Who won Record of the Year at the 1959 Grammy Awards for “Nel blu dipinto di blu”?

Domenico Modugno won Record of the Year at the 1959 Grammy Awards for “Nel blu dipinto di blu,” widely known as “Volare.”

The Italian singer-songwriter’s recording became an international hit after its success at the 1958 Sanremo Music Festival. Its Grammy victory helped establish the new awards as an international honor rather than an exclusively American pop-music prize.

“Volare” also won Song of the Year at the same ceremony, but those awards recognized different achievements. Record of the Year honors the recorded performance and production, while Song of the Year honors songwriting. The recording was performed by Modugno, who also co-wrote it with Franco Migliacci.

The song remains one of the best-known Grammy winners from the inaugural ceremony. Its original Italian title is often confused with its English-language nickname, so both names are useful when identifying the record.