmonium/Rachmaninoff: The Bells
• Best Instrumental Soloist(s) Performance (with orchestra)
  • David Zinman (conductor), Yo-Yo Ma & the Philadelphia Orchestra for Premieres - Cello Concertos (Works of Danielpour , Kirchner , Rouse )
• Best Instrumental Soloist Performance (without orchestra)
  • Janos Starker for Bach: Suites for Solo Cello Nos. 1 - 6
• Best Small Ensemble Performance (with or without conductor)
  • Claudio Abbado (conductor) for "Hindemith: Kammermusik No. 1 With Finale 1921, Op. 24 No. 1" performed by members of the Berliner Philharmonic
• Best Chamber Music Performance
  • Emerson String Quartet for Beethoven: The String Quartets
• Best Classical Contemporary Composition
  • John Adams (composer), Kent Nagano (conductor) & the Hallé Orchestra for "Adams: El Dorado"
• Best Classical Album
  • Steven Epstein (producer), David Zinman (conductor), Yo-Yo Ma & the Philadelphia Orchestra for Premieres - Cello Concertos (Works of Danielpour , Kirchner , Rouse )

Composing and arranging

• Best Instrumental Composition
  • Wayne Shorter (composer) for "Aung San Suu Kyi" performed by Herbie Hancock & Wayne Shorter
• Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or for Television
  • R. Kelly (songwriter) for "I Believe I Can Fly" (from Space Jam)
• Best Instrumental Composition Written for a Motion Picture or for Television
  • Gabriel Yared (composer) for The English Patient
• Best Instrumental Arrangement
  • Bill Holman (arranger) for "Straight, No Chaser" performed by The Bill Holman Band
• Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocal(s)
  • Slide Hampton (arranger) for "Cotton Tail" performed by Dee Dee Bridgewater

Country

• Best Female Country Vocal Performance
  • Trisha Yearwood for "How Do I Live"
• Best Male Country Vocal Performance
  • Vince Gill for "Pretty Little Adriana"
• Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal
  • Alison Krauss & Union Station for "Looking in the Eyes of Love"
• Best Country Collaboration with Vocals
  • Garth Brooks & Trisha Yearwood for "In Another's Eyes"
• Best Country Instrumental Performance
  • Alison Krauss & Union Station for "Little Liza Jane"
• Best Country Song
  • Bob Carlisle & Randy Thomas (songwriters) for "Butterfly Kisses" performed by Bob Carlisle / Jeff Carson / the Raybon Brothers
• Best Country Album
  • Rick Rubin (producer) & Johnny Cash for Unchained
• Best Bluegrass Album
  • Alison Krauss & Union Station for So Long So Wrong

Folk

• Best Traditional Folk Album
  • Beausoleil for L'amour ou la Folie
• Best Contemporary Folk Album
  • Bob Dylan for Time Out of Mind

Gospel

• Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album
  • Jars Of Clay for Much Afraid
• Best Rock Gospel Album
  • dc Talk for Welcome to the Freak Show: dc Talk Live in Concert
• Best Traditional Soul Gospel Album
  • The Fairfield Four for I Couldn't Hear Nobody Pray
• Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album
  • Take 6 for Brothers
• Best Southern, Country or Bluegrass Gospel Album
  • Peter York (producer) for Amazing Grace 2: A Country Salute to Gospel performed by various artists
• Best Gospel Choir or Chorus Album
  • Myron Butler , Kirk Franklin & Robert Searight II (choir directors) for God's Property From Kirk Franklin's Nu Nation performed by God's Property

Historical

• Best Historical Album
  • Amy Horowitz , Jeff Place & Pete Reiniger (producers), David Glasser & Charlie Pilzer (engineers) for Anthology of American Folk Music (1997 Edition Expanded) performed by various artists

Jazz

• Best Jazz Instrumental Solo
  • Doc Cheatham & Nicholas Payton for "Stardust"
• Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Individual or Group
  • Charlie Haden & Pat Metheny for Beyond the Missouri Sky
• Best Large Jazz Ensemble Performance
  • Joe Henderson for Joe Henderson Big Band performed by the Joe Henderson Big Band
• Best Jazz Vocal Performance
  • Dee Dee Bridgewater for Dear Ella
• Best Contemporary Jazz Performance
  • Randy Brecker for Into the Sun
• Best Latin Jazz Performance
  • Roy Hargrove's Crisol for Habana

Latin

• Best Latin Pop Performance
  • Luis Miguel for Romances
• Best Tropical Latin Performance
  • Ry Cooder for Buena Vista Social Club
• Best Mexican-American/Tejano Music Performance
  • La Mafia for En Tus Manos
• Best Latin Rock/Alternative Performance
  • Los Fabulosos Cadillacs for Fabulosos Calavera

