Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance

The Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards.^[1] According to the 54th Grammy Awards description guide it is designed for solo, duo/groups or collaborative (vocal or instrumental) R&B recordings and is limited to singles or tracks only.^[2]

Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance
"Made for Me (Live on BET)" by Muni Long is the most recent recipient
Awarded for	quality vocal or instrumental R&B recordings
Country	United States
Presented by	National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences
Currently held by	Muni Long, "Made for Me (Live on BET)" (2025)
Website	grammy.com

The award was originally awarded from 1959 to 1961 as Best Rhythm & Blues Performance and then from 1962 to 1968 as Best Rhythm & Blues Recording before being discontinued. In 2012, the award was brought back combining the previous categories for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, Best Male R&B Vocal Performance, Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal and Best Urban/Alternative Performance. The restructuring of these categories was a result of the Recording Academy's wish to decrease the list of categories and awards and to eliminate the distinctions between male and female performances, and between solo and duo/groups performances.^[3]

The award goes to the artist. The producer, engineer and songwriter can apply for a Winners Certificate.^[4]

Recipients

The Champs were the inaugural winners of the award.

Dinah Washington was the first female recipient of the award.

Ray Charles has the most wins in this category, winning the award five times.

The award was discontinued in 1968, Aretha Franklin being the last winner.

Corinne Bailey Rae was the recipient of the reintroduced award in 2012.

2022 co-winner Jazmine Sullivan.

Two-time winner, Muni Long. (2023 & 2025)

