Musicians That Disappeared After Winning Grammys For Best New Artist

One of the most significant categories of the Grammy Awards, Best New Artist, is typically handled flawlessly. For musicians that have had a breakthrough year, it’s an exciting time, and the Grammy Awards have a history of predicting future stars. Previous winners have included Mariah Carey, Maroon 5, and even legendary performers like the Beatles and Crosby, Stills, and Nash. However, the Grammy voters aren’t always right. We get the impression that the Best New Artist award might occasionally be a curse because many winners haven’t lived up to the hype. While some performances are memorable, some don’t, and those dubious choices are still up for discussion.

Starland Vocal Band
The Starland Vocal Band rose to fame in the 1970s, when mellow, silky soft rock served as the backdrop for a shifting society. The group was founded by Bill and Taffy, a married folk pair. In 1976, it signed with John Denver’s Windsong Records and grew to include two more couples. “Afternoon Delight,” a humorous song about lunchtime romance that peaked at No. 1 on the mainstream charts and even made its way onto country radio, was featured on their self-titled album.

The Starland Vocal Band’s brief but impressive popularity was shown by their Grammy nominations, which included Best New Artist and Record of the Year. They defeated rock heavyweights Boston and disco’s Wild Cherry to win the Grammy for Best New Artist. However, the fame was short-lived. Their days of dominating the charts were finished, even though they had their own television program, The Starland Vocal Band Show, in 1977. Their last single, “Loving You with My Eyes,” only peaked at No. 71 in 1980, and they were barely surviving.

Shelby Lynne
It wasn’t quite a traditional instance of a young artist stealing the show when Shelby Lynne took home the Best New Artist trophy at the 43rd Grammy Awards. Her album I Am Shelby Lynne was her sixth release, but she still defeated well-known artists like Jill Scott, Brad Paisley, and Papa Roach. In the 1990s, Shelby experimented with pop, country, and soul music under Epic Records for a few years before settling on this Americana-meets-pop gem in 2000.

However, her Grammy victory didn’t quite convert into widespread popularity. Following the awards, Shelby promptly released Love, Shelby, which was produced by Glen Ballard, who is well-known for his work on Alanis Morissette’s Jagged Little Pill. Although she received praise from critics, Shelby was never able to have a significant impact on the entertainment charts. Songs like “Wall in Your Heart” and “Gotta Get Back” just made it to the bottom of the Adult Contemporary list. Shelby’s chart presence rapidly diminished after her Grammy win, and she hasn’t been seen on the charts since.

The Swingle Singers
The Grammys were out of step with popular music in its early years, particularly among younger audiences. The Swingle Singers defeated Vikki Carr and Trini Lopez to win the Best New Artist award at the 6th Grammy Awards in 1963. Under the direction of Ward Swingle, the group gained notoriety for their distinctive vocal technique, which involved singing classical pieces without the use of any instruments.

The Swingle Singers were nominated for Album of the Year for Bach’s Greatest Hits (also known as Jazz Sebastian Bach) in addition to Best New Artist. Although the album had some success in the United States, it never made it into the top 10 or yielded any singles that reached the top of the charts. With new members joining throughout time, the group has maintained their unique sound while recording and touring into the twenty-first century, despite Ward Swingle’s passing years ago.

Debby Boone
Debby Boone wasn’t quite unknown when she took home the Best New Artist trophy at the 20th Grammy Awards in 1978. She had a musical heritage being the daughter of pop singer Pat Boone from the 1950s. Debby’s first record, the poignant ballad “You Light Up My Life,” was a huge smash in 1977. The song set a record for chart-topping longevity at the time, spending 10 weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 after first appearing in a little-known film of the same name. The song is a rare Christian pop crossover hit, with Boone herself describing it as more of a spiritual hymn than a love ballad.

The song’s popularity helped Debby defeat artists like Andy Gibb and Foreigner to win the Grammy for Best New Artist. As those performers kept racking up successes, Boone’s mainstream appeal swiftly waned. After achieving a No. 1 success with “Are You on the Road to Lovin’ Me Again?” in 1980, she briefly returned to the charts with country music, but her fame was short-lived.

Amy Winehouse
A significant musical movement began in the 2000s when British female vocalists revived the soulful sounds of the 1960s while including contemporary lyrics about love and life. Amy Winehouse was a leader for this wave, and her strong voice and vintage flair made her a worldwide celebrity. Winehouse brought heart to every performance with her trademark beehive hair and retro attire, particularly on hits like “Rehab” from her 2006 album Back to Black. Frank, her 2003 debut, was mostly a U.K. hit, Winehouse qualified for the 2008 Grammy Awards’ Best New Artist category.

Despite the poor performance of her follow-up single, “You Know I’m No Good,” Winehouse’s “Rehab” nevertheless took home the top three awards—Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best New Artist—beating out Taylor Swift and Paramore. Her popularity in the United States, regrettably, was short-lived. Winehouse never had the opportunity to make a comeback because her problems persisted. She tragically died in 2011 at the age of 27 from alcohol poisoning, leaving behind a brief but memorable legacy.

Rickie Lee Jones
Folk-inspired singer-songwriters flourished in the 1970s, with Carole King, James Taylor, and Cat Stevens at the forefront. When Rickie Lee Jones first appeared on the scene in 1979, she combined folk, jazz, and beat poetry elements to create her own sound. The charming, soulful hit “Chuck E.’s in Love,” which peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and appeared on the R&B and Adult Contemporary charts, was the result of her debut self-titled album. Nevertheless, Jones never achieved the same level of commercial success again, and her follow-up single “Young Blood” only reached No. 40.

