| Year[I] | Performing artist(s) | Work | Nominees | Ref. |
| 1969 | Mason Williams | "Classical Gas" | - Wes Montgomery — "Eleanor Rigby"
- Hugh Masekela — Grazing in the Grass
- José Feliciano — "Here, There and Everywhere"
- Hugo Montenegro — "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly"
| |
| 1970 | Blood, Sweat & Tears | "Variations on a Theme by Erik Satie" | - Area Code 615 — "Area Code 615"
- Boots Randolph — With Love
- Ferrante & Teicher — "Midnight Cowboy"
- Henry Mancini — "A Time for Us (Love Theme from Romeo and Juliet)"
| |
| 1971 | Henry Mancini | Theme from Z and Other Film Music | - Vincent Bell — "Airport Love Theme"
- Assembled Multitude — Overture from Tommy
- Quincy Jones — "Soul Flower"
- Jimi Hendrix — "The Star-Spangled Banner"
| |
| 1972 | Quincy Jones | Smackwater Jack | - Burt Bacharach — Burt Bacharach
- Henry Mancini — Theme from Love Story
- Peter Nero — "Theme from Summer of '42 (The Summer Knows)"
- Michel Legrand — "Theme from Summer of '42 (The Summer Knows)"
| |
| 1973 | Billy Preston | "Outa-Space" | - Pipes & Drums & Military Band of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards — "Amazing Grace"
- Doc Severinsen — Doc
- Apollo 100 — "Joy"
- Mahavishnu Orchestra with John McLaughlin — "The Inner Mounting Flame"
| |
| 1974 | Eumir Deodato | "Also Sprach Zarathustra (2001)" | - Mahavishnu Orchestra — "Birds of Fire"
- Edgar Winter — Frankenstein
- Billy Preston — "Space Race"
- Quincy Jones — "You've Got It Bad Girl"
| |
| 1975 | Marvin Hamlisch | "The Entertainer" | - Quincy Jones — "Along Came Betty"
- Herbie Hancock — Head Hunters
- Rick Wakeman — "Journey to the Centre of the Earth"
- Love Unlimited Orchestra — "Rhapsody in White"
| |
| 1976 | Van McCoy | "The Hustle" | - The Ritchie Family — "Brazil"
- Chuck Mangione — Chase the Clouds Away
- Mike Post — "The Rockford Files"
- Tom Scott & the L.A. Express — "Tom Cat"
| |
| 1977 | George Benson | Breezin' | - Walter Murphy & the Big Apple Band — "A Fifth of Beethoven"
- The Brecker Brothers — Back to Back
- Stevie Wonder — "Contusion"
- Jeff Beck — Wired
| |
| 1978 | John Williams & the London Symphony Orchestra | Star Wars | - Maynard Ferguson — "Gonna Fly Now (Theme from Rocky)"
- Bill Conti — "Gonna Fly Now (Theme from Rocky)"
- Barry De Vorzon — "Nadia's Theme (The Young and the Restless)"
- Meco — "Star Wars Theme/Cantina Band"
| |
| 1979 | Chuck Mangione | Children of Sanchez | - Chet Atkins, Les Paul — "Guitar Monsters"
- Zubin Mehta conducting the Los Angeles Philharmonic — Star Wars and Close Encounters of the Third Kind
- Henry Mancini — "The Pink Panther Theme ('78)"
- John Williams — Close Encounters of the Third Kind
| |
| 1980 | Herb Alpert | "Rise" | - Chuck Mangione — An Evening of Magic
- Zubin Mehta with the New York Philharmonic — Manhattan
- Frank Mills — "Music Box Dancer"
- John Williams — "Theme from Superman"
| |
| 1981 | Bob James and Earl Klugh | One on One | - Herb Alpert — Beyond
- The Doobie Brothers — "South Bay Strut"
- Henry Mancini — "Ravel's Bolero"
- John Williams and the London Symphony Orchestra —"Yoda's Theme"
| |
| 1982 | Larry Carlton and Mike Post | "The Theme From Hill Street Blues" | - Quincy Jones — "Velas"
