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If you’re going to have somebody explain to the watching world exactly what your organization does, who better than the Chairman of the Board himself?

Starting with the 5th Annual GRAMMY Awards, the National Academy of Recording Arts &amp; Sciences followed its non-televised presentation ceremonies with the first of what would eventually be six NBC specials called “The Best on Record.” The inaugural “The Best on Record” show—sponsored by Timex—began in high style with Frank Sinatra welcoming the viewer and promising that “for the next 60 minutes you’re going to see the finest the record business has to offer.” Sinatra’s claim was backed up by the show’s cast list that, in addition to himself, included everyone from Mahalia Jackson to Richard Rodgers, Dean Martin to comedian Bob Newhart, and Bing Crosby to the New Christy Minstrels.

Sinatra then went on to muse rather poetically about music and the mission of the GRAMMYs. “You know, a record is a kind of a weird thing,” said the man they called The Voice. “It’s just a slab with a little hole in it, and yet it can do almost anything for you. It can bring a symphony into your living room ... You can make bums out of the artists and artists out of the bums.” Then showing off a shiny GRAMMY award, Sinatra added, “Now this is the payoff—it’s called a GRAMMY. They’re voted once a year by the members of the National Academy of Recording Arts &amp; Sciences, not for selling a million records mind you—you get bread for that—this is for contributions to the art of recording.”

Setting the template for future “Best on Record” shows, a variety of the year’s GRAMMY-winning musical acts and other performers were introduced by high-profile members of the music community, as well as other top stars, in a studio-based setting.

For instance, Bob Newhart—the GRAMMY winner as Best New Artist of 1960—performed a musically themed standup before introducing pianist Peter Nero who won Best Performance By An Orchestra Or Instrumentalist With Orchestra—Primarily Not Jazz Or For Dancing (perhaps obviously the longest named category in the history of the GRAMMYs) for his album The Colorful Peter Nero. Andy Williams — who was soon to become a fixture at GRAMMY shows—introduced an excellent segment that found <a href="/grammys/artists/henry-mancini">Henry Mancini</a>, already an 11-time GRAMMY winner by now, performing an instrumental medley of three of his greatest compositions: “Moon River,” “Baby Elephant Walk” and the Peter Gunn television show theme.

Comedian Bill Dana revealed that he had once been head writer for <a href="/grammys/artists/tony-bennett">Tony Bennett</a>’s short-lived 1956 TV show before introducing the singer’s characteristically subtle performance of “I Left My Heart in San Francisco”—which won Record of the Year and Best Solo Vocal Performance, Male, as well as a Best Background Arrangement GRAMMY for Marty Manning. The distinguished Broadway composer Richard Rodgers—whose No Strings won Best Original Cast Show Album—introduced that show’s star Diahann Carroll singing two songs from the musical. Bandleader Les Brown introduced a rousing performance of “If I Had a Hammer” by Peter, Paul &amp; Mary, who took home GRAMMYs for both Best Performance By A Vocal Group and Best Folk Recording. And after slyly joking about having drunk “a glass of milk,” Dean Martin charmingly introduced Connie Francis to sing a startlingly fine rendition of the winning Song of the Year, “What Kind of Fool Am I,” written by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley.

Toward the end of the show, Sinatra returned to make a historic presentation to Bing Crosby, first confessing, “We all stole from him.” Sinatra explained that The Academy had voted unanimously to honor Crosby, a groundbreaking vocalist and recording artist, with a <a href="/grammys/awards/lifetime-awards">Lifetime Achievement Award</a> to be named after him. “Congratulations there, Bing, here’s a little gold to add to your mint.” Crosby accepted graciously, adding, “This is going to look very good on a mantle that has been conspicuously barren of late.” After thanking The Academy and Thomas Edison for inventing the phonograph, Crosby reserved his greatest thanks “most of all to you who listen to records.” Sinatra noted Crosby was clearly a difficult act for anyone to follow, but Mahalia Jackson pulled off the trick quite exquisitely by performing “The House I Live In.” This was a fittingly uplifting ending considering the show aired in the wake of the assassination of John F. Kennedy.

According to Ted Bergmann, the executive producer of “The Best on Record” specials, the airing of the first show was preempted in the aftermath of Kennedy’s death. “NBC came to me and said, ‘We’ll schedule you for two weeks from now...but you’ll have to get Vaughn Meader off your show.” Comedian and impersonator Meader had won Album of the Year (Other Than Classical) and Best Comedy Performance for his record of Kennedy-themed comedy, The First Family. In the wake of recent events, Meader’s segment was quickly removed, and Tony Bennett added to the “The Best on Record” bill in his place.&nbsp;

What Kind Of Fool Am I (Single)

Ramblin' Rose (Single)

I Left My Heart In San Francisco

I Can't Stop Loving You (Single)

Fly Me To The Moon Bossa Nova (Single)

Desafinado (Single)

Record Of The Year

The First Family

My Son, The Folk Singer (Album)

Modern Sounds In Country And Western Music, Vol. I (Album)

Jazz Samba (Album)

I Left My Heart In San Francisco (Album)

Album Of The Year (Other Than Classical)

The Heifetz-Piatigorsky Concerts (Album)

Stravinsky: The Firebird Ballet (Album)

Mahler: Symphony No. 9 In D Minor (Album)

Columbia Records Presents Vladimir Horowitz

Bach: St. Matthew Passion (Album)

Album Of The Year - Classical

What Kind Of Fool Am I

The Sweetest Sounds (Single)

My Coloring Book (Single)

I Left My Heart In San Francisco (Single)

As Long As He Needs Me

Song Of The Year

Walk On The Wild Side

The Stripper (Album)

Stranger On The Shore

Route 66 Theme (Album)

Baby Elephant Walk

A Taste Of Honey

Best Instrumental Theme

Slightly Out Of Tune (Desafinado) (Single)

No Strings (Album)

Love Letters (Album)

Lena...Lovely And Alive (Album)

I'm A Woman (Single)

Ella Swings Brightly With Nelson Riddle

Best Solo Vocal Performance, Female

I Can't Stop Loving You (Album)

Comin' Home Baby (Album)

Best Solo Vocal Performance, Male

West Side Story

Viva Bossa Nova!