Despite this, Jones received Grammy nominations for Song of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female for “Chuck E.’s in Love,” which helped him win Best New Artist in early 1980. She won the award ahead of Dire Straits and comedian Robin Williams. Despite never becoming a major chart-topping force, Jones’ unique style and talent left a lasting impact. She went on to carve out a respected career, even winning a Grammy in 1990 for Best Jazz Vocal Performance for her cover of “Makin’ Whoopee.”

Esperanza Spalding
At the 2011 Grammy Awards, the competition for Best New Artist was fierce, with nominees like Mumford & Sons, Florence and the Machine, Justin Bieber, and Drake all in the running. But when Esperanza Spalding’s name was called, the audience was stunned. A jazz bassist, singer, and Berklee College of Music faculty member, Spalding’s experimental style made her an unlikely winner.

Her first two albums, Junjo and Esperanza, did well in jazz circles, but it was her third album, Chamber Music Society, that earned her the Grammy. After her win, the album’s sales soared by 476%, reaching 18,000 copies in just a week. Spalding’s next album, Radio Music Society, also debuted in the top 10 in 2012, continuing her momentum. While she’s earned several more Grammys over the years, she’s never scored a mainstream hit. However, her 2019 duet of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” with John Legend reached No. 23 on the R&B chart, showing her continued relevance in the music world.

Marc Cohn
With his debut album in 1991, Marc Cohn made a great impression with his soulful piano, deep, expressive voice, and soft adult pop style. His breakthrough track, “Walking in Memphis,” peaked at No. 13 on the Billboard Pop chart and became a smash in a variety of genres, including pop, country, rock, and adult contemporary. Cohn received multiple Grammy nominations for it, and at the 34th Grammy Awards, he defeated Boyz II Men and Seal to win the Best New Artist prize.

Although Cohn made five additional albums, only his debut album reached platinum five years after its release, despite the early success. He failed to recreate the magic of “Walking in Memphis.” His first singles “Silver Thunderbird” and “True Companion,” which peaked at No. 63 and No. 80, respectively, both made fleeting debuts on the Hot 100. Even though Cohn was no longer a chart-topper, his distinctive fusion of musical genres and his heartfelt ballad continue to define his reputation.

Robert Goulet
Like Robert Goulet, becoming a star in the 1960s usually required getting a big part in a Broadway musical or appearing on a well-liked TV variety show. When Goulet played Sir Lancelot in the Broadway hit Camelot in 1960, he became a household name after beginning his career in Canada. The performance was so influential that it became a moniker for President John F. Kennedy’s administration because of his remarkable appearance and commanding voice. Goulet joined with Columbia Records following his appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show.

“What Kind of Fool Am I,” his debut single, peaked at No. 89 on the Billboard charts and had little effect. However, his association with Camelot enabled him to defeat well-known acts like Peter, Paul & Mary, and The Four Seasons to win the Grammy for Best New Artist in 1962. Goulet only managed one top 40 hit with “My Love, Forgive Me” in 1964, although those bands had several singles. He had a lengthy career performing on stage and in movies, but his Grammy triumph was the closest he got to becoming a big pop artist. In 2007, Goulet passed away.

Marvin Hamlisch
Arena rock, disco, folk-pop, soul, soft rock, punk, and other genres were vying for popularity during the musical revolution of the mid-1970s. At the 17th Grammy Awards in 1975, the Best New Artist category reflected this diversity, featuring multi-genre singer-songwriter Phoebe Snow, hard rockers Bad Company, and Motown’s Johnny Bristol. However, Marvin Hamlisch, who was not very new to the scene, emerged victorious.

Hamlisch, who is well-known for penning popular ballads, making film scores, and reworking ragtime music from the early 1900s, had a particularly successful year in 1974–1975. In addition to winning Best New Artist, he also won Song of the Year for the film’s theme song, Best Original Score for The Way We Were, and Best Pop Instrumental Performance for his rendition of Scott Joplin’s “The Entertainer.” Written in 1902, this ragtime song gained popularity when Hamlisch recorded it for the film The Sting. Hamlisch’s victory as Best New Artist is all the more mysterious because, despite his accomplishment, he never again made an impression on the singles charts.

Norah Jones
Avril Lavigne, John Mayer, Michelle Branch, Ashanti, and other well-known figures from the early 2000s were nominated for Best New Artist at the 45th Grammy Awards in 2003. But Norah Jones, who had already outsold them all, was the one who brought home the award. Jones forged her own distinctive route, even though her well-known father, sitar virtuoso Ravi Shankar, may indicate she had musical ties. Jones gained notoriety for her velvety, silky jazz vocals that evoked piano bars of the mid-century.

With more than 27 million copies sold worldwide, her debut album Come Away with Me was an enormous success. The notable song, “Don’t Know Why,” peaked at number four on the adult contemporary charts and made it to the top 30 on the mainstream charts. She also won the Grammy for Record of the Year for that song, and Come Away with Me won Best New Artist and Album of the Year.

Despite being a one-hit wonder by some measures, Jones’s debut album sold incredibly well, making her one of the most successful recording artists of all time, even though she hasn’t replicated that success with subsequent albums.