Song of the Year 1970

Bridge Over Troubled Water dominated the year in awards and sales. Written by Paul Simon and performed by Art Garfunkel it was their last album together. Bridge over Troubled Water Biography

Billboard Top 40 of 1970

001 - Simon & Garfunkel - Bridge Over Troubled Water
002 - Carpenters - Close To You
003 - Guess Who - American Woman
004 - B.J. Thomas - Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head
005 - Edwin Star - War
006 - Diana Ross - Ain't No Mountain High Enough
007 - Jackson 5 - I'll Be There
008 - Rare Earth - Get Ready
009 - Beatles - Let It Be
010 - Freda Payne - Band of Gold
011 - Ray Stevens - Everything Is Beautiful
012 - Three Dog Night - Mama Told Me
013 - Bread - Make It with You
014 - Vanity Fare - Hitchin' A Ride
015 - Jackson 5 - ABC
016 - Jackson 5 - The Love You Save
017 - Neil Diamond - Cracklin' Rose
018 - Tony Orlando & Dawn - Candida
019 - Sly & The Family Stone - Thank You
020 - Eric Burdon & War - Spill The Wine
021 - Five Stairsteps & Cubie - O-o-h Child
022 - Norman Greenbaum - Spirit In The Sky
023 - Melanie - Lay Down
024 - Temptations - Ball Of Confusion
025 - Moments - Love on a Two Way Street
026 - Poppy Family - Which Way You Goin' Billy
027 - Free - All Right Now
028 - Jackson 5 - I Want You Back
029 - Bobby Sherman - Julie, Do Ya Love Me
030 - Sugarloaf - Green-Eyed Lady
031 - Stevie Wonder - Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours
032 - Blues Image - Ride Captain Ride
033 - Shocking Blue - Venus
034 - John Lennon - Instant Karma
035 - Clarence Carter - Patches
036 - Creedence Clearwater Revival - My Back Door
037 - Brook Benton - Rainy Night In Georgia
038 - Kenny Rogers & the First Edition - Something's Burning
039 - Chairmen of the Board - Give Me Just a Little More Time
040 - Edison Lighthouse - Love Grows

Top Albums of 1970

Simon and Garfunkel - Bridge Over Troubled Water
Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin II
Easy Rider - Original Soundtrack
The Beatles - Let It Be
The Beatles - Abbey Road
Deep Purple - Deep Purple In Rock
Paul McCartney - McCartney
Frank Zappa: Weasels Ripped My Flesh
Creedence Clearwater Revival: Cosmo's Factory
Jefferson Starship: Blows Against The Empire
Janis Joplin: Pearl
MC5: Back In The USA
Grateful Dead: Workingman's Dead
James Taylor: Sweet Baby James
Joni Mitchell: Ladies Of The Canyon
Neil Young: After The Goldrush
John Mayall: Turning Point
Rod Stewart: Gasoline Alley
Crosby Stills Nash & Young: Deja` Vu
Jimi Hendrix: Band Of Gypsys
John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band
Derek and The Dominos - Layla
Van Morrison - Moondance
Black Sabbath - Paranoid
Santana - Abraxas
The Velvet Underground - Loaded
Grateful Dead - American Beauty
The Who - Live at Leeds
Led Zeppelin - III
James Brown - Sex Machine

The Grammy's 1970

Record of the Year: Bridge Over Troubled Water - Simon and Garfunkel

Album of the Year: Bridge Over Troubled Water - Simon and Garfunkel

Song of the Year: Bridge Over Troubled Water - Paul Simon, songwriter

Best Contemporary Song: Bridge Over Troubled Water - Paul Simon, songwriter

Best Contemporary Vocal Performance, Male: Everything Is Beautiful - Ray Stevens

Best Contemporary Vocal Performance, Female: I'll Never Fall in Love Again - Dionne Warwick

Best Rhythm and Blues Song: Patches - Ronald Dunbar and General Johnson, songwriters