Year[I]	Performing artist(s)	Work	Nominees	Ref.
1959	The Champs	"Tequila"	Harry Belafonte – Belafonte Sings the Blues Nat King Cole – "Looking Back" Perez Prado – "Patricia" Earl Grant – "The End"	[5]
1960	Dinah Washington	"What a Diff'rence a Day Makes"	Elvis Presley – "A Big Hunk o' Love" The Coasters – "Charlie Brown" Jesse Belvin – "Guess Who" Nat King Cole – "Midnight Flyer"	[6]
1961	Ray Charles	"Let the Good Times Roll"	Etta James – "All I Could Do Was Cry" Hank Ballard & The Midnighters – "Finger Poppin' Time" Muddy Waters – "Got My Mojo Working" Jackie Wilson – "Lonely Teardrops" LaVerne Baker – "Shake a Hand" John Lee Hooker – Travelin' Bo Diddley – "Walkin' and Talkin'"	[7]
1962		"Hit the Road Jack"	Ernie K-Doe – "Mother-in-Law" Etta James – "The Fool That I Am" Jimmy Reed – "Bright Lights, Big City" Laverne Baker – "Saved"	[8]
1963		"I Can't Stop Loving You"	B. Bumble and the Stingers – "Nut Rocker" Bobby Darin – "What'd I Say" Little Eva – "The Loco-Motion" Mel Torme – "Comin' Home Baby" Sam Cooke – "Bring It On Home to Me"	[9]
1964		"Busted"	Barbara Lewis – "Hello Stranger" Lenny Welch – "Since I Fell for You" Little Johnny Taylor – "Part Time Love" Major Lance – "Hey Little Girl" Martha and the Vandellas – (Love is Like a) Heat Wave Sam Cooke – "Frankie and Johnny"	[10]
1965	Nancy Wilson	"How Glad I Am"	Sam Cooke – "Good Times" The Impressions – "Keep on Pushing" The Supremes – "Baby Love" Dionne Warwick – "Walk On By" Joe Tex – "Hold What You've Got"	[11]
1966	James Brown	"Papa's Got a Brand New Bag"	Sam Cooke – "Shake" The Temptations – "My Girl" Wilson Pickett – "In the Midnight Hour" Jr. Walker and The All-Stars – "Shotgun"	[12]
1967	Ray Charles	"Crying Time"	James Brown – "It's A Man's Man's Man's World" Lou Rawls – "Love Is a Hurtin' Thing" Percy Sledge – “When a Man Loves a Woman” Stevie Wonder – "Uptight (Everything's Alright)"	[13]
1968	Aretha Franklin	"Respect"	Joe Tex – "Skinny Legs and All" Lou Rawls – "Dead End Street" Otis Redding – "Try a Little Tenderness" Sam & Dave – "Soul Man"	[14]
2012	Corinne Bailey Rae	"Is This Love"	Marsha Ambrosius — "Far Away" Ledisi — "Pieces of Me" Kelly Price & Stokley — "Not My Daddy" Charlie Wilson — "You Are"	[15]
2013	Usher	"Climax"	Estelle — "Thank You" Robert Glasper Experiment & Ledisi — "Gonna Be Alright (F.T.B.)" Luke James — "I Want You" Miguel — "Adorn"	[16]
2014	Snarky Puppy featuring Lalah Hathaway	"Something"	Tamar Braxton – "Love and War" Anthony Hamilton – "Best of Me" Hiatus Kaiyote featuring Q-Tip – "Nakamarra" Miguel featuring Kendrick Lamar – "How Many Drinks?"	[17]
2015	Beyoncé featuring Jay Z	"Drunk in Love"	Chris Brown featuring Usher and Rick Ross – "New Flame" Jennifer Hudson featuring R. Kelly – "It's Your World" Ledisi – "Like This" Usher – "Good Kisser"	[18]
2016	The Weeknd	"Earned It (Fifty Shades of Grey)"	Tamar Braxton – "If I Don't Have You" Andra Day – "Rise Up" Hiatus Kaiyote – "Breathing Underwater" Jeremih ft. J. Cole – "Planez"	[19]
2017	Solange	"Cranes in the Sky"	BJ the Chicago Kid – "Turnin' Me Up" Ro James – "Permission" Musiq Soulchild – "I Do" Rihanna – "Needed Me"	[20]
2018	Bruno Mars	"That's What I Like"	Daniel Caesar featuring Kali Uchis – "Get You" Kehlani – "Distraction" Ledisi – "High" SZA – "The Weekend"	[21]
2019	Daniel Caesar featuring H.E.R.	"Best Part"	Toni Braxton – "Long as I Live" The Carters – "Summer" Lalah Hathaway – "Y O Y" PJ Morton – "First Began"	[22]
2020	Anderson .Paak featuring André 3000	"Come Home"	Brandy & Daniel Caesar – "Love Again" H.E.R. featuring Bryson Tiller – "Could've Been" Lizzo featuring Gucci Mane – "Exactly How I Feel" Lucky Daye – "Roll Some Mo"	[23]
2021	Beyoncé	"Black Parade"	Jhené Aiko featuring John Legend – "Lightning & Thunder" Jacob Collier featuring Mahalia & Ty Dolla $ign – "All I Need" Brittany Howard – "Goat Head" Emily King – "See Me"	[24]
2022	Silk Sonic	"Leave the Door Open"	Snoh Aalegra – "Lost You" Justin Bieber featuring Daniel Caesar & Giveon – "Peaches" H.E.R. – "Damage"	[25]
	Jazmine Sullivan	"Pick Up Your Feelings"
2023	Muni Long	"Hrs & Hrs"	Beyoncé – "Virgo's Groove" Mary J. Blige featuring Anderson .Paak – "Here With Me" Lucky Daye – "Over" Jazmine Sullivan – "Hurt Me So Good"	[26]
2024	Coco Jones	"ICU"	Chris Brown – "Summer Too Hot" Robert Glasper featuring Sir & Alex Isley – "Back to Love" Victoria Monét – "How Does It Make You Feel" SZA – "Kill Bill"	[27]
2025	Muni Long	"Made for Me (Live on BET)"	Jhené Aiko – "Guidance" Chris Brown – "Residuals" Coco Jones – "Here We Go (Uh Oh)" SZA – "Saturn"	[28]

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

Artists with multiple wins

5 wins Ray Charles

2 wins Beyoncé Bruno Mars Anderson .Paak Muni Long

Artists with multiple nominations

5 nominations Ray Charles 4 nominations Beyoncé Daniel Caesar Sam Cooke Ledisi 3 nominations Chris Brown H.E.R. Anderson .Paak SZA Usher

2 nominations Jhené Aiko LaVerne Baker Tamar Braxton James Brown Nat King Cole Lalah Hathaway Hiatus Kaiyote Etta James Coco Jones Jay-Z Muni Long Lucky Daye Bruno Mars Miguel Lou Rawls Jazmine Sullivan Joe Tex

See also

• Grammy Award for Best Traditional R&B Performance
• Grammy Award for Best R&B Song