| Year | Winner | Performance | Nominees | Ref. |
| 1967 | | "Crying Time" |
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| 1968 | | "Dead End Street" | "Funky Broadway" – Wilson Pickett "Higher and Higher" – Jackie Wilson "Skinny Legs and All" – Joe Tex "Try A Little Tenderness" – Otis Redding | |
| 1969 | | " the Dock of the Bay" | "For Once in My Life" – Stevie Wonder " Hangin' On" – Joe Simon "I Heard It through the Grapevine" – Marvin Gaye "Who's Making Love" – Johnnie Taylor | |
| 1970 | | "The Chokin' Kind" | Doing His Thing – Ray Charles The Ice Man Cometh – Jerry Butler Live & Well – B.B. King "Your Good Thing " – Lou Rawls | |
| 1971 | | "The Thrill Is Gone" | "Get Me Back On Time, Engine Number 9" – Wilson Pickett "Patches" – Clarence Carter "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours" – Stevie Wonder "War" – Edwin Starr | |
| 1972 | | "A Natural Man" | "Ain't Nobody Home" – B.B. King Inner City Blues – Marvin Gaye Never Can Say Goodbye – Isaac Hayes We Can Work It Out – Stevie Wonder | |
| 1973 | | "Me and Mrs. Jones" | "Drowning in the Sea of Love" – Joe Simon "Freddie's Dead" – Curtis Mayfield "I Gotcha" – Joe Tex "Look What They've Done To My Song, Ma" – Ray Charles | |
| 1974 | | "Superstition" | "Call Me " – Al Green "I'm Gonna Love You Just a Little More Baby" – Barry White "Keep on Truckin'" – Eddie Kendricks "Let's Get It On" – Marvin Gaye | |
| 1975 | | "Boogie on Reggae Woman" | "Boogie Down" – Eddie Kendricks "Hang on in There Baby" – Johnny Bristol Marvin Gaye Live! – Marvin Gaye "Rock Your Baby" – George McCrae | |
| 1976 | | Living for the City | Chocolate Chip – Isaac Hayes "L.O.V.E." – Al Green "Love Won't Let Me Wait" – Major Harris "Supernatural Thing, Part I" – Ben E. King | |
| 1977 | | "I Wish" | "Disco Lady" – Johnnie Taylor "Groovy People" – Lou Rawls "I Need You, You Need Me" – Joe Simon "I Want You" – Marvin Gaye "Lowdown" – Boz Scaggs | |
| 1978 | | Unmistakably Lou | "A Real Mother For Ya" – Johnny "Guitar" Watson "Ain't Gonna Bump No More " – Joe Tex "Got To Give It Up " – Marvin Gaye "It's Just a Matter of Time" – B.B. King | |
| 1979 | | "On Broadway" | "Close the Door" – Teddy Pendergrass "Dance with Me" – Peter Brown "I Can See Clearly Now" – Ray Charles "When You Hear Lou, You've Heard It All" – Lou Rawls | |
| 1980 | | "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" | "Cruisin'" – Smokey Robinson "Don't Let Go" – Isaac Hayes "Love Ballad" – George Benson "Mama Can't Buy You Love" – Elton John "Some Enchanted Evening" – Ray Charles | |
| 1981 | | Give Me the Night | "Let's Get Serious" – Jermaine Jackson "Master Blaster " – Stevie Wonder "Never Givin' Up" – Al Jarreau One in a Million You – Larry Graham | |
| 1982 | | "One Hundred Ways" | "I Can't Live Without Your Love" – Teddy Pendergrass Never Too Much – Luther Vandross "She's a Bad Mama Jama " – Carl Carlton Street Songs – Rick James | |
| 1983 | | "Sexual Healing" | "Do I Do" – Stevie Wonder "Forever, For Always, For Love" – Luther Vandross "The Other Woman" – Ray Parker, Jr. "Turn Your Love Around" – George Benson | |
| 1984 | | "Billie Jean" | "International Lover" – Prince Midnight Love – Marvin Gaye "Party Animal" – James Ingram Stay With Me Tonight – Jeffrey Osborne | |
| 1985 | | "Caribbean Queen " | Don't Stop – Jeffrey Osborne In the Name of Love – Bill Withers It's Your Night – James Ingram "The Woman In Red" – Stevie Wonder | |
| 1986 | | In Square Circle | Chinese Wall – Philip Bailey High Crime – Al Jarreau The Night I Fell in Love – Luther Vandross "You Are My Lady" – Freddie Jackson | |
| 1987 | | "Living in America" | "Give Me The Reason" – Luther Vandross Love Zone – Billy Ocean "The Rain" – Oran "Juice" Jones "Since I Fell For You" – Al Jarreau | |
