First person to win Record of the Year at the Grammys as a solo artist, duo and as part of a group

Paul Simon (USA) won Grammy awards for Record of the Year with Simon & Garfunkel in 1969 (“Mrs. Robinson”) and 1971 (“Bridge over Troubled Water”), as a member of the USA for Africa charity collective in 1986 (“We Are the World”), and as a solo artist in 1988 (“Graceland”).

Paul Simon stood alone in this achievement until 2022, when Bruno Mars (USA, b. Peter Hernandez) returned to the winners’ rostrum at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards for Silk Sonic’s “Leave the Door Open”. Mars had previously won Record of the Year in 2016 for “Uptown Funk!” (Mark Ronson feat. Bruno Mars) and in 2018 for his solo single “24K Magic”.

Mars was the second performer and the fourth person overall – after Paul Simon, mastering engineer Tom Coyne (2015-18) and engineer/mixer Tom Elmhirst (2008, 2012 and 2017) – to win Record of the Year as many as three times. Grammys favourite Mars was also nominated in the category in 2011 (“Nothin’ on You” – B.o.B. feat. Bruno Mars), 2012 (“Grenade”) and 2014 (“Locked out of Heaven”).

Including his four wins with Silk Sonic in 2022 (Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best R&B Performance and Best R&B Song – all for “Leave the Door Open”), Mars has collected a total of 15 trophies at the music industry’s biggest awards show since 2011. Across the last four editions of the Grammys at which he’s received nominations (2016-18 and 2022), he has made a clean sweep with 13 awards from 13 nominations. The most recent nominations for which he went home empty-handed were three of the four nods he received ahead of the 56th Annual Grammy Awards on 26 January 2014.

Thanks to the success of the USA for Africa charity collaboration “We Are the World” at the 28th Annual Grammy Awards in 1986, Record of the Year has been won solo and as part of a group by Billy Joel (1979), Kim Carnes (1982), Michael Jackson (1984), Tina Turner (1985) and Bette Midler (1990). Ray Charles won the award as part of a group (USA for Africa) and as a duo (“Here We Go Again”, with Norah Jones, in 2005), while Jones won as a solo artist (2003) as well as with Charles as a duo.