The 30th Annual Grammy Awards were held March 2, 1988, at Radio City Music Hall, New York City. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the previous year.^[1][2]

Album of the Year went to U2 for The Joshua Tree, and Song of the Year went to Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil and James Horner for "Somewhere Out There".

• Anita Baker & Robbie Robertson - Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female
• Patrick Swayze & Liza Minnelli - Best Musical Cast Show Album
• Billy Joel & Herbie Hancock - Song of the Year
• Steve Allen & Steven Wright - Best Comedy Recording
• Diana Ross & Herb Alpert - Album of the Year
• Dwight Yoakam & Rosanne Cash - Best Country Song
• LeVert & Jody Watley - Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male
• Emanuel Ax - Best Classical Album
• Ruben Blades & Al Jarreau - Producer of the Year
• Little Richard & Buster Poindexter - Best New Artist
• Quincy Jones & Lena Horne - Best Rock Solo Performance and Record of the Year

Record of the Year

• "Graceland" – Paul Simon
  • Paul Simon, producer
• "La Bamba" – Los Lobos
  • Los Lobos & Mitchell Froom, producers
• "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" – U2
  • Brian Eno & Daniel Lanois, producers
• "Luka" – Suzanne Vega
  • Steve Addabbo & Lenny Kaye, producers
• "Back in the High Life Again" – Steve Winwood
  • Russ Titelman & Steve Winwood, producers

Album of the Year

• The Joshua Tree – U2
  • Brian Eno & Daniel Lanois, producers
• Whitney – Whitney Houston
  • Narada Michael Walden, producer
• Bad – Michael Jackson
  • Michael Jackson & Quincy Jones, producers
• Trio – Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt & Emmylou Harris
  • George Massenburg, producer
• Sign o' the Times – Prince
  • Prince, producer

Song of the Year

• "Somewhere Out There"
  • James Horner, Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil, songwriters (Linda Ronstadt & James Ingram)
• "La Bamba"
  • Ritchie Valens, songwriter (Los Lobos)
• "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For"
  • Adam Clayton, David Evans, Larry Mullen, Jr. & Paul Hewson, songwriters (U2)
• "Luka"
  • Suzanne Vega, songwriter (Suzanne Vega)
• "Didn't We Almost Have It All"
  • Michael Masser & Will Jennings, songwriters (Whitney Houston)

Best New Artist

• Jody Watley
• Breakfast Club
• Cutting Crew
• Terence Trent D'Arby
• Swing Out Sister

• Best Traditional Blues Recording
  • Professor Longhair for Houseparty New Orleans Style
• Best Contemporary Blues Recording
  • The Robert Cray Band for Strong Persuader

• Best Recording for Children
  • Tom Bradshaw, Mark Sottnick (producers), Bobby McFerrin (producer & artist) & Jack Nicholson for The Elephant's Child

• Best Orchestral Recording
  • Michael Haas (producer), Georg Solti (conductor) & the Chicago Symphony Orchestra for Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 in D Minor
• Best Classical Vocal Soloist Performance
  • Kathleen Battle for Kathleen Battle - Salzburg Recital
• Best Opera Recording
  • Cord Garben (producer), James Levine (conductor), Agnes Baltsa, Kathleen Battle, Gary Lakes, Hermann Prey, Anna Tomowa-Sintow, & the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra for R. Strauss: Ariadne Auf Naxos
• Best Choral Performance (other than opera)
  • Robert Shaw (conductor) & the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra & Chorus for Hindemith: When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd
• Best Classical Performance - Instrumental Soloist(s) (with orchestra)
  • James Levine (conductor), Itzhak Perlman & the Vienna Philharmonic for Mozart: Violin Concertos Nos. 2 and 4
• Best Classical Performance - Instrumental Soloist(s) (without orchestra)
  • Vladimir Horowitz for Horowitz in Moscow
• Best Chamber Music Performance
  • Vladimir Ashkenazy, Lynn Harrell, Itzhak Perlman & for Beethoven: The Complete Piano Trios
• Best Contemporary Composition
  • Krzysztof Penderecki (composer & conductor), Mstislav Rostropovich & the Philharmonia Orchestra for Penderecki: Cello Concerto No. 2
• Best Classical Album
  • Thomas Frost (producer) & Vladimir Horowitz for Horowitz in Moscow

Best Comedy Recording

• "A Night at the Met" - Robin Williams

• Best Instrumental Composition
  • Ron Carter, Herbie Hancock, Billy Higgins & Wayne Shorter (composers) for Call Sheet Blues performed by various artists
• Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or Television
  • James Horner, Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil (songwriters) for Somewhere Out There performed by Linda Ronstadt & James Ingram
• Best Album of Original Instrumental Background Score Written for a Motion Picture or Television
  • Ennio Morricone (composer) for The Untouchables
• Best Arrangement on an Instrumental
  • Bill Holman (arranger) for Take The "A" Train performed by The Tonight Show Band with Doc Severinsen
• Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocal(s)
  • Frank Foster (arranger) for Deedles' Blues performed by Diane Schuur & the Count Basie Orchestraか