Best Rhythm and Blues Vocal Performance, Male: The Thrill Is Gone - B.B. King

Best Rhythm and Blues Vocal Performance, Female: Don't Play That Song - Aretha Franklin

Best Rhythm and Blues Vocal Performance By a Duo or Group: Didn't I (Blow Your Mind This Time) - Delfonics

Best Jazz Performance, Small Group or Soloist With Small Group: Alone - Bill Evans

Best Jazz Performance, Large Group or Soloist With Large Group: Bitches Brew - Miles Davis

Best Contemporary Vocal Performance By a Group: Close to You - Carpenters

Best New Artist of the Year: Carpenters

Best Country Vocal Performance, Female:
Rose Garden - Lynn Anderson

Best Country Performance By a Duo or Group:
If I Were a Carpenter - Johnny Cash and June Carter

Best Album Cover:

Indianola Mississippi Seeds - Robert Lockart, cover design; Ivan Nagy, photography (ABC)

The Tony's (Musicals) 1970

Best Musical Play: Applause
Best Actor Musical Play: Cleavon Little, Purlie
Best Actress Musical Play: Lauren Bacall Applause
Best Supporting Actor Musical Play: Rene Auberjonois, Coco
Best Supporting Actress Musical Play: Melba Moore, Purlie
Best Director Musical: Ron Field, Applause
Best Choreographer: Ron Field, Applause

Country & Western 1970

The 4th Country Music Association Award names Merle Haggard as artist of the year.

Music News 1970

Jimi Hendrix - (1942 - 1970) Died on September 18th in Los Angeles. Mix of Vesperax (sleeping pills) and wine caused him to choke to death in his sleep. RIP. Jimi Hendrix Hall of Fame

Janis Joplin (1943 - 1970) Died in Los Angles on October 4 th from an overdose of heroin and alcohol. RIP. Janis Joplin Hall of Fame

The Who has a big year with a hit album Live as Leeds and their Rock Opera Tommy was performed at New York's Lincoln Center.

Paul McCartney files a lawsuit to dissolve the Beatles and announces the split as official. It's all that Japanese girl's fault! George Harrison releases the 3 album set All Things Must Pass. John Lennon releases Plastic Ono Band and Paul McCartney, Paul McCartney and Ringo is cool . The Beatles Disband

Diana Ross & The Supremes perform their farewell live concert in Las Vegas and Ross's replacement Jean Terrell is introduced. The Supremes Hall of Fame

Rock & Roll 1970

The Beatles produce two albums. After releasing Abby Road they go back to the studio and release their last album Let it Be.

The Grateful Dead release two studio albums in 1970, Workingman's Dead and American Beauty, often said their two best albums. Greatful Dead Hall of Fame

Led Zeppelin released two albums in 1970, creatively named - Led Zeppelin II and you guessed it, Led Zeppelin - III. Both well received but they aint no IV. Led Zeppelin hall of fame

Heavy Metal 1970

With the hit song Paranoid, Black Sabbath becomes the first Heavy Metal Band. Ozzie Osborne, Tony Lommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward. Black Sabbath Hall of Fame

Rhythm & Blues 1970

The Jackson 5 make their Television debut on American Bandstand. The little lead singer Michael Jackson grows up to be the King of Pop and Queen of Weird. Jackson Five Hall of Fame

James Brown - Sex Machine

Van Morrison - Moondance

John Mayall: Turning Point

Folk Rock 1970

Neil Young puts some rock and roll into the Folk group Crosby, Stills and Nash to form Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. Their album Deja Vu is big. Soon after Kent State, Neil Young writes the protest song OHIO . They rush it out of the studio and it becomes their biggest hit. The group of four disbands into the group of three, again and again and again. The Song Ohio

Jazz 1970

Bitches Brew by Miles Davis uses electric piano and guitar, rejecting traditional jazz rhythms for modern rock-influenced improvisation. Now considered a masterpiece, Bitches Brew created a new genre called jazz rock which was a big influence on the funk. All about Bitches Brew