GuideBallotsDataToolsBlog

Every Grammys Best Audio Book, Narration and Storytelling Recording winner

24 ceremonies on record, 2000–2025. 20 different winners.

Best Audio Book, Narration and Storytelling Recording was previously known as Best Spoken Word Album.

It took the Audio Book name for the 2023 ceremony, when spoken word poetry moved to its own category.

We are still missing 2006 and 2009, so treat the totals below as what is on record rather than the complete history.

Jimmy Carter ×4Michelle Obama ×2
One band per year, because no winner has gone back-to-back in the years on record. Colored by label; scroll sideways for the full run. Filled blocks are years a winner exists and we do not have it.
LeVar Burton'00
Sidney Poitier'01
Quincy Jones'02
Maya Angelou'03
Al Franken'04
Bill Clinton'05
'06no record
Jimmy Carter'07
Barack Obama'08
'09no record
Michael J. Fox'10
Jon Stewart and The Daily Show Staff'11
Betty White'12
Janis Ian'13
Stephen Colbert'14
Joan Rivers'15
Jimmy Carter'16
Carol Burnett'17
Carrie Fisher'18
Jimmy Carter'19
Michelle Obama'20
Rachel Maddow'21
Don Cheadle'22
Viola Davis'23
Michelle Obama'24
Jimmy Carter'25
Wins by label
  1. Hachette Audio133%
  2. Time Warner AudioBooks133%
  3. Universal133%

21 further wins have no label on record and are not counted in the 3 above.

21 of these 24 wins have no label on record, so the bar covers the other 3.

Who kept losing

Counting nominations in this category only, 2000–2025. Based on the 24 of 26 ceremonies whose full nominee slate we hold. Excludes 1 nominations credited to Various Artists, which names a compilation rather than an act.

Most nominated, never won

  • David Sedaris3 noms
  • Bill Maher2 noms
  • John Waters2 noms
  • Patti Smith2 noms
  • Questlove2 noms
  • Steve Martin2 noms

Most losses

  • Jimmy Carter4L · 4W
  • David Sedaris3L · 0W
  • Bill Clinton2L · 1W
  • Bill Maher2L · 0W
  • Carol Burnett2L · 1W
  • John Waters2L · 0W

