The annual Grammy awards are presented by the Recording Academy, which consists of musicians, producers, recording engineers, and other music experts. The name “grammy” refers to a gramophone, a type of record player, and the first ever Grammy Awards were celebrated in 1959. The Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album was a category even then, though it was originally called Best Original Cast Album (Broadway or TV). The Music Man, composed by Meredith Willson, won the first award.
Some Like It Hot won the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theatre Album in 2024 with lyrics by Scott Wittman and music and lyrics by Marc Shaiman.
The original Broadway cast features: Christian Borle, J. Harrison Ghee, Adrianna Hicks, and NaTasha Yvette Williams.
The songs you might know: “A Darker Shade of Blue,” “Some Like It Hot,” “Let’s Be Bad,” and “You Could’ve Knocked Me Over With a Feather.”
Other nominees: Kimberly Akimbo, Parade, Shucked, and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.
Into the Woods won the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album at the most recent 65th Grammy Awards in 2023 with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine.
The revival cast features: Sara Bareilles, Gavin Creel, Brian d’Arcy James, Joshua Henry, Patina Miller, and Phillipa Soo.
The songs you might know: “Into the Woods,” “It Takes Two,” “On the Steps of the Palace,” “No One Is Alone,” and “Children Will Listen.”
Other nominees: Mr. Saturday Night, Caroline, or Change, MJ the Musical, Six, and A Strange Loop.
The Untitled Bridgerton Musical, based on the popular novels and subsequent Netflix series, won the Grammy Award in 2022 and was produced by Emily Bear with music and lyrics by Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear.
The songs you might know: “Burn for You,” “Penelope Featherington,” and “Ocean Away.”
Other nominees: Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cinderella, Burt Bacharach and Steve Sater’s Some Lovers, Girl from the North Country, Les Misérables: The Staged Concert, Stephen Schwartz’s Snapshots
Jagged Little Pill won the Grammy Award in 2021 with music by Alanis Morissette and Glen Ballard, and lyrics by Alanis Morisette.
The original Broadway cast features: Celia Rose Gooding, Elizabeth Stanley, Sean Allan Krill, Derek Klena, and Lauren Patten.
The songs you might know: “Hand in My Pocket,” “Ironic,” and “You Oughta Know.”
Other nominees: The original London cast of Amelie, David Byrne’s American Utopia on Broadway, Little Shop of Horrors, The Prince of Egypt, and Soft Power.
Hadestown, with music and lyrics by Anais Mitchell, won the Grammy Award in 2020 as well as the Tony Award for Best Original Score in 2019.
The original cast features: André De Shields, Eva Noblezada, Reeve Carney, Amber Gray and Patrick Page.
The songs you might know: “Way Down Hadestown,” “Wait for Me,” and “Our Lady of the Underground.”
Other nominees: Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations, Moulin Rouge! The Musical, The Music of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, and Oklahoma!
The Band’s Visit, with music and lyrics by David Yazbeck, won the Grammy Award in 2019 as well as the Tony Award for Best Original Score in 2018.
The original cast features: Katrina Lenk, Tony Shalhoub, Adam Kantor, and Ari’el Stachel.
The songs you might know: “Welcome to Nowhere,” “Omar Sharif,” and “Haled’s Song About Love.”
Other nominees: Carousel, Jesus Christ Superstar: Live in Concert, My Fair Lady, and Once on this Island
Dear Evan Hansen, with music and lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, won the Grammy Award in 2018 as well as the Tony Award for Best Original Score in 2017.
The original cast features: Ben Platt, Mike Faist, Rachel Bay Jones, Michael Park, Laura Dreyfuss, Kristolyn Lloyd, and Jennifer Laura Thompson.
The songs you might know: “Waving Through a Window,” “You Will Be Found,” and “For Forever.”
Other nominees: Come From Away and Hello, Dolly!
The Color Purple won the Grammy Award in 2017 with music and lyrics by Brenda Russell, Allee Willis, and Stephen Bray.
The revival cast features: Jennifer Hudson, Cynthia Erivo, and Danielle Brooks.
The songs you might know: “What About Love,” “I’m Here,” and “The Color Purple.”
