The 26th Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 28, 1984, at Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles, and were broadcast live on American television. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the year 1983. Michael Jackson, who had been recovering from scalp burns sustained due to an accident that occurred during the filming of a Pepsi commercial, won a record eight awards during the show. It is notable for garnering the largest Grammy Award television audience ever with 51.67 million viewers. Album of the Year and Record of the Year went to Michael Jackson for Thriller and "Beat It", and Song of the Year went to The Police for "Every Breath You Take".

Ratings

The 26th Grammy Awards had the highest ratings in the awarding body's history with 51.67 million viewers, a record unmatched as of 2025, and is the third most watched live awards show in U.S. television history (after the 1983 and 1998 editions of the Academy Awards). Donna Summer opened the show with "She Works Hard for the Money", and a tribute to working women.

Performers

Presenters

Winners

General

Blues

Children's

Classical

Comedy

Composing and arranging

Country

Folk

Gospel

Historical

Jazz

Latin

Musical show

Music video

Packaging and notes

Pop

Production and engineering

R&B

Rock

Spoken