# American Music Awards of 1988

The 15th Annual American Music Awards were held on January 25, 1988, at the Shrine Auditorium, in Los Angeles, California

## Performances

| Artist(s) | Song(s) | Introduced by |
| Gloria Estefan Miami Sound Machine | "Rhythm Is Gonna Get You" "Surrender" "Conga" | Barbara Mandrell |
| Whitney Houston | "Where Do Broken Hearts Go" | Barbara Mandrell |
| Bee Gees | "You Win Again" | Mick Fleetwood |
| Eric Carmen Bill Medley Jennifer Warnes | Dirty Dancing medley: "Hungry Eyes" (Eric Carmen) "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" (Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes) "Johnny's Mambo" (instrumental) "Do You Love Me" (instrumental) "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" (replay) (Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes) | Whitney Houston |
| Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam | "Head to Toe" | Mick Fleetwood |
| LL Cool J | "I'm Bad" | Mick Fleetwood |
| Smokey Robinson | "Love Don't Give No Reason" | Barbara Mandrell |
| Barbara Mandrell | "Sure Feels Good Being with You" | Smokey Robinson |
| Whitney Houston Cissy Houston Gary Houston | "Wonderful Counselor" | Whitney Houston |
| Icehouse | "Electric Blue" | Olivia Newton-John |
| Randy Travis | "Forever and Ever, Amen" | Barbara Mandrell |
| The Beach Boys and all artists | "Surfin' U.S.A." | Glen Campbell |
Notes
* 1 2 Via satelite from Sydney, Australia.

## Winners and nominees

| Subcategory | Winner | Nominees |
| Pop/Rock Category |||
| Favorite Pop/Rock Male Artist | Paul Simon | Michael Jackson George Michael |
| Favorite Pop/Rock Female Artist | Whitney Houston | Janet Jackson Madonna |
| Favorite Pop/Rock Band/Duo/Group | Bon Jovi | Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam U2 |
| Favorite Pop/Rock Album | Graceland – Paul Simon | Slippery When Wet – Bon Jovi The Joshua Tree – U2 Whitesnake 1987 – Whitesnake |
| Favorite Pop/Rock Song | "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)" – Whitney Houston | "Livin' On A Prayer" – Bon Jovi "Shakedown" – Bob Seger |
| Favorite Pop/Rock and Soul/R&B Video | "When I Think of You" – Janet Jackson | "Sledgehammer" – Peter Gabriel "I Didn't Mean to Turn You On" – Robert Palmer |
| Soul/R&B Category |||
| Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist | Luther Vandross | LL Cool J Smokey Robinson |
| Favorite Soul/R&B Female Artist | Anita Baker | Whitney Houston Janet Jackson |
| Favorite Soul/R&B Band/Duo/Group | Cameo | Club Nouveau Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam |
| Favorite Soul/R&B Album | Rapture – Anita Baker | Bigger & Deffer – LL Cool J Give Me the Reason – Luther Vandross |
| Favorite Soul/R&B Song | "Bad" – Michael Jackson | "Casanova" – Levert "Looking For A New Love" – Jody Watley |
| Favorite Pop/Rock and Soul/R&B Video | "When I Think of You" – Janet Jackson | "Sledgehammer" – Peter Gabriel "I Didn't Mean to Turn You On" – Robert Palmer |
| Country Category |||
| Favorite Country Male Artist | Randy Travis | George Strait Hank Williams, Jr. |
| Favorite Country Female Artist | Reba McEntire | Rosanne Cash Tanya Tucker |
| Favorite Country Band/Duo/Group | Alabama | The Judds Restless Heart |
| Favorite Country Album | Always & Forever – Randy Travis | Heartland – The Judds Ocean Front Property – George Strait |
| Favorite Country Song | "Forever and Ever, Amen" – Randy Travis | "Ocean Front Property" – George Strait "Born to Boogie" – Hank Williams, Jr. |
| Favorite Country Video | "Forever and Ever, Amen" – Randy Travis | "What Am I Gonna Do About You" – Reba McEntire "My Name Is Bocephus" – Hank Williams, Jr. |
| Merit |||
| The Beach Boys |||