Undercurrent (Single)

Tijuana Moods

Nat "King" Cole Sings, George Shearing Plays (Album)

Desafinado

Best Jazz Performance - Soloist Or Small Group (Instrumental)

The Legend

Miles Davis At Carnegie Hall

First Time! (Album)

Carnegie Hall Concert (Album)

Big Band Bossa Nova

Adventures In Jazz

Best Jazz Performance - Large Group (Instrumental)

Tunisian Fantasy

Tijuana Moods (Single)

The Sounds Of Hatari

Quintessence

Focus (Single)

Desmond Blue

Cast Your Fate To The Wind

Best Original Jazz Composition

Viva Bossa Nova! (Album)

Jazz Pops (Single)

Fly Me To The Moon Bossa Nova

Best Performance By An Orchestra For Dancing

Walk On The Wild Side (Album)

The Colorful Peter Nero

Hoedown! (Album)

Hatari!

Best Performance By An Orchestra Or Instrumentalist With Orchestra - Primarily Not Jazz Or For Dancing

Sensuous Strings Of Robert Farnon

Best Instrumental Arrangement

My Ship (Single)

Joao Gilberto (Single)

I Can't Stop Loving You

Go Away Little Girl (Single)

Born To Lose

Best Background Arrangement

Through Children's Eyes

The Swingers

The Hi-Lo's Happen To Folk Songs

If I Had A Hammer

A Song For Young Love

Best Performance By A Vocal Group

The Waring Blend (Album)

Presenting The New Christy Minstrels

Great Band With Great Voices Swing The Great Voices Of The Great Band

Consider Yourself

A Choral Spectacular (Album)

Best Performance By A Chorus

Stop The World - I Want To Get Off (Album)

Oliver! (Album)

No Strings

Beyond The Fringe (Album)

A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum (Album)

Best Original Cast Show Album

Stravinsky: The Firebird Ballet

R. Strauss: Also Sprach Zarathustra, Op. 30 (Album)

Mahler: Symphony No. 3 In D Minor (Album)

Bruckner: Symphony No. 7 In E Major (Album)

Best Classical Performance - Orchestra

The Intimate Bach (Album)

The Heifetz-Piatigorsky Concerts With Primrose, Pennario And Guests

Rubinstein And Szeryng -- Brahms: Sonata No. 1/ Beethoven: Sonata No. 8 (Album)

Beethoven: The Late Quartets (Album)

Bartók: Complete Quartets

Bach: Sonatas For Violin And Harpsichord (Album)

Best Classical Performance - Chamber Music

Stravinsky: Violin Concerto In D

Rachmaninoff: Concerto No. 2 In C Minor For Piano (Album)

Liszt: Concertos 1 And 2 For Piano And Orchestra (Album)

Bruch: Scottish Fantasy For Violin And Orchestra/Vieuxtemps: Concerto No. 5 For Violin (Album)

Brahms: Concerto In D For Violin (Album)

Best Classical Performance - Instrumental Soloist Or Soloists (With Orchestra)

The Art Of Leon Goossens (Album)

Highlights Of Rubinstein At Carnegie Hall (Album)

French Piano Music - Four Hands (Album)

Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 22 (Album)

Five Pieces From PLATERO AND I (Album)

Bach: The Six Sonatas And Partitas For Violin Unaccompanied (Album)

Bach: The Art Of The Fugue, Vol. 1 (Album)

Best Classical Performance - Instrumental Soloist Or Duo (Without Orchestra)

Wagner: Die Walkuere (Album)

Verdi: Aida

R. Strauss: Salome (Album)

Puccini: La Boheme (Album)

Bizet: The Pearl Fishers (Album)

Beethoven: Fidelio (Album)

Best Opera Recording

Prokofiev: Alexander Nevsky, Op. 78 (Album)

Honegger: King David (Le Roi David) (Album)

Faure: Requiem

Berlioz: Romeo Et Juliet (Album)

Bach: St. Matthew Passion

Best Classical Performance - Choral (Other Than Opera)

Wagner: Gotterdamerung - Brunnhilde's Immolation Scene/Wesendonck Songs

Spanish Songs Of The 20th Century (Album)

Schubert: Die Schone Mullerin (Album)

R. Strauss: Salome

Great Arias From French Opera (Album)

Foss: Time Cycle (Album)

Best Classical Performance - Vocal Soloist (With Or Without Orchestra)

Time Cycle (Album)

Symphony No. 2

Stravinsky: The Flood

Song Of Songs

Noye's Fludde

Copland: Connotations For Orchestra

Varese: Arcana

Best Classical Composition By Contemporary Composer

Strauss: Also Sprach Zarathustra

Prokofiev: Concerto No. 3 For Piano/Rachmaninoff: Concerto No. 1 For Piano (Album)