Other nominees: Bright Star, Fiddler on the Roof, Kinky Boots, and Waitress
Hamilton, with music and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda, won the Grammy Award in 2016 as well as the Tony Award for Best Original Score and is still running on Broadway at the Richard Rodgers Theatre.
The original cast features: Lin-Manuel Miranda, Leslie Odom Jr., Phillipa Soo, Renee Elise Goldsberry, Daveed Diggs, Christopher Jackson, Anthony Ramos, Okieriete Onaodowan, Jonathan Groff, and Jasmine Cephas Jones.
The songs you might know: “My Shot,” “You’ll Be Back,” and “The Room Where It Happens.”
Other nominees: An American in Paris, Fun Home, The King and I, and Something Rotten!
Beautiful won the Grammy Award in 2015 based on the songs of Carole King and including songs by Barry Mann, The Drifters, Cynthia Weil and others.
The original cast features: Jessie Mueller, Jake Epstein, Anika Larsen, Jarrod Spector, Jeb Brown, Liz Larsen, and Rebecca LaChance.
The songs you might know:
Other nominees: Aladdin, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, and West Side Story
Kinky Boots, with music and lyrics by Cyndi Lauper, won the Grammy Award in 2014 as well as the Tony Award for Best Original Score in 2013.
The original cast features: Billy Porter, Annaleigh Ashford, Stark Sands, and Lena Hall.
The songs you might know: “Raise You Up,” “Everybody Say Yeah,” and “The History of Wrong Guys.”
Other nominees: Matilda: The Musical and Motown: The Musical.
Once debuted off-Broadway at New York Theatre Workshop before its run on Broadway where it won the Grammy Award in 2013 with music and lyrics by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova.
The original cast features: Steve Kazee and Cristin Milioti.
The songs you might know: “Falling Slowly,” “Gold,” and “When Your Mind’s Made Up.”
Other nominees: Follies, The Gershwins’ Porgy & Bess, Newsies, and Nice Work If You Can Get It.
The Book of Mormon, with music and lyrics by Trey Parker, Robert Lopez, and Matt Stone, won the Grammy Award in 2012 as well as the Tony Award for Best Original Score in 2011. It is still running on Broadway at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre.
The original cast features: Andrew Rannells, Josh Gad, Nikki M. James, and Rory O’Malley.
The songs you might know: “Hello,” “I Believe,” and “Turn It Off.”
Other nominees: Anything Goes and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.
American Idiot won the Grammy Award in 2011 with music by Green Day and lyrics by Billie Joe Armstrong.
The original cast features: John Gallagher Jr, Michael Esper, Stark Sands, Joshua Henry, and Tony Vincent.
The songs you might know: “American Idiot,” “Boulevard of Broken Dreams,” and “Wake Me Up When September Ends.”
Other nominees: Fela!, A Little Night Music, Promises, Promises, and Sondheim on Sondheim.
West Side Story won the Grammy Award in 2010 with music by Leonard Bernstein and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim.
The revival cast features: Matt Cavenaugh, Josefina Scaglione, and Karen Olivo.
The songs you might know: “Maria,” “I Feel Pretty,” and “America.”
Other nominees: Ain’t Misbehavin’, Hair, 9 to 5: The Musical, and Shrek the Musical.
In the Heights, with music and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda, won the Grammy Award in 2009 as well as the Tony Award for Best Original Score in 2008.
The original cast features: Lin-Manuel Miranda, Karen Olivo, Mandy Gonzalez, Chris Jackson, Robin de Jesus, Olga Merediz and Janet Decal.
The songs you might know: “In the Heights,” “96,000,” and “Paciencia Y Fe.”
Other nominees: Gypsy, The Little Mermaid, South Pacific, and Young Frankenstein: The Musical.
Spring Awakening, with music by Duncan Sheik and lyrics by Steven Sater, won the Grammy Award in 2008 as well as the Tony Award for Best Original Score in 2007.
The original cast features: Jonathan Groff, Lea Michele, John Gallagher Jr, Gideon Glick, Skylar Astin, and Lilli Cooper.