• Best Country Vocal Performance, Female
  • K. T. Oslin for 80's Ladies
• Best Country Vocal Performance, Male
  • Randy Travis for Always & Forever
• Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal
  • Emmylou Harris, Dolly Parton & Linda Ronstadt for Trio
• Best Country Vocal Performance, Duet
  • Ronnie Milsap & Kenny Rogers for "Make No Mistake, She's Mine"
• Best Country Instrumental Performance (orchestra, group or soloist)
  • Asleep at the Wheel for String of Pars
• Best Country Song
  • Paul Overstreet & Don Schlitz (songwriters) for "Forever and Ever, Amen" performed by Randy Travis

• Best Traditional Folk Recording
  • Ladysmith Black Mambazo for Shaka Zulu
• Best Contemporary Folk Recording
  • Steve Goodman for Unfinished Business

• Best Gospel Performance, Female
  • Deniece Williams for I Believe In You
• Best Gospel Performance, Male
  • Larnelle Harris for The Father Hath Provided
• Best Gospel Performance by a Duo or Group, Choir or Chorus
  • Mylon LeFevre and Broken Heart for Crack the Sky
• Best Soul Gospel Performance, Female
  • CeCe Winans for For Always
• Best Soul Gospel Performance, Male
  • Al Green for Everything's Gonna Be Alright
• Best Soul Gospel Performance by a Duo or Group, Choir or Chorus
  • The Winans & Anita Baker for Ain't No Need to Worry

• Best Historical Album
  • Orrin Keepnews (producer) for Thelonious Monk - The Complete Riverside Recordings

• Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Female
  • Diane Schuur for Diane Schuur & the Count Basie Orchestra
• Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Male
  • Bobby McFerrin for What Is This Thing Called Love
• Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Soloist
  • Dexter Gordon for The Other Side of Round Midnight
• Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Group
  • Wynton Marsalis for Marsalis Standard Time, Vol. I
• Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Big Band
  • Mercer Ellington for Digital Duke
• Best Jazz Fusion Performance, Vocal or Instrumental
  • Pat Metheny Group for Still Life (Talking)

• Best Latin Pop Performance
  • Julio Iglesias for Un Hombre Solo
• Best Tropical Latin Performance
  • Eddie Palmieri for La Verdad - The Truth
• Best Mexican-American Performance
  • Los Tigres del Norte for Gracias!... América... Sin Fronteras

• Best Musical Cast Show Album
  • Claude-Michel Schönberg (composer), Herbert Kretzmer (lyricist), Alain Boublil, Claude-Michel Schönberg (producers), & the original Broadway cast for Les Misérables

• Best Concept Music Video
  • Genesis for "Land of Confusion"
• Best Performance Music Video
  • Anthony Eaton (video producer) for The Prince's Trust All-Star Rock Concert performed by various artists

• Best New Age Performance
  • Yusef Lateef for Yusef Lateef's Little Symphony

• Best Album Package
  • Bill Johnson (art director) for King's Record Shop performed by Rosanne Cash
• Best Album Notes
  • Orrin Keepnews (notes writer) for Thelonious Monk - The Complete Riverside Recordings performed by Thelonious Monk

Best Polka Recording

• A Polka Just for Me – Jimmy Sturr

• Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female
  • "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)" – Whitney Houston
• Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male
  • "Bring on the Night (live)" – Sting
• Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal
  • "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" – Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes
• Best Pop Instrumental Performance (Orchestra, Group or Soloist)
  • "Minute by Minute" – Larry Carlton

• Best Engineered Recording, Non-Classical
  • Bruce Swedien & Humberto Gatica (engineers) for Bad performed by Michael Jackson
• Best Engineered Recording, Classical
  • Jack Renner (engineer), Robert Shaw (conductor) & the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra for Fauré: Requiem/Duruflé: Requiem
• Producer of the Year, (Non Classical)
  • Narada Michael Walden
• Classical Producer of the Year
  • Robert Woods

• Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female
  • Aretha Franklin for Aretha
• Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male
  • Smokey Robinson for "Just to See Her"
• Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal
  • Aretha Franklin & George Michael for "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)"
• Best R&B Instrumental Performance (Orchestra, Group or Soloist)
  • David Sanborn for "Chicago Song"
• Best Rhythm & Blues Song
  • Bill Withers (songwriter) for "Lean on Me" performed by Club Nouveau

• Best Reggae Recording
  • No Nuclear War – Peter Tosh

• Best Rock Vocal Performance, Solo
  • "Tunnel of Love" – Bruce Springsteen
• Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal
  • The Joshua Tree – U2
• Best Rock Instrumental Performance (Orchestra, Group or Soloist)
  • "Jazz from Hell" – Frank Zappa

• Best Spoken Word or Non-musical Recording
  • Garrison Keillor for Lake Wobegon Days

• 30th Grammy Awards, from the Internet Movie Database