Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance
Awarded forQuality R&B songs
CountryUnited States
Presented byNational Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences
First award1968
Final award2011
Websitegrammy.com

The Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance (previously called Best Rhythm and Blues Solo Vocal Performance, Female) was an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards,[1] to female recording artists for quality R&B songs. Awards in several categories are distributed annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without regard to album sales or chart position."[2]

According to the category description guide for the 52nd Grammy Awards, the award was presented to artists that performed "newly recorded solo R&B vocal performances". Solo numbers by members of an established group were not eligible for the award as "separate entries from the duo or group performances."[3] Albums were also considered for the accolade until 1992.

As a part of the major overhaul of Grammy categories, the award was discontinued in 2011. The Female R&B Vocal Performance category, Male R&B Vocal Performance category and all duo/group vocal performances in the R&B category shifted to the Best R&B Performance category in 2012.[4]

The award for the Best Female R&B Vocal Performance was first presented to Aretha Franklin at the 10th Grammy Awards ceremony in 1968 for the song "Respect". Franklin received the most wins with eleven, followed by Anita Baker with five. Franklin also holds the record for the most nominations with twenty-three, while Chaka Khan is second with eight nominations. Fantasia Barrino became the final recipient of the award, when her song "Bittersweet" won the award in 2011. The award was presented to artists from the United States each year.