The songs you might know: “The Bitch of a Living,” “Touch Me,” and “Those You’ve Known.”
Other nominees: A Chorus Line, Company, Grey Gardens, and West Side Story.
Jersey Boys won the Grammy Award in 2007 with music by Bob Guadio and lyrics by Bob Crewe.
The original cast features: John Lloyd Young, Christian Hoff, Daniel Reichard, and J. Robert Spencer.
The songs you might know: “Walk Like a Man,” “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You,” “Walk Like a Man,” and “Who Loves You.”
Other nominees: The Color Purple, The Drowsy Chaperone, The Pajama Game, and Sweeney Todd.
Spamalot won the Grammy Award in 2006 with music by John Du Prez and Eric Idle and lyrics by Eric Idle.
The original cast features: Tim Curry, David Hyde Pierce, Hank Azaria, Michael McGrath, Christopher Sieber, Christian Borle, and Sara Ramirez.
The songs you might know: “Knights of the Round Table,” “Always Look On the Bright Side of Life,” and “Find Your Grail.”
Other nominees: Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Hair, The Light in the Piazza, and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.
Wicked won the Grammy Award in 2005 with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, and it is still running on Broadway at the Gershwin Theatre.
The original cast features: Idina Menzel, Kristin Chenoweth, and Norbert Leo Butz.
The songs you might know: “Popular,” “Defying Gravity,” and “For Good.”
Other nominees: Assassins, Avenue Q: The Musical, The Boy from Oz, and Wonderful Town.
Gypsy won the Grammy Award in 2004 with music by Jule Styne and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim.
The revival cast features: Bernadette Peters, Tammy Blanchard, Kate Reinders, John Dossett, and David Burtka.
The songs you might know: “Some People,” “Everything’s Coming Up Roses,” and “Rose’s Turn.”
Other nominees: Flower Drum Song, Man of La Mancha, Movin’ Out, and Nine.
Hairspray, with music by Marc Shaiman and lyrics by Scott Wittman and Marc Shaiman, won the Grammy Award in 2003 as well as the Tony Award for Best Original Score.
The original cast features: Marissa Jaret Winokur, Harvey Fierstein, Matthew Morrison, Kerry Butler, Dick Latessa, Mary Bond Davis, Linda Hart, Jackie Hoffman, Laura Bell Bundy, Corey Reynolds, and Clarke Thorell.
The songs you might know: “Good Morning Baltimore,” “Big, Blonde, and Beautiful,” “Without Love,” and “You Can’t Stop the Beat.”
Other nominees: Elaine Stritch at Liberty, Guys and Dolls, Into the Woods, and Thoroughly Modern Millie.
The Producers, with music and lyrics by Mel Brooks, won the Grammy Award in 2002 as well as the Tony Award for Best Original Score in 2001.
The original cast features: Nathan Lane, Matthew Broderick, Cady Huffman, Gary Beach, Roger Bart, and Brad Oscar.
The songs you might know: “I Wanna Be a Producer,” “Opening Night,” and “Springtime for Hitler.”
Other nominees: The Full Monty: The Broadway Musical, Mamma Mia! The Musical, Seussical, and Sweeney Todd: Live at the New York Philharmonic.
Aida, with music by Elton John and lyrics by Tim Rice, won the Grammy Award in 2001 as well as the Tony Award for Best Original Score in 2000.
The original cast features: Heather Headley, Adam Pascal, Sherie Rene Scott, and Tyrees Allen.
The songs you might know: “Written in the Stars,” “Every Story is a Love Story,” and “How I Know You.”
Other nominees: Kiss Me, Kate, The Music Man, Swing!, and The Wild Party.
Annie Get Your Gun won the Grammy Award in 2000 with music by Elton John and lyrics by Tim Rice.
The revival cast features: Bernadette Peters, Tom Wopat, and Ron Holgate.
The songs you might know: “There’s No Business Like Show Business,” Doin’ What Comes Natur’lly,” and “Anything You Can Do.”
Other nominees:Footloose, Fosse, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, and You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown.
Check out our article on the Best Broadway Cast Recordings and Movie Musical Soundtracks to listen to even more of the best music on Broadway!
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