which he would then email to radio stations. This led to his first major break. James Conkling, who was the president of Warner Bros. Records at the time,
saw this and scheduled him to play at a nightclub in Houston, where he taped his sets. The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart, a comic performance of his,
was the first record to win record of the Year at the 1961 Grammys, marking the beginning of his serious career.
0515449638.0.jpg – GettyImagesIt was in the 1950s when Newhart got her start in stand-up comedy. Image courtesy of Bettman/Getty Images
“At that time, they didn’t even have a category for comedy,” Newhart said in 2020. As far as albums by Sinatra, Elvis Presley, and [Harry] Belafonte were concerned,
it was the best. I continued going up to the stage to accept the accolades, and they kept shouting my name.