Recipients

Year[I] Performing artists Work Nominees Ref.
1968 Aretha Franklin "Respect" [5]
1969 Aretha Franklin "Chain of Fools"
  • Barbara Acklin – "Love Makes a Woman"
  • Erma Franklin – "Piece of My Heart"
  • Etta James – "Security"
  • Ella Washington – "He Called Me Baby"
 [6]
1970 Aretha Franklin "Share Your Love with Me"
  • Gloria Taylor – "You Gotta Pay the Price"
  • Ruth Brown - "Yesterday"
  • Tina Turner – The Hunter
  • Dee Dee Warwick – "Foolish Fool"
 [7]
1971 Aretha Franklin "Don't Play That Song"
  • Esther Phillips – "Set Me Free"
  • Nina Simone – Black Gold
  • Candi Staton – "Stand by Your Man"
  • Dee Dee Warwick – "She Didn't Know"
 [8]
1972 Aretha Franklin "Bridge Over Troubled Water"
  • Jean Knight – "Mr. Big Stuff"
  • Janis Joplin – Pearl
  • Freda Payne – Contact
  • Diana Ross – "(I Love You) Call Me"
 [9]
1973 Aretha Franklin Young, Gifted And Black
  • Merry Clayton – "Oh No Not My Baby"
  • Esther Phillips – From a Whisper to a Scream
  • Candi Staton – "In the Ghetto"
  • Betty Wright – "Clean Up Woman"
 [10]
1974 Aretha Franklin "Master of Eyes (The Deepness of Your Eyes)"
  • Etta James – Etta James
  • Ann Peebles – "I Can't Stand the Rain"
  • Esther Phillips – "Alone Again (Naturally)"
  • Sylvia – "Pillow Talk"
 [11]
1975 Aretha Franklin "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing"
  • Shirley Brown – "Woman to Woman"
  • Thelma Houston – "You've Been Doing Wrong for So Long"
  • Millie Jackson – "(If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don't Want to Be Right"
  • Etta James – "St. Louis Blues"
  • Ann Peebles – "You Keep Me Hangin' On"
  • Tina Turner – Tina Turns the Country On!
 [6]
1976 Natalie Cole "This Will Be"
  • Gloria Gaynor – "Never Can Say Goodbye"
  • Gwen McCrae – "Rockin' Chair"
  • Esther Phillips – "What a Diff'rence a Day Makes"
  • Shirley & Company – "Shame, Shame, Shame"
 [6]
1977 Natalie Cole "Sophisticated Lady (She's a Different Lady)"
  • Aretha Franklin – "Something He Can Feel"
  • Dorothy Moore – "Misty Blue"
  • Melba Moore – "Lean on Me"
  • Diana Ross – "Love Hangover"
 [12]
1978 Thelma Houston "Don't Leave Me This Way" [13]
1979 Donna Summer "Last Dance" [14]
1980 Dionne Warwick "Déjà Vu"
  • Natalie Cole – I Love You So
  • Minnie Riperton – Minnie
  • Amii Stewart – "Knock on Wood"
  • Donna Summer – "Dim All the Lights"
  • Anita Ward – "Ring My Bell"
 [15]
1981 Stephanie Mills "Never Knew Love Like This Before" [16]
1982 Aretha Franklin "Hold On! I'm Comin'"
  • Patti Austin – "Razzamatazz"
  • Chaka Khan – What Cha' Gonna Do for Me
  • Teena Marie – It Must Be Magic
  • Stephanie Mills – Stephanie
 [17]
1983 Jennifer Holliday "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going"
  • Aretha Franklin – "Jump to It"
  • Diana Ross – "Muscles"
  • Patrice Rushen – "Forget Me Nots"
  • Donna Summer – "Love Is in Control (Finger on the Trigger)"
  • Deniece Williams – "It's Gonna Take a Miracle"
 [18]
1984 Chaka Khan Chaka Khan
  • Aretha Franklin – Get It Right
  • Jennifer Holliday – Feel My Soul
  • Patti LaBelle – "The Best Is Yet to Come"
  • Stephanie Mills – Merciless
  • Deniece Williams – I'm So Proud
 [19]
1985 Chaka Khan "I Feel for You"
  • Patti Austin – Patti Austin
  • Shannon – "Let the Music Play"
  • Tina Turner – "Let's Stay Together"
  • Deniece Williams – "Let's Hear It for the Boy"
 [20]
1986 Aretha Franklin "Freeway of Love" [21]
1987 Anita Baker Rapture [22]
1988 Aretha Franklin Aretha [23]
1989 Anita Baker "Giving You the Best That I Got"
  • Taylor Dayne – "I'll Always Love You"
  • Pebbles – "Girlfriend"
  • Karyn White – "The Way You Love Me"
  • Vanessa Williams – "The Right Stuff"
 [24]
1990 Anita Baker Giving You the Best That I Got [25]
1991 Anita Baker Compositions
  • Regina Belle – "Make It Like It Was"
  • Janet Jackson – "Alright"
  • Patti LaBelle – "I Can't Complain"
  • Pebbles – "Giving You the Benefit"
 [26]
1992 Lisa Fischer
Patti LaBelle 		"How Can I Ease the Pain"
Burnin' 		[27]
1993 Chaka Khan The Woman I Am
  • Oleta Adams – "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me"
  • Whitney Houston – "I Belong to You"
  • Shanice – "I Love Your Smile"
  • Vanessa Williams – "The Comfort Zone"
 [28]
1994 Toni Braxton "Another Sad Love Song" [29]
1995 Toni Braxton "Breathe Again"
  • Anita Baker – "Body and Soul"
  • Aretha Franklin – "A Deeper Love"
  • Gladys Knight – "I Don't Want to Know"
  • Meshell Ndegeocello – "If That's Your Boyfriend (He Wasn't Last Night)"
 [30]
1996 Anita Baker "I Apologize" [31]
1997 Toni Braxton "You're Makin' Me High" [32]
1998 Erykah Badu "On & On" [33]
1999 Lauryn Hill "Doo Wop (That Thing)" [34]
2000 Whitney Houston "It's Not Right but It's Okay" [35]
2001 Toni Braxton "He Wasn't Man Enough"
  • Aaliyah – "Try Again"
  • Erykah Badu – "Bag Lady"
  • Kelly Price – "As We Lay"
  • Jill Scott – "Gettin' in the Way"
 [36]
2002 Alicia Keys "Fallin'"
  • Aaliyah – "Rock the Boat"
  • India.Arie – "Video"
  • Mary J. Blige – "Family Affair"
  • Blu Cantrell – "Hit 'em Up Style (Oops!)"
  • Jill Scott – "A Long Walk"
 [37]
2003 Mary J. Blige "He Think I Don't Know"
  • Aaliyah – "More Than a Woman"
  • Ashanti – "Foolish"
  • Eartha – "I'm Still Standing"
  • Jill Scott – "He Loves Me (Lyzel in E Flat)"
 [38]
2004 Beyoncé Knowles "Dangerously in Love 2" [39]
2005 Alicia Keys "If I Ain't Got You"
  • Janet Jackson – "I Want You"
  • Teena Marie – "I'm Still in Love"
  • Jill Scott – "Whatever"
  • Angie Stone – "U-Haul"
 [40]
2006 Mariah Carey "We Belong Together" [41]
2007 Mary J. Blige "Be Without You" [42]
2008 Alicia Keys "No One"
  • Mary J. Blige – "Just Fine"
  • Fantasia – "When I See U"
  • Chrisette Michele – "If I Have My Way"
  • Jill Scott – "Hate On Me"
 [43]
2009 Alicia Keys "Superwoman"
  • Beyoncé – "Me, Myself and I (Live)"
  • Keyshia Cole – "Heaven Sent"
  • Jennifer Hudson – "Spotlight"
  • Jazmine Sullivan – "Need U Bad"
 [44]
2010 Beyoncé Knowles "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)"
  • Melanie Fiona – "It Kills Me"
  • Lalah Hathaway – "That Was Then"
  • Ledisi – "Goin' Thru Changes"
  • Jazmine Sullivan – "Lions, Tigers & Bears"
 [45]
2011 Fantasia Barrino "Bittersweet"
  • Faith Evans – "Gone Already"
  • Monica – "Everything to Me"
  • Kelly Price – "Tired"
  • Jazmine Sullivan – "Holding You Down (Goin' in Circles)"
 [46]

^[I] Each year is linked to the article about the Grammy Awards held that year.

See also

References

General
Specific
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