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For the GRAMMY Awards, 13 would prove to be an extremely lucky number. For the first time in its history, the show had its very first live telecast—a significant departure from the previous pre-taped broadcasts showcasing certain winners a month or two after the Awards presentation. Finally, the excitement of the GRAMMYs could be enjoyed by viewers in real time.

And there was a lot to enjoy. Imagine Andy Williams delivering a joke about John Lennon appearing nude on the cover of the “Two Virgins” album (actual punch line: “The cover proved that John isn’t one of the Lennon Sisters”) or a cultural event in which jazz legend Duke Ellington and “The Partridge Family” hunk David Cassidy appear back-to-back in the list of stars, and you’ve imagined the kind of broad cultural landscape the GRAMMY Awards often traverse on a single show. You’ve also pretty clearly imagined the 13th annual telecast rightly billed as being “for the first time live from Hollywood.”

In great GRAMMY tradition, the show offered many fascinating examples of the counterculture and the old guard mixing and mingling in surprising and entertaining ways. It was telling that one of Williams’ most successful opening gags involved trying to find a group that would appeal to everyone—to which he, of course, suggested the Grand Funk Tabernacle Choir. This would also prove to be a big GRAMMY night for both <a href="/grammys/artists/paul-simon">Paul Simon</a> and Art Garfunkel and Karen and Richard Carpenter, all of whom took home multiple major awards.

This 90-minute show was centered around performances of the five songs nominated for Song Of The Year, often shot through beads, abstract stage designs and other ’70s style artifacts: Ray Stevens’ “Everything Is Beautiful” was sung by the Osmond Brothers, who were dressed a bit like Elvis for the occasion. The Carpenters played their own “We’ve Only Just Begun.” Anne Murray sang James Taylor’s “Fire And Rain,” with dancers dressed like flames heating things up around her. Aretha Franklin sang “Bridge Over Troubled Water” as Simon and Garfunkel watched from the audience. And finally, Dionne Warwick offered up an elegant take on the Beatles’ “Let It Be.” The winner was Paul Simon for writing “Bridge Over Troubled Water”—an award presented by master songwriter Burt Bacharach, who would repeat that role several times through the years, most recently at the 49th awards in the company of Seal. Simon, who would later serve as a GRAMMY host, was especially terse in giving his thanks this night: just a nod. Bridge Over Troubled Water also won Album Of The Year, while the title track took Record Of The Year, Best Contemporary Song and Best Arrangement Accompanying Vocalists. While accepting the awards, the tension between the duo, which had recently called it quits, was palpable at the podium and they departed in opposite directions.

The Carpenters, meanwhile, won both Best New Artist (over Elton John and the Partridge Family) and Best Contemporary Vocal Performance By A Duo, Group Or Chorus for “Close To You.”

The nominees for Best Country Song were also performed by an impressive array of singers—Charley Pride, Conway Twitty, Wanda Jackson, Marty Robbins and a nearly clean-cut Hank Williams Jr. who did Merle Haggard’s “Fightin’ Side Of Me.” The winner, “My Woman, My Woman, My Wife,” was written and performed by Marty Robbins.

The political climate also made its mark: The late Martin Luther King Jr.’s Why I Oppose The Vietnam War took home the GRAMMY for Best Spoken Word Recording.

Yet possibly the most memorable presentation of the night—besides an entertainingly sloppy and much referenced presentation by soul singer/songwriter Brook Benton who seemed to be speaking more gibberish than English, and after which Williams jokingly reminded the audience, “We’re coming to you live tonight…”—came when another Duke besides Ellington took the stage to present a GRAMMY—John Wayne himself, who presented the award for Best Original Score Written For A Motion Picture Or Television Special. The GRAMMY went to the Beatles for the Phil Spector-produced Let It Be (an album and quasi-documentary film) over such other distinguished nominees as Johnny Mercer with Henry Mancini (Darling Lily), Alfred Newman (Airport), Johnny Mandel (M*A*S*H) and Fred Karlin (The Sterile Cuckoo). <a href="/grammys/artists/paul-mccartney">Paul McCartney</a> clearly thrilled the crowd by appearing to accept the award, bringing his wife Linda onstage. The surprise, last minute appearance was a well-guarded secret with only a few GRAMMY officials aware that the first live telecast would be graced by an appearance by the man they call the Cute One.

Though McCartney’s actual acceptance comments were exceedingly brief (“Thank you. Goodnight.”), the visual of the happy couple standing beside the great Western star remains forever priceless—True Grit with a real Beatle.

