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The first GRAMMY show honoring the music of the ’80s (and the first ever held at New York’s famed Radio City Music Hall) was hosted by one of the most important singer/songwriters of the ’60s and ’70s, and all the years that have followed for that matter — Paul Simon. After slyly telling the Radio City crowd that both of his parents were Rockettes, Simon said, “I am very happy to be here. It’s not only a great honor to be asked, but I think it’s a very nice career move as well.”

Yet starting with the first award of the night presented on air, Best New Artist, it became clear that this night would belong, award-wise at least, to another singer/songwriter — a previously less heralded artist from Texas named <a href="/grammys/artists/christopher-cross">Christopher Cross</a>. At the time Cross was enjoying tremendous success with his 1980 debut album that featured such smashes as “Sailing,” “Ride Like The Wind” and “Never Be The Same.” And by the end of this GRAMMY night, the soft-spoken Texan would pick up five GRAMMY Awards including the so-called “Big Four” — Album Of The Year, Record Of The Year, Song Of The Year and Best New Artist. For the record, no artist thus far has repeated that achievement.

Standout performances varied widely on the show from Irene Cara’s opening rendition of “Fame,” which started outside of Radio City and found the singer and dancers working their way down the aisle to the stage, to George Jones’ short but heartbreaking rendition of the country classic “He Stopped Loving Her Today,” which earned a GRAMMY for Best Country Vocal Performance, Male. The night also featured a multiracial gospel supergroup (including the Archers, Andrae Crouch, Reba Rambo and B.J. Thomas) coming together to perform a kind of disco/gospel version of “The Lord’s Prayer” and Chuck Mangione and the Manhattan Transfer jazzing things up together on a medley of “Birdland” and “Give It All You Got.”

Appropriately enough Paul Simon played the stirring “Late In The Evening” late in the evening, and kept things moving along throughout in his own low-key and witty way. “Our next two presenters are not only great performers and legends in their own time, they’re also well-known bigots and drug abusers,” he announced at one point. Pausing for a big laugh, Simon then added, “I just wanted to say that as an introduction. Nobody ever gives that introduction actually.”

An even bigger laugh came from presenters <a href="/grammys/artists/barbra-streisand">Barbra Streisand</a> and Barry Gibb — winners in the Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal. Taking the stage, Streisand and Gibb, both dressed in white as on her hugely successful Guilty album cover, looked a little sheepish.

“Barry, do you feel guilty?” Streisand asked.

“No,” Gibb told her shyly.

“No?” she said. “I do.”

“Why?” Gibb asked her. “Why would you feel like that?”

“I don’t know — I feel like I’m cheating on Neil Diamond,” she said, referring to the man with whom she famously sang “You Don’t Bring Me Flowers” on the 22nd GRAMMY Awards show.

The pair then presented <a href="/grammys/artists/billy-joel">Billy Joel</a> with the GRAMMY for Best Rock Vocal Performance, Male, for his Glass Houses album — a category in which his fellow nominees were Jackson Browne, Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen and Kenny Loggins. Phil Ramone — who had produced recent efforts by both Billy Joel and Paul Simon — won Producer Of The Year, Non-Classical. In his acceptance speech, Ramone took time to thank “my little Ramones...not the ones who make records — the other ones.”

One innovative moment came at the end of the show. Many years before shows like MTV’s “Unplugged” or VH1’s “Storytellers,” this GRAMMY show presented a group of songwriters nominated for Song Of The Year — including Amanda McBroom (“The Rose”), Christopher Cross (“Sailing”), Fred Ebb and John Kander (“New York, New York”), Dean Pitchford and Michael Gore (“Fame”), and Lionel Richie (“Lady”) — to both explain and perform stripped down versions of the songs. It was a vivid reminder of the power of the songwriter.

Finally, before closing the show, Paul Simon took the stage of Radio City to recall the impact of one of the greatest songwriters of all time — John Lennon, who had been killed outside New York’s Dakota apartments only months prior to the show. As Simon put it simply and powerfully, “We’ll miss his music, his humor and his common sense.”

Woman In Love (Single)

Theme From New York, New York

The Rose (Single)

Sailing

Lady (Single)

Record Of The Year

Trilogy: Past, Present And Future (Album)

The Wall (Album)

Guilty (Album)

Glass Houses (Album)

Christopher Cross

Album Of The Year

Theme From New York, New York (Single)

Fame (Single)

Song Of The Year

Best New Artist

The Rose

On The Radio (Single)

Magic (Single)

Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female

This Is It

Late In The Evening (Single)

Christopher Cross (Album)

Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male

He's So Shy (Single)

Guilty

Don't Fall In Love With A Dreamer (Single)

Biggest Part Of Me (Single)

Against The Wind

Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal

Yoda's Theme

South Bay Strut (Track)

Ravel's Bolero (Single)

One On One

Beyond (Single)

Best Pop Instrumental Performance

How Do I Make You (Single)

How Cruel

Dreams

Crimes Of Passion

Broken English (Album)