Musical Show

• Best Musical Show Album
  • Jay David Saks (producer) for Chicago the Musical performed by Various Artists featuring Ann Reinking , Bebe Neuwirth, James Naughton & Joel Grey

Music Video

• Best Short Form Music Video
  • Aris McGarry (video producer), Mark Romanek (video director) & Janet Jackson for "Got 'Till It's Gone"
• Best Long Form Music Video
  • David May , Glen Ballard (video producers), Steve Purcell (video producer & director) & Alanis Morissette (video producers, director & artist) for Jagged Little Pill, Live

New Age

• Best New Age Album
  • Michael Hedges for Oracle

Packaging and Notes

• Best Recording Package
  • Al Quattrocchi , Hugh Brown & Jeff Smith (art directors) for Titanic - Music as Heard on the Fateful Voyage performed by various artists
• Best Recording Package - Boxed
  • David Gorman, Hugh Brown & Rachel Gutek (art directors) for Beg Scream and Shout! The Big Ol' Box of '60s Soul performed by various artists
• Best Album Notes
  • Chuck Pirtle , Eric von Schmidt , Jeff Place , John Fahey, Jon Pankake , Kip Lornell , Luc Sante , Luis Kemnitzer , Neil V. Rosenberg & Peter Stampfel (notes writers) for Anthology of American Folk Music (1997 Edition Expanded) performed by various artists

Polka

• Best Polka Album
  • Jimmy Sturr for Living on Polka Time

Pop

• Best Female Pop Vocal Performance
  • Sarah McLachlan for "Building a Mystery"
• Best Male Pop Vocal Performance
  • Elton John for "Candle in the Wind 1997"
• Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal
  • Jamiroquai for "Virtual Insanity"
• Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals
  • John Lee Hooker & Van Morrison for "Don't Look Back"
• Best Pop Instrumental Performance
  • Sarah McLachlan for "Last Dance"
• Best Dance Recording
  • Giorgio Moroder (producer & artist) & Donna Summer for "Carry On"
• Best Pop Album
  • Frank Filipetti (producer) & James Taylor (producer & artist) for Hourglass

Production and engineering

• Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical
  • Frank Filipetti (engineer) for Hourglass performed by James Taylor
• Best Engineered Album, Classical
  • Michael Bishop, Jack Renner (engineers), Erich Kunzel (conductor) & the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra for Copland: The Music of America (Fanfare for the Common Man; Rodeo, etc.)
• Producer of the Year, Non-Classical
  • Babyface
• Producer of the Year, Classical
  • Steven Epstein
• Remixer of the Year, Non-Classical
  • Frankie Knuckles

R&B

• Best Female R&B Vocal Performance
  • Erykah Badu for "On & On"
• Best Male R&B Vocal Performance
  • R. Kelly for "I Believe I Can Fly"
• Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal
  • Blackstreet for "No Diggity"
• Best Rhythm & Blues Song
  • R. Kelly (songwriter) for "I Believe I Can Fly"
• Best R&B Album
  • Erykah Badu for Baduizm

Rap

• Best Rap Solo Performance
  • Will Smith for "Men in Black"
• Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group
  • Puff Daddy, Faith Evans & 112 for "I'll Be Missing You"
• Best Rap Album
  • Stevie J. (producer) & Puff Daddy & the Family (producer & artist) for "No Way Out"

Reggae

• Best Reggae Album
  • Ziggy Marley & the Melody Makers for Fallen is Babylon

Rock

• Best Female Rock Vocal Performance
  • Fiona Apple for "Criminal"
• Best Male Rock Vocal Performance
  • Bob Dylan for "Cold Irons Bound"
• Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal
  • The Wallflowers for "One Headlight"
• Best Rock Instrumental Performance
  • The Chemical Brothers for "Block Rockin' Beats"
• Best Hard Rock Performance
  • Smashing Pumpkins for "The End is the Beginning is the End"
• Best Metal Performance
  • Tool for "Ænima"
• Best Rock Song
  • Jakob Dylan (songwriter) for "One Headlight" performed by The Wallflowers
• Best Rock Album
  • John Fogerty (producer & artist) for Blue Moon Swamp

Spoken

• Best Spoken Word Album
  • Charles Kuralt for Charles Kuralt's Spring
• Best Spoken Comedy Album
  • Chris Rock for Roll With the New

Trad Pop

• Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance
  • Tony Bennett for Tony Bennett on Holiday

World

• Best World Music Album
  • Milton Nascimento for Nascimento