| 1988 | | "Just to See Her" | "Bad" – Michael Jackson "In The Midnight Hour" – Wilson Pickett "Lies" – Jonathan Butler "Skeletons" – Stevie Wonder | |
| 1989 | | Introducing the Hardline According to Terence Trent D'Arby | Any Love – Luther Vandross Characters – Stevie Wonder Joy – Teddy Pendergrass "Nite and Day" – Al B. Sure! | |
| 1990 | | "Every Little Step" | "Batdance" – Prince Heart's Horizon – Al Jarreau "She Won't Talk to Me" – Luther Vandross "We've Saved the Best for Last" – Smokey Robinson | |
| 1991 | | "Here and Now" | Johnny Gill – Johnny Gill "Misunderstanding" – Al B. Sure! "Round and Round" – Tevin Campbell "Whip Appeal" – Babyface | |
| 1992 | | Power of Love/Love Power | "Can You Stop the Rain" – Peabo Bryson "Gotta Have You" – Stevie Wonder "How Can You Mend A Broken Heart?" – Teddy Pendergrass "Kissing You" – Keith Washington Love Over-Due – James Brown | |
| 1993 | | Heaven and Earth | "Humpin' Around" – Bobby Brown "Jam" – Michael Jackson "Lost in the Night" – Peabo Bryson T.E.V.I.N. – Tevin Campbell | |
| 1994 | | "A Song for You" | "Can We Talk" – Tevin Campbell "For the Cool in You" – Babyface "How Deep Is Your Love" – Luther Vandross "Voodoo" – Teddy Pendergrass | |
| 1995 | | "When Can I See You" | "Always and Forever" – Luther Vandross "I'm Ready" – Tevin Campbell "Practice What You Preach" – Barry White "Wait for the Magic" – Al Jarreau | |
| 1996 | | "For Your Love" | "Baby's Home" – Barry White "Brown Sugar" – D'Angelo "I Hate U" – Prince "This Is How We Do It" – Montell Jordan | |
| 1997 | | "Your Secret Love" | "A Change Is Gonna Come" – Al Green "Lady" – D'Angelo "Like a Woman" – Tony Rich Project "New World Order" – Curtis Mayfield | |
| 1998 | | "I Believe I Can Fly" | "Back To Living Again" – Curtis Mayfield "For You" – Kenny Lattimore "When You Call On Me / Baby That's When I Come Runnin'" – Luther Vandross "You Make Me Wanna..." – Usher | |
| 1999 | | "St. Louis Blues" | "I Know" – Luther Vandross "" – Maxwell "My Way" – Usher "The Only One for Me" – Brian McKnight | |
| 2000 | | "Staying Power" | "Did You Ever Know" – Peabo Bryson "Fortunate" – Maxwell "Sweet Lady" – Tyrese "When A Woman's Fed Up" – R. Kelly | |
| 2001 | | "Untitled " | "I Wanna Know" – Joe "I Wish" – R. Kelly "Stay or Let It Go" – Brian McKnight "Thong Song" – Sisqo | |
| 2002 | | "U Remind Me" | "Lifetime" – Maxwell "Love" – Musiq Soulchild "Love of My Life" – Brian McKnight "Missing You" – Case | |
| 2003 | | "U Don't Have to Call" | "Halfcrazy" – Musiq Soulchild "Let's Stay Home Tonight" – Joe "Take a Message" – Remy Shand "The World's Greatest" – R. Kelly | |
| 2004 | | "Dance with My Father" | "How You Gonna Act Like That" – Tyrese "Shoulda, Woulda, Coulda" – Brian McKnight "Step in the Name of Love" – R. Kelly "Superstar" – Ruben Studdard | |
| 2005 | | "Call My Name" | "Burn" – Usher "Charlene" – Anthony Hamilton "Happy People" – R. Kelly "What We Do Here" – Brian McKnight | |
| 2006 | | "Ordinary People" | "Creepin'" – Jamie Foxx "Let Me Love You" – Mario "So What the Fuss" – Stevie Wonder "Superstar" – Usher | |
| 2007 | | "Heaven" | "Black Sweat" – Prince "Got You Home" – Luther Vandross "I Call It Love" – Lionel Richie "So Sick" – Ne-Yo | |
| 2008 | | "Future Baby Mama" | "Because of You" – Ne-Yo "B.U.D.D.Y." – Musiq Soulchild "Please Don't Go" – Tank "Woman" – Raheem DeVaughn | |
| 2009 | | "Miss Independent" | "Can't Help but Wait" – Trey Songz "Here I Stand" – Usher "Take You Down" – Chris Brown "You're the Only One" – Eric Benét | |
| 2010 | | "Pretty Wings" | "The Point Of It All" – Anthony Hamilton "SoBeautiful" – Musiq Soulchild "There Goes My Baby" – Charlie Wilson "Under" – Pleasure P | |
| 2011 | | "There Goes My Baby" | "Finding My Way Back" – Jaheim "Second Chance" – El DeBarge "We're Still Friends" – Musiq Soulchild "Why Would You Stay" – Kem | |