Let It Be

Fire And Rain (Single)

Everything Is Beautiful (Single)

Close To You

Bridge Over Troubled Water

Record Of The Year

Sweet Baby James (Album)

Elton John (Album)

Deja Vu (Album)

Close To You (Album)

Chicago (Album)

Album Of The Year

We've Only Just Begun

Song Of The Year

Best New Artist Of The Year

Theme From Medical Center (Single)

Theme From "Z"

The Magic Bus Ate My Donut (Single)

Overture From Tommy (Single)

Gula Matari (Single)

Bitches Brew (Single)

Best Instrumental Arrangement

Lucretia Mac Evil (Single)

Close To You (Single)

Best Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s)

To Our Children's Children's Children

The Kaempfert Touch

Tap Root Manuscript (Album)

Best Engineered Recording - Non-Classical

Uncle Charlie And His Dog Teddy (Album)

The World's Greatest Blues Singer (Album)

The Naked Carmen (Album)

Schubert: "Unfinished" Symphony - Beethoven: Fifth Symphony (Album)

Mason Proffit (Album)

Indianola Mississippi Seeds

Hand Made (Album)

Best Album Cover

They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (Album)

The World's Greatest Blues Singer

Sixteen All Time Greatest Hits (Album)

Judy. London. 1969. (Album)

I Do Not Play No Rock 'n Roll (Album)

Hold Back The World (Album)

Bitches Brew (Album)

As I See It (Album)

Best Album Notes

Snowbird (Single)

Long Long Time (Album)

I'll Never Fall In Love Again

Fancy (Album)

Ain't No Mountain High Enough (Single)

Best Contemporary Vocal Performance, Female

Rainy Night In Georgia (Single)

Mad Dogs And Englishmen (Album)

Everything Is Beautiful

Best Contemporary Vocal Performance, Male

Chicago

Bridge Over Troubled Water (Album)

Best Contemporary Vocal Performance By A Duo, Group Or Chorus

Theme From "Z" And Other Film Music

Star Spangled Banner

Soul Flower

Overture From Tommy

Airport Love Theme

Best Contemporary Instrumental Performance

Let It Be (Single)

Best Contemporary Song

Stand By Your Man (Single)

She Didn't Know (Single)

Set Me Free (Single)

Don't Play That Song

Black Gold (Album)

Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female

War (Single)

The Thrill Is Gone

Signed, Sealed, Delivered (Single)

Patches (Single)

Engine #9 (Single)

Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male

Somebody's Been Sleeping In My Bed

It's All In The Game

Express Yourself

Didn't I (Blow Your Mind This Time)

5-10-15-20 (25-30 Years Of Love)

Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group, Vocal Or Instrumental

Patches

Groovy Situation

Best Rhythm & Blues Song

Hello Sunshine

God Gave Me A Song

Every Man Wants To Be Free

Christian People

Amazing Grace

Best Soul Gospel Performance

Then He Touched Me

Run Woman, Run

Rose Garden

Mule Skinner Blues

A Woman Lives For Love

Best Country Vocal Performance, Female

Sunday Morning Coming Down

Okie From Muskogee (Single)

For The Good Times

Charley Pride's 10th Album (Album)

Amos Moses

Best Country Vocal Performance, Male

Tennessee Birdwalk

Suspicious Minds (Single)

If I Were A Carpenter

Daddy Was An Old-Time Preacher Man

Bed Of Rose's

Best Country Vocal Performance By A Duo Or Group

You Ain't Heard Nothin' Yet (Album)

Yestergroovin'

Street Singer (Single)

Me And Jerry

Drivin' Home

Best Country Instrumental Performance

Wonder Could I Live There Anymore

The Fightin' Side Of Me (Album)

My Woman, My Woman, My Wife

Is Anybody Goin' To San Antone

Hello Darlin' (Single)

Best Country Song

There Is More To Life (Album)

The Centurion

Rapture

God Of Our Fathers (Album)

Best Sacred Performance (Musical)

Talk about The Good Times

The Many Moods Of The Florida Boys (Album)

The LeFevres/Moving Up

Talk About The Good Times

Fantastic Thrashers At Fantastic Caverns

Best Gospel Performance (Other Than Soul Gospel)

Shree Rag (Album)

Sail On

I Do Not Play No Rock N' Roll (Single)

Good Feelin'

Folk Fiddling From Sweden

Black Music Of South America (Album)

Best Ethnic Or Traditional Recording (Including Traditional Blues)

Theme From Medical Center (Album)

Love Theme From Sunflower

Gula Matari

Bitches Brew

Best Instrumental Composition

The Sterile Cuckoo (Album)

M*A*S*H*

Darling Lili (Album)

Airport (Album)

Best Original Score Written For A Motion Picture Or A Television Special

Purlie (Album)

Company

Coco (Album)

Applause (Album)

Best Score From An Original Cast Show Album

Susan Sings Songs From Sesame Street (Album)

Sesame Street

Rubber Duckie

Aristocats (Album)

A Boy Named Charlie Brown (Album)

Best Recording For Children

The Devil Made Me Buy This Dress

The Begatting Of The President (Album)

Live At Madison Square Garden

I Am The President (Album)

Daddy Played First Base (Album)

Best Comedy Recording

Why I Oppose The War In Vietnam

The Soft Sea (Album)

Poems And Ballads From 100-Plus American Poets (Album)

In The Beginning

Grover Henson Feels Forgotten

Everett Dirksen's America (Album)

Best Spoken Word Recording

That's The Way It Is

Swiss Movement

Good-Vibes

Feeling Is Believing (Album)

Fat Albert Rotunda

Coltrane Legacy

Alone

Best Jazz Performance - Small Group Or Soloist With Small Group

Three Shades Of Blue

Live At The Roosevelt Grill (Album)

Duke Ellington - 70th Birthday Concert

Don Ellis At Fillmore (Album)

Consumation (Album)

Best Jazz Performance - Large Group Or Soloist With Large Group

13th Annual GRAMMY Awards