The Vegas oddsmakers were right: Adele was a sure thing at this year’s Grammy Awards.
Further cementing her nascent superstardom, the English singer swept all six of the categories she was nominated in at Sunday’s Grammy Awards ceremonies, collecting album of the year honors for “21” and record and song of the year trophies for “Rolling in the Deep.”
Adele, who was named best new artist in 2009, is only the second artist in history to take all four major Grammy categories. Christopher Cross attained the feat in 1981 with a four-award sweep.
The singer, nee Adele Adkins, broke into tears as she accepted the album of the year award.
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“This is ridiculous,” she said, and made a point of thanking “every radio programmer and broadcaster” who helped put “Rolling in the Deep” and other tunes from “21” over the top.
This year’s surprising best new artist winner was Bon Iver. The folk-skewed Wisconsin-bred singer-songwriter, ne Justin Vernon, triumphed in a field that included the ultra-hot rap talent Nicki Minaj. Vernon had publicly declined to perform at the Grammy ceremony.
Adele’s “21” also won as best pop vocal album, “Someone Like You” captured best pop solo performance and the clip for “Rolling in the Deep” took best short-form video.
Adele’s six trophies equaled Beyonce’s record one-night tally for a female performer, set in 2010.
Paul Epworth, who co-wrote “Rolling in the Deep” and produced that hit, was named non-classical producer of the year, and shared song and album of the year honors.
The night’s other big winners, perennial Recording Academy favorites Foo Fighters, dominated the rock categories with five victories: best rock album (for “Wasting Light”) best hard rock/metal performance (for “White Limo”), best rock performance and best rock song (for “Walk”) and best longform video (for “Foo Fighters: Back and Forth,” directed and co-produced by James Moll). The band performed twice on the Grammycast.
“We made this record in my garage with some microphones and a tape machine,” said Foo Fighters leader Dave Grohl. “It shows that the human element of making music is most important.” As he left the stage Grohl shouted “Long live rock ‘n’ roll!”
Kanye West — this year’s top nominee with seven nods — once again had to satisfy himself with rap wins. West captured four awards to add to his 14 previous wins, for best rap/sung collaboration and best rap song (for “All of the Lights”), best rap performance (for “Otis,” shared with Jay-Z) and best rap album (“My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy”).
Few Grammy triumphs have felt quite as inevitable as Adele’s.
The 22-year-old singer served as the music industry’s savior last year with her sophomore album “21.” The top-selling collection has sold 6.38 million copies domestically to date, and remains No. 1 on the U.S. album chart after nearly a year in release. With one more week atop the chart, “21” will tie Whitney Houston’s 20-week SoundScan-era record for longevity at the pinnacle, set in 1992-93 with the soundtrack for “The Bodyguard.”
With stylistic nods to Brit singers past, most notably Dusty Springfield and Amy Winehouse, “21” was lofted by three smash singles, “Rolling in the Deep,” “Someone Like You” and “Set Fire to the Rain.” The rich-voiced singer’s seemingly universal appeal tagged her as an awards season shoo-in.
The vocalist was the headline attraction for this year’s Grammycast, emerging from months off the stage after throat surgery for a hemorrhaged vocal cord forced cancellation of a sold-out U.S. tour.
Asked backstage how she handled the jolt of having to undergo surgery, Adele was sanguine about the experience. ”
“It’s actually been really peaceful. Being silent in such a noisy world, it was sort of a blessing in disguise,” she said. “I’ve actually never been happier.”
By an accident of fate, Adele’s ascension on Sunday seemed a passing of the torch after the death Saturday of Houston, who rose to fame in the ’80s with a similar brand of soulful, highly accessible pop.
Houston’s memory loomed both on and off the Grammy stage on Sunday. Jennifer Hudson paid tribute with a televised performance of “I Will Always Love You,” Houston’s No. 1 hit from the 1992 soundtrack of “The Bodyguard.” Hudson ended the performance by ad libbing, “Whitney, we loved you.”
Stevie Wonder said from the stage, “I just want to say to Whitney up in Heaven, we all love you, Whitney Houston.”
Winners and performers offered their thoughts about the singer backstage. Vocalist-songwriter Melanie Fiona, who shared two R&B awards with Cee Lo Green for “Fool For You,” said, “Whitney is the first voice and memory I have of music… I would not be up here as an artist, a nominee and a winner without her influence on my life … I feel so proud to be able say that she was such a huge influence on me.”
Bonnie Raitt told reporters, “I’m sure you’re still in shock, too…It’s stunning, her vocal range and power.”
Houston’s impact extended beyond the pop discipline: Joyce DiDonato, winner for best classical vocal solo, said, “She was larger than life, and the summation of good singing for me. I have a lot of opera friends, and we were all heartbroken to hear the news.”
