3 Classic Rock Grammy Award Winners From 1972 We Still Stan

As the 1970s began to unspool, the world of music continued to change. While the 1960s may have introduced mainstream fans to rock music, the 1970s turned that skinny little tween into a brute with buzzing guitars and hefty rhythms (think: Buddy Holly vs. Led Zeppelin).

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One of the best ways to go back and understand an era is to look at who took home the most trophies at award shows. That’s just what we wanted to do here below. Indeed, these are three classic rock Grammy Award winners from 1972 we still stan.

Carole King

The 1972 Grammy Awards could have been called the 1972 Carole King Awards. Indeed, the songwriter and performer was the most decorated during the night, taking home a total of four trophies. Not only that, but King won three truly significant awards, including Record of the Year for her song “It’s Too Late”, Album of the Year for her LP Tapestry, and Song of the Year for the track “You’ve Got a Friend”. To round out the evening, King also won Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female for Tapestry. One might fear for King’s mental health after such highs, but only a few years later in 1975, she released the soundtrack for Really Rosie. What a legend!

Carly Simon

While King took home most of the awards at the 1972 Grammys, there were a few trophies left for the rest of the field. Indeed, songwriter and performer Carly Simon took home the night’s equivalent to Rookie of the Year. She won the coveted Best New Artist award at the pageant. Simon released two LPs in 1971 (Carly Simon and Anticipation) and another in 1972 (No Secrets). For that, she got the big-time nod.

James Taylor

While there weren’t formal rock categories at the Grammy Awards in 1972, there were trophies given out in the “pop” categories. And that was where James Taylor earned his recognition during the evening. Taylor took home the Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male, for his rendition of the tune, “You’ve Got A Friend”. Though Carole King penned the track, both she and Taylor recorded versions, and both won awards. Check out Taylor’s version above.

Photo by Jim McCrary/Redferns