The Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance (previously called Best Rhythm and Blues Solo Vocal Performance, Female) was an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to female recording artists for quality R&B songs. Awards in several categories are distributed annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without regard to album sales or chart position."
According to the category description guide for the 52nd Grammy Awards, the award was presented to artists that performed "newly recorded solo R&B vocal performances". Solo numbers by members of an established group were not eligible for the award as "separate entries from the duo or group performances." Albums were also considered for the accolade until 1992.
As a part of the major overhaul of Grammy categories, the award was discontinued in 2011. The Female R&B Vocal Performance category, Male R&B Vocal Performance category and all duo/group vocal performances in the R&B category shifted to the Best R&B Performance category in 2012.
The award for the Best Female R&B Vocal Performance was first presented to Aretha Franklin at the 10th Grammy Awards ceremony in 1968 for the song "Respect". Franklin received the most wins with eleven, followed by Anita Baker with five. Franklin also holds the record for the most nominations with twenty-three, while Chaka Khan is second with eight nominations. Fantasia Barrino became the final recipient of the award, when her song "Bittersweet" won the award in 2011. The award was presented to artists from the United States each year.
Recipients
thumb|upright|[[Aretha Franklin was the first recipient of the award in 1968. In total, she won the award eleven times, making her the artist with the most wins in the category.|alt=The picture of a woman in her mid-sixties. She wears a turquoise dress, puffy sleeves of the same color and three pearl necklaces.]]
thumb|upright|In 1976, [[Natalie Cole won the award for her song "This Will Be", only the second artist to win the award back then.|alt=A woman in her late fifties. She wears a blue sleeveless top and is holding a microphone and smiling.]]
thumb|upright|[[Thelma Houston became the third artist to win the award, in 1978.|alt=A woman is sitting and waving her hands. She is in her early sixties and wears a white suit and a pink scarf.]]
thumb|upright|[[Chaka Khan won the award in 1984 for her album Chaka Khan as well as in 1985 and 1993.|alt=A woman is performing on stage. She wears a dark sweater and metallic-colored jeans.]]
thumb|upright|[[Anita Baker won the award first in 1987. In total, she won the award five times, making her the artist with second most wins.|alt=A woman sings while she is recharged on a piano. She wears a long black ensemble and diamond earrings.]]
thumb|upright|[[Janet Jackson was nominated six times in the category, but did not win.|alt=A woman, who wears a white blouse, belt and trousers, has her arms open (she has four bracelets on each arm).]]
thumb|upright|[[Vanessa L. Williams, five-time nominee in the category|alt=Close-up photograph of a woman that is looking forward and smiling.]]
thumb|upright|Four-time award winner, [[Alicia Keys. Keys first won the award in 2002 for her song "Fallin'".|alt=Black-and-white picture of a woman. She holds a microphone with her left hand. She wears a blouse with beads.]]
thumb|upright|[[Toni Braxton won the award four times since her debut in 1993.|alt=Photograph of a woman being interviewed by a reporter. She has long blond hair that is combed with a pony tail. The woman wears a long white dress, which has diamonds throughout. Accessories she wears are diamond bracelets, a ring and earrings.]]
thumb|upright|[[Whitney Houston's song "It's Not Right but It's Okay" won her the award in 2000, making her the first winner of the millennium.|alt=A woman, who wears a light-colored suit, sings and points to the ceiling.]]
thumb|upright|[[Beyoncé's songs "Dangerously in Love 2" and "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" won her the awards in 2004 and 2010, respectively.|alt=A woman is singing on stage. She wears a silver gown with straps falling over one arm and long, curly, wild hair.]]
thumb|upright|[[Mariah Carey's chart-topper "We Belong Together" won the award in 2006.|alt=A bold woman is singing on stage. She wears a black dress that has many mirrors. Behind her, a man with a brown suit is seen.]]
thumb|upright|[[Mary J. Blige won the award twice out of seven nominations.]]
thumb|upright|[[Fantasia Barrino became the last winner in the category, in 2011. She won the award for her song "Bittersweet".|alt=A younf woman is speaking to someone. She wears a white dress with black stripes.]]
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! scope="col" style="width:5em;"|Year
! scope="col"|Performing artists
! scope="col"|Work
! scope="col" class="unsortable"|Nominees
! scope="col" class="unsortable"|Ref.
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! scope="row"|1968
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! scope="row"|1969
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! scope="row"|1971
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! scope="row"|1972
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! scope="row"|1973
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! scope="row"|1974
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! scope="row"|1975
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! scope="row"|1976
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! scope="row"|1978
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! scope="row"|1979
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! scope="row"|1980
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! scope="row"|1981
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! scope="row"|1982
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! scope="row"|1983
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! scope="row"|1984
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! scope="row"|1985
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! scope="row"|1986
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! scope="row"|1987
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! scope="row"|1988
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! scope="row"|1989
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! scope="row"|1990
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! scope="row"|1991
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! scope="row"|1992
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! scope="row"|1993
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! scope="row"|1997
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! scope="row"|1998
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! scope="row"|1999
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! scope="row"|2000
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! scope="row"|2006
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! scope="row"|2007
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! scope="row"|2008
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! scope="row"|2009
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! scope="row"|2010
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! scope="row"|2011
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<sup></sup> Each year is linked to the article about the Grammy Awards held that year.
See also
- List of artists who reached number one on the Billboard R&B chart
- List of Grammy Award categories
- List of number-one rhythm and blues hits (United States)
References
;General
- Note: User must select the "R&B" category as the genre under the search feature.
;Specific
External links
- Official site of the Grammy Awards