Best Rock Vocal Performance, Female

Medley: Devil With The Blue Dress/Good Golly Miss Molly/Jenny Take A Ride (Track)

I'm Alright (Theme From Caddyshack) (Single)

Glass Houses

Coming Up (Live At Glasgow) (Single)

Boulevard (Single)

Best Rock Vocal Performance, Male

Call Me (Single)

Brass In Pocket (I'm Special) (Single)

Another One Bites The Dust

Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal

Space Invader (Track)

Reggatta De Blanc

Peter Gunn (Single)

Dregs Of The Earth (Album)

Beach Girl

Best Rock Instrumental Performance

Upside Down (Single)

Roberta Flack Featuring Donny Hathaway (Album)

Never Knew Love Like This Before

Love Lives Forever

Can't Turn You Loose (Track)

Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female

One In A Million You (Album)

Never Givin' Up (Single)

Master Blaster (Jammin') (Single)

Let's Get Serious (Single)

Give Me The Night

Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male

Triumph (Album)

Shining Star

Heroes (Album)

Cupid/I've Loved You For A Long Time (Single)

Back Together Again (Single)

About Love (Album)

Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal

When I'm Wrong (Track)

Smilin' On Ya (Track)

Off Broadway

Night Cruiser (Single)

Anything You Want (Single)

Best R&B Instrumental Performance

Upside Down

Shining Star (Album)

Give Me The Night (Single)

Best Rhythm & Blues Song

Fun And Games (Album)

Dream Come True (Album)

Catching The Sun (Album)

Birdland

An American Concerto (Album)

American Garage (Album)

Best Jazz Fusion Performance, Vocal Or Instrumental

The Best Of Strangers (Single)

Roses In The Snow (Album)

If You Ever Change Your Mind (Single)

Could I Have This Dance?

Coal Miner's Daughter (Single)

Best Country Vocal Performance, Female

On The Road Again (Single)

Lookin' For Love (Single)

I Wish I Was Eighteen Again (Single)

He Stopped Loving Her Today

Drivin' My Life Away (Single)

Best Country Vocal Performance, Male

That Lovin' You Feelin' Again

Take Me To Your Lovin' Place (Single)

In America (Single)

Heart Of Mine (Single)

Dream Lover (Single)

Best Country Performance Duo Or Group

The Long Riders (Album)

Orange Blossom Special/Hoedown

Dance With Me (Single)

Dallas (Album)

Cotton Eyed Joe (Single)

Best Country Instrumental Performance

On The Road Again

Lookin' For Love

I Believe In You (Single)

Drivin' My Life Away

Best Country Song

The Lord's Prayer

The Builder (Album)

One More Song For You (Album)

Never Alone (Album)

It's Gonna Rain (Single)

Best Gospel Performance, Contemporary Or Inspirational

Worship (Album)

We Come To Worship

Make A Joyful Noise... (Album)

Interceding (Album)

In His Presence (Album)

Crossin' Over (Album)

Best Gospel Performance, Traditional

You Don't Know What God Has Done For Me (Single)

Tramaine (Album)

Rejoice

I Feel Like Going On (Album)

I Can't Let Go (Album)

Best Soul Gospel Performance, Contemporary

Please Be Patient With Me (Album)

Lord, Let Me Be An Instrument

He Chose Me (Album)

God Can (Album)

Ain't No Stopping Us Now (Album)

A Praying Spirit

Best Soul Gospel Performance, Traditional

With My Song I Will Praise Him

Saved (Album)

Jesus Is Love (Track)

Family Bible (Album)

Everything Always Works Out For The Best (Single)

Best Inspirational Performance

Rare Blues

Queen Ida And The Bon Temps Zydeco Band In New Orleans (Album)

Kidney Stew Is Fine (Album)

Boil The Breakfast Early (Album)

Atlanta Blues: 1933 (Album)

Best Ethnic Or Traditional Recording

Rican/Struction (Album)

La Onda Va Bien

Irakere 2 (Album)

Hey (Album)

Dancemania '80 (Album)

Best Latin Recording

The People In Your Neighborhood (Album)

Love (Album)

In Harmony/A Sesame Street Record

Christmas Eve On Sesame Street (Album)

Big Bird's Birdtime Stories (Album)

Best Recording For Children

No Respect

Monty Python's Contractual Obligation Album (Album)

Live From New York (Album)

Live At St. Douglas Convent (Album)

Holy Smoke (Album)

Best Comedy Recording

Obediently Yours; Orson Welles (Album)

I Sing Because I'm Happy Volsumes 1 And 2 (Album)

Gertrude Stein, Gertrude Stein, Gertrude Stein

Adventures Of Luke Skywalker (Album)

A Curb In The Sky (Album)

Best Spoken Word, Documentary Or Drama Recording

The Empire Strikes Back

Imperial March (Darth Vader's Theme)

Give It All You Got

An American Concerto

Best Instrumental Composition

23rd Annual GRAMMY Awards