- Earl Klugh — Late Night Guitar
- Lee Ritenour — Rit
- Royal Philharmonic Orchestra — "Hooked on Classics"
| |
| 1983 | Ernie Watts | "Chariots of Fire Theme (Dance Version)" | - Louis Clark conducting the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra — Hooked on Classics
- Earl Klugh — Crazy for You
- David Sanborn — As We Speak
- John Williams — E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
| |
| 1984 | George Benson | "Being with You" | - Herb Alpert — "Blow Your Own Horn"
- Joe Jackson — "Breakdown"
- Larry Carlton — "Friends"
- Helen St. John — "Love Theme from Flashdance"
| |
| 1985 | Ray Parker Jr. | "Ghostbusters (Instrumental)" | - Earl Klugh — Nightsongs
- Steve Mitchell, Richard Perry and Howard Rice — "Jump (For My Love)"
- Randy Newman — The Natural
- Stevie Wonder — "I Just Called to Say I Love You"
| |
| 1986 | Jan Hammer | "Miami Vice Theme" | - Harold Faltermeyer — "Axel F"
- David Foster — "Love Theme from St. Elmo's Fire"
- Dave Grusin and Lee Ritenour — Harlequin
- Spyro Gyra — "Shake Down"
| |
| 1987 | Harold Faltermeyer and Steve Stevens | "Top Gun Anthem" | - Stanley Clarke — "Overjoyed"
- David Foster — David Foster
- Genesis — "The Brazilian"
- The Tonight Show Band — "Johnny's Theme"
| |
| 1988 | Larry Carlton | "Minute by Minute" | - Herb Alpert — Keep Your Eye on Me
- The Art of Noise — "Dragnet"
- Chick Corea Elektric Band — "Light Years"
- Dave Grusin — "It Might Be You"
| |
| 1989 | David Sanborn | Close-Up | - Kenny G — "Silhouette"
- MARRS — "Pump Up the Volume"
- Mike Post — Music from L.A., Law & Otherwise
- Joe Satriani — "Always with Me, Always with You"
| |
| 1990 | The Neville Brothers | "Healing Chant" | - Kenny G — "Breadline Blues"
- Earl Klugh — Whispers and Promises
- Paul Shaffer — "Late Night"
- Andreas Vollenweider — "Dancing with the Lion"
| |
| 1991 | Angelo Badalamenti | "Twin Peaks Theme" | - Kenny G — "Going Home"
- Phil Collins — "Saturday Night and Sunday Morning"
- Quincy Jones — "Setembro (Brazilian Wedding Song)"
- Stanley Jordan — "What's Goin' On"
| |
| 1992 | Michael Kamen | Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves | - Candy Dulfer — Saxuality
- Kenny G — "Theme from Dying Young"
- David Grusin — Havana
- John Williams — The Star Wars Trilogy
| |
| 1993 | Richard Kaufman | "Beauty and the Beast" | - The Chieftains and Chet Atkins — "Tahitian Skies"
- Bruce Hornsby and Branford Marsalis — "Twenty Nine-Five"
- Bob James and Earl Klugh — Cool
- John Williams — Hook
| |
| 1994 | Branford Marsalis and Bruce Hornsby | "Barcelona Mona" | - George Benson — "Got to Be There"
- Kenny G — "Forever in Love"
- James Galway — "Beauty and the Beast"
- Anthony Inglis with the London Symphony Orchestra — "The Phantom of the Opera"
| |
| 1995 | Booker T. & the M.G.'s | "Cruisin'" | - Kenny G — "Sentimental"
- Branford Marsalis and Bruce Hornsby — "The Star-Spangled Banner"
- Mike Post — "Theme from NYPD Blue"
- Alan Silvestri — "I'm Forrest...Forrest Gump (The Feather Theme)"
| |
| 1996 | Los Lobos | "Mariachi Suite" | - The Allman Brothers Band — "In Memory of Elizabeth Reed"
- Bruce Hornsby — "Song B"
