The 14th Grammy Awards were held in 1972, and were broadcast live on television in the United States. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the year 1971.

Award winners:

• Record of the Year
  • Lou Adler (producer) & Carole King for "It's Too Late"

• Album of the Year
  • Lou Adler (producer) & Carole King for Tapestry

• Song of the Year
  • Carole King (songwriter) for "You've Got a Friend"

• Best New Artist
  • Carly Simon

Children's

• Best Recording for Children
  • Bill Cosby for Bill Cosby Talks to Kids About Drugs

Classical

• Best Classical Performance - Orchestra
  • Carlo Maria Giulini (conductor) & the Chicago Symphony Orchestra for Mahler: Symphony No. 1 in D
• Best Classical Vocal Soloist Performance
  • Leontyne Price for Leontyne Price Sings Robert Schumann
• Best Opera Recording
  • Richard Mohr (producer), Erich Leinsdorf (conductor), Grace Bumbry, Plácido Domingo, Sherrill Milnes, Leontyne Price, Ruggero Raimondi , the John Aldis Choir & the London Symphony Orchestra for Verdi: Aida
• Best Choral Performance, Classical
  • Colin Davis (conductor), Russell Burgess , Arthur Oldham (choir directors) the Wandsworth School Boys Choir & the London Symphony Orchestra & Chorus for Berlioz: Requiem
• Best Classical Performance - Instrumental Soloist or Soloists (with orchestra)
  • Andre Previn (conductor), Julian Bream & the London Symphony Orchestra for Villa-Lobos: Concerto for Guitar
• Best Classical Performance - Instrumental Soloist or Soloists (without orchestra)
  • Vladimir Horowitz for Horowitz Plays Rachmaninoff (Etudes-Tableaux Piano Music; Sonatas)
• Best Chamber Music Performance
  • The Juilliard String Quartet for Debussy: Quartet in G Minor/Ravel: Quartet in F
• Album of the Year, Classical
  • Thomas Frost , Richard Killough (producers) & Vladimir Horowitz for Horowitz Plays Rachmaninoff (Etudes-Tableaux Piano Music; Sonatas)

Comedy

• Best Comedy Recording
  • Lily Tomlin for This Is a Recording

Composing and arranging

• Best Instrumental Composition
  • Michel LeGrand (composer) for "Theme From Summer of '42"
• Best Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or a Television Special
  • Isaac Hayes (composer) for Shaft
• Best Instrumental Arrangement
  • Isaac Hayes & Johnny Allen (arrangers) for "Theme From Shaft" performed by Isaac Hayes
• Best Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s)
  • Paul McCartney (arranger) for "Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey" performed by Paul & Linda McCartney

Country

• Best Country Vocal Performance, Female
  • Sammi Smith for "Help Me Make It Through the Night"
• Best Country Vocal Performance, Male
  • Jerry Reed for "When You're Hot, You're Hot"
• Best Country Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group
  • Loretta Lynn & Conway Twitty for "After the Fire Is Gone"
• Best Country Instrumental Performance
  • Chet Atkins for "Snowbird"
• Best Country Song
  • Kris Kristofferson (songwriter) for "Help Me Make It Through the Night" performed by Sammi Smith

Folk

• Best Ethnic or Traditional Recording
  • Muddy Waters for They Call Me Muddy Waters

Gospel

• Best Gospel Performance(other than soul gospel)
  • Charley Pride for "Let Me Live"
• Best Soul Gospel Performance
  • Shirley Caesar for Put Your Hand in the Hand of the Man From Galilee
• Best Sacred Performance
  • Charley Pride for Did You Think to Pray

Jazz

• Best Jazz Performance by a Soloist
  • Bill Evans for The Bill Evans Album performed by the Bill Evans Trio
• Best Jazz Performance by a Group
  • Bill Evans for The Bill Evans Album performed by the Bill Evans Trio
• Best Jazz Performance by a Big Band
  • Duke Ellington for "New Orleans Suite"

Musical Show

• Best Score From an Original Cast Show Album
  • Stephen Schwartz (composer & producer) & the original cast for Godspell

Packaging and Notes

• Best Album Cover
  • Dean O. Torrence (art director) & Gene Brownell (photographer) for Pollution performed by Pollution
• Best Album Notes
  • Sam Samudio (notes writer) for Sam, Hard and Heavy performed by Sam Samudio

Pop

• Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female
  • Carole King for Tapestry
• Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male
  • James Taylor for "You've Got a Friend"
• Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group
  • The Carpenters for Carpenters
• Best Pop Instrumental Performance
  • Quincy Jones for Smackwater Jack

Production and engineering

• Best Engineered Recording, Non-Classical
  • Henry Bush , Ron Capone & Dave Purple (engineers) for "Theme From Shaft" performed by Isaac Hayes
• Best Classical Engineered Recording
  • Vittorio Negri (engineer), Colin Davis (conductor), the Wandsworth School Boys Choir & the London Symphony Orchestra for Berlioz: Requiem

R&B

• Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female
  • Aretha Franklin for "Bridge Over Troubled Water"
• Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male
  • Lou Rawls for "A Natural Man"
• Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Group
  • Ike & Tina Turner for "Proud Mary"
• Best Rhythm & Blues Song
  • Bill Withers for "Ain't No Sunshine"

Spoken

• Best Spoken Word Recording
  • Les Crane for Desiderata