The full list

YearWinnerLabel
2025Jimmy Carter (Last Sunday in Plains: A Centennial Celebration)
beat 4 others
  • Guy Oldfield (All You Need Is Love: The Beatles in Their Own Words)
  • George Clinton (And Your Ass Will Follow)
  • Dolly Parton (Behind the Seams: My Life in Rhinestones)
  • Barbra Streisand (My Name Is Barbra)
Not listed
2024Michelle Obama (The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times)
beat 4 others
  • Meryl Streep (Big Tree)
  • William Shatner (Boldly Go: Reflections on a Life of Awe and Wonder)
  • Rick Rubin (The Creative Act: A Way of Being)
  • Bernie Sanders (It's OK to Be Angry About Capitalism)
Not listed
2023Viola Davis (Finding Me)
beat 4 others
  • Jamie Foxx (Act Like You Got Some Sense)
  • Mel Brooks (All About Me!: My Remarkable Life in Show Business)
  • Lin-Manuel Miranda (Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World)
  • Questlove (Music Is History)
Not listed
2022Don Cheadle (Carry On: Reflections for a New Generation from John Lewis)
beat 4 others
  • LeVar Burton (Aftermath)
  • J. Ivy (Catching Dreams: Live at Fort Knox Chicago)
  • Dave Chappelle and Amir Sulaiman (8:46)
  • Barack Obama (A Promised Land)
Not listed
2021Rachel Maddow (Blowout)
beat 4 others
  • Flea (Acid for the Children: A Memoir)
  • Ken Jennings (Alex Trebek: The Answer Is)
  • Ronan Farrow (Catch and Kill)
  • Meryl Streep and Full Cast (Charlotte's Web)
Not listed
2020Michelle Obama (Becoming)
beat 4 others
  • Michael Diamond, Adam Horovitz, Scott Sherratt and Dan Zitt (The Beastie Boys Book)
  • Eric Alexandrakis (Catatonia: 20 Years as a Two-Time Cancer Survivor)
  • John Waters (Mr. Know-It-All)
  • Sekou Andrews and the String Theory (Sekou Andrews & the String Theory)
Not listed
2019Jimmy Carter (Faith: A Journey for All)
beat 4 others
  • Courtney B. Vance (Accessory to War)
  • David Sedaris (Calypso)
  • Questlove (Creative Quest)
  • Tiffany Haddish (The Last Black Unicorn)
Not listed
2018Carrie Fisher (The Princess Diarist)
beat 4 others
  • Neil deGrasse Tyson (Astrophysics for People in a Hurry)
  • Bruce Springsteen (Born to Run)
  • Shelly Peiken (Confessions of a Serial Songwriter)
  • Bernie Sanders and Mark Ruffalo (Our Revolution: A Future to Believe In)
Not listed
2017Carol Burnett (In Such Good Company: Eleven Years of Laughter, Mayhem, and Fun in the Sandbox)
beat 4 others
  • Amy Schumer (The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo)
  • Patti Smith (M Train)
  • Various Artists (Under the Big Black Sun: A Personal History of L.A. Punk)
  • Elvis Costello (Unfaithful Music & Disappearing Ink)
Not listed
2016Jimmy Carter (A Full Life: Reflections at 90)
beat 4 others
  • Patti Smith (Blood on Snow)
  • Dick Cavett (Brief Encounters: Conversations, Magic Moments and Assorted Hijinks)
  • Janis Ian and Jean Smart (Patience and Sarah)
  • Amy Poehler (Yes Please)
Not listed
2015Joan Rivers (Diary of a Mad Diva)
beat 5 others
  • James Franco (Actors Anonymous)
  • Jimmy Carter (A Call to Action: Women, Religion, Violence, and Power)
  • John Waters (Carsick: John Waters Hitchhikes Across America)
  • Elizabeth Warren (A Fighting Chance)
  • Gloria Gaynor (We Will Survive: True Stories of Encouragement, Inspiration and the Power of Song)
Not listed
2014Stephen Colbert (America Again: Re-becoming The Greatness We Never Weren't)
beat 4 others
  • Carol Burnett (Carrie and Me)
  • David Sedaris (Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls)
  • Billy Crystal (Still Foolin' Em)
  • Pete Seeger (The Storm King)
Hachette Audio
2013Janis Ian (Society's Child)
beat 4 others
  • Scott Creswell and Dan Zitt, producers (American Grown)
  • Bill Clinton (Back to Work)
  • Rachel Maddow (Drift)
  • Ellen DeGeneres (Seriously... I'm Kidding)
Verve/5027
2012Betty White (If You Ask Me (and of Course You Won't))
beat 4 others
  • Tina Fey (Bossypants)
  • Nathan Burbank, Bryan Cumming, Dennis Scott and David Toledo (Fab Fan Memories: The Beatles Bond)
  • Dan Donohue and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival Cast (Hamlet)
  • Val Kilmer and the Hollywood Theater of the Ear Cast (The Mark of Zorro)
Not listed
2011Jon Stewart and The Daily Show Staff (Earth (The Audiobook))
beat 5 others
  • Craig Ferguson (American on Purpose)
  • Sarah Silverman (The Bedwetter)
  • Michael J. Fox (A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Future)
  • Carol Burnett (This Time Together)
  • Woody Allen (The Woody Allen Collection: Mere Anarchy, Side Effects, Without Feathers, Getting Even)
Not listed
2010Michael J. Fox (Always Looking Up)
beat 5 others
  • Yuri Rasovsky and Josh Stanton (Dashiell Hammett's The Maltese Falcon)
  • Richard Dreyfuss and David Strathairn (The Lincoln–Douglas Debates)
  • Jonathan Winters (A Very Special Time)
  • Jimmy Carter (We Can Have Peace in the Holy Land)
  • Carrie Fisher (Wishful Drinking)
Not listed
2008Barack Obama (The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream)
beat 4 others
  • Maya Angelou (Celebrations)
  • Bill Clinton (Giving: How Each of Us Can Change the World)
  • Jimmy Carter (Sunday Mornings in Plains: Bringing Peace to a Changing World)
  • Alan Alda (Things I Overheard While Talking to Myself)
Not listed
2007Jimmy Carter (Our Endangered Values: America's Moral Crisis)tieOssie Davis and Ruby Dee (With Ossie and Ruby: In This Life Together)
beat 3 others
  • Bob Newhart (I Shouldn't Even Be Doing This!)
  • Bill Maher (New Rules - Polite Musings from a Timid Observer)
  • Al Franken (The Truth (with Jokes))
Not listed
2005Bill Clinton (My Life)
beat 4 others
  • David Sedaris (Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim)
  • David Holt and Zeb Holt (Live & Kickin' at the National Storytelling Festival)
  • Steve Martin (The Pleasure of My Company)
  • Tyne Daly, John Lithgow, Joanne Rogers, Lily Tomlin and André Watts (The World According to Mr. Rogers)
Not listed
2004Al Franken (Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them)
beat 4 others
  • Don Cheadle (Fear Itself)
  • Hillary Clinton (Living History)
  • Nikki Giovanni (The Nikki Giovanni Poetry Collection)
  • Bill Maher (When You Ride Alone You Ride with bin Laden)
Not listed
2003Maya Angelou (A Song Flung Up to Heaven)
beat 4 others
  • Tim Robbins (The Great Gatsby)
  • Robert Evans (The Kid Stays in the Picture)
  • Michael J. Fox (Lucky Man)
  • Christopher Reeve (Nothing Is Impossible)
Not listed
2002Quincy Jones (Q: The Autobiography of Quincy Jones)
beat 4 others
  • Jimmy Carter (An Hour Before Daylight)
  • Garrison Keillor (Lake Wobegon Summer 1956)
  • Carl Reiner (Letters from the Earth: Uncensored Writings by Mark Twain)
  • Various artists including Rob Lowe, Noah Wyle, Joan Allen, Tom Brokaw and narrator Harry Smith (War Letters: Extraordinary Correspondence from American Wars)
Not listed
2001Sidney Poitier (The Measure of a Man)
beat 4 others
  • Various artists including Kathleen Turner, Patrick Stewart and Al Pacino (The Complete Shakespeare Sonnets)
  • Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara (Married to Laughter: A Love Story)
  • Matt Dillon (On the Road)
  • Steve Martin (Shopgirl)
Not listed
2000LeVar Burton (The Autobiography of Martin Luther King Jr)
beat 4 others
  • Nanci Griffith (The Chieftains: The Authorized Biography)
  • Mandy Patinkin and Betty Buckley with Walter Cronkite (The Diaries of Adam & Eve: Translated by Mark Twain)
  • Merle Haggard (Merle Haggard's My House of Memories)
  • Frank McCourt (Tis)
Time Warner AudioBooks

More Grammys categories

Rap AlbumRock AlbumCountry AlbumAlbumUrban/AlternativeFemale R&B VocalMale R&B VocalR&B Duo or GroupRap PerformanceRap SongMelodic RapRap/Sung Collab.Rap SoloRap Duo or GroupFemale Rap SoloMale Rap SoloAll 152 categories

Call next year’s winner before your friends do

You’ve seen the record we have. Now put a pick on the record and run a live pool when the Grammys come back around.

Start a free party