- Kenny G — "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas"
- Dave Grusin — "Yesterday"
| |
| 1997 | Béla Fleck and the Flecktones | "The Sinister Minister" | - Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen — "Theme from Mission: Impossible"
- Lalo Schifrin with the London Philharmonic Orchestra — "Theme from Mission: Impossible"
- The Smashing Pumpkins — "Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness"
- Stevie Wonder — "Kiss Long Good Bye"
| |
| 1998 | Sarah McLachlan | "Last Dance" | - George Benson — "Song for My Brother"
- The Chieftains — "An Gaoth Arenas"
- Kenny G — "Havana"
- Grover Washington, Jr. — "Soulful Strut"
| |
| 1999 | The Brian Setzer Orchestra | "Sleepwalk" | - The Dust Brothers — "The X-Files"
- Béla Fleck and the Flecktones — "Big Country"
- Kenny G — "My Heart Will Go On"
- Pat Metheny Group — "Follow Me"
| |
| 2000 | Santana | "El Farol" | - Herb Alpert — "The Look of Love
- Jeff Beck — "A Day in the Life"
- Bruce Hornsby — "Song C"
- Willie Nelson — "Night and Day"
| |
| 2001 | The Brian Setzer Orchestra | "Caravan" | - Björk — "Overture (Selmasongs)"
- The Corrs — "Rebel Heart"
- Béla Fleck and the Flecktones — "Zona Mona"
- Grover Washington, Jr. — "Camaleao"
| |
| 2002 | Eric Clapton | "Reptile" | - Larry Carlton and Steve Lukather — "Room 335"
- Daft Punk — "Short Circuit"
- Eric Johnson — "Rain"
- Kirk Whalum — "There You'll Be"
| |
| 2003 | B. B. King | "Auld Lang Syne" | - Dave Koz and Jeff Koz — "Blackbird"
- Pat Metheny Group — "As It Is"
- Moby — "18"
- Kirk Whalum — "Playing with Fire"
| |
| 2004 | George Harrison | "Marwa Blues" | - Ry Cooder and Manuel Galbán — "Patricia"
- Dave Koz — "Honey-Dipped"
- Randy Newman — "Seabiscuit"
- The Brian Setzer Orchestra — "The Nutcracker Suite"
| |
| 2005 | Ben Harper | "11th Commandment" | - Herb Alpert, Russ Freeman, James Genus, Gene Lake and Jason Miles — "Chasing Shadows"
- George Benson — "Take You Out"
- Bruce Hornsby — "Song F"
- Brian Setzer — "Rat Pack Boogie"
| |
| 2006 | Les Paul | "Caravan" | - Burt Bacharach and Chris Botti — "In Our Time"
- George Duke — "T-Jam"
- Herbie Hancock and Trey Anastasio — "Gelo na Montanha"
- Daniel Lanois — "Agave"
| |
| 2007 | George Benson and Al Jarreau | "Mornin'" | - Enya — "Drifting"
- Béla Fleck and the Flecktones — "Subterfuge"
- Bruce Hornsby — "Song H"
- The Brian Setzer Orchestra — "My Favorite Things"
| |
| 2008 | Joni Mitchell | "One Week Last Summer" | - Beastie Boys — "Off the Grid"
- Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals — "Paris Sunshine #7"
- Dave Koz — "Over the Rainbow"
- Spyro Gyra — "Simple Pleasures"
| |
| 2009 | Eagles | "I Dreamed There Was No War" | - Steve Cropper and Felix Cavaliere — "Love Appetite"
- Fourplay — "Fortune Teller"
- Stanley Jordan — "Steppin' Out"
- Marcus Miller — "Blast!"
| |
| 2010 | Béla Fleck | "Throw Down Your Heart" | - Herb Alpert — Bésame Mucho
- Imogen Heap — "The Fire"
- Maxwell — "Phoenix Rise"
- Marcus Miller — "Funk Joint"
| |
| 2011 | Jeff Beck | "Nessun Dorma" | - Laurie Anderson — "Flow"
- Stanley Clarke — "No Mystery"
- Gorillaz — "Orchestral Intro"
- The Brian Setzer Orchestra — "Sleepwalk"
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