The diminutive, angularly coiffed electronic/dance artist Skrillex broke through with three wins, taking best dance/electronica album (for “Scary Monsters and Nice Sprights”), best dance recording (for the album’s title track) and best remixed recording (for Benny Benassi’s “Cinema”).
Taylor Swift added two Grammy awards to her career total of four, winning best country solo performance and best country song for “Mean.”
Americana duo the Civil Wars‘ “Barton Hollow” won as both best folk album, while its title track won best country duo/group performance.
As ever, some sentimental favorites prevailed.
Paul McCartney, who was honored as MusiCares’ person of the year on Friday and performed during the telecast, collected his 15th Grammy – a best historical album honor, for last year’s reissue of his 1973 album “Band On the Run.”
A mere 49 years after receiving his first Grammy — record of the year, for “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” — Tony Bennett won Nos. 15 and 16, for best traditional pop album (for “Duets II,” his all-star No. 1 album) and. best pop performance by a duo or group, for “Body and Soul,” his track with Amy Winehouse. The late singer’s parents joined him onstage at the afternoon ceremony.
“We shouldn’t be here — our darling daughter should be here,” said Mitch Winehouse. “These are the cards we’re dealt.”
Alison Krauss, the most rewarded female performer in Grammy history, received her 27th trophy: “Paper Airplane,” her latest release with her group Union Station, was named best bluegrass album.
In the music for visual media categories, “Boardwalk Empire Volume 1,” the soundtrack for the HBO series – collected best compilation soundtrack for Stewart Lerman, Randall Poster and Kevin Weaver. Alexander Desplat won best score soundtrack for Oscar winner “The King’s Speech.” Alan Menken and Glenn Slater received the prize for best song written for visual media, for “I See the Light” from Disney’s “Tangled.”
Tony winner “The Book of Mormon,” written by Robert Lopez, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, was named best musical theater album.
Apart from Adele’s return to perform “Rolling in the Deep” — which drew one of the longest ovations in recent Grammy history –the kudocast’s chief draws were distinctly old-school.
McCartney performed “My Valentine,” a track from his new standards collection, with Diana Krall and Joe Walsh, and a show-closing “Abbey Road” medley; the reunited Beach Boys played their 1966 hit “Good Vibrations” with Foster the People and Maroon 5; and Glen Campbell, who is retiring from performing after the onset of Alzheimer’s disease, sang “Rhinestone Cowboy” to climax a tribute segment.
Alicia Keys and Raitt paid tribute to the R&B diva Etta James, who died in January at 73, with a duet on “A Sunday Kind of Love.”
Complete list of winners:
1. Record of the Year
Rolling in the Deep, Adele
2. Album of the Year
21, Adele
3. Song of the Year
Rolling in the Deep, Adele Adkins and Paul Epworth (Adele)
4. Best New Artist
Bon Iver
5. Best Pop Solo Performance
Someone Like You, Adele
6. Best Pop Duo/Group Performance
Body And Soul, Tony Bennett & Amy Winehouse
7. Best Pop Instrumental Album
The Road From Memphis, Booker T. Jones
8. Best Pop Vocal Album
21, Adele
9. Best Dance Recording
Scary Monsters And Nice Sprites, Skrillex
10. Best Dance/Electronica Album
Scary Monsters And Nice Sprites, Skrillex
11. Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album
Duets II, Tony Bennett & Various Artists
12. Best Rock Performance
Walk, Foo Fighters
13. Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance
White Limo, Foo Fighters
14. Best Rock Song
Walk, Foo Fighters, songwriters (Foo Fighters)
*** 15. Best Rock Album
Wasting Light, Foo Fighters
16. Best Alternative Music Album
Bon Iver, Bon Iver
17. Best Traditional R&B Performance
Fool For You, Cee Lo Green & Melanie Fiona
18. Best R&B Performance
Is This Love, Corinne Bailey Rae
19. Best R&B Song
Fool For You, Cee Lo Green, Melanie Hallim, Jack Splash, songwriters (Cee Lo Green & Melanie Fiona)
20. Best R&B Album
F.A.M.E., Chris Brown
21. Best Rap Performance
Otis, Jay-Z and Kanye West
22. Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
All Of The Lights, Kanye West, Rihanna, Kid Cudi & Fergie
23. Best Rap Song
All Of The Lights, Jeff Bhasker, Stacy Ferguson, Malik Jones, Warren Trotter & Kanye West, songwriters (Kanye West, Rihanna, Kid Cudi & Fergie)
24. Best Rap Album
My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, Kanye West
25. Best Country Solo Performance
Mean, Taylor Swift
26. Best Country Duo/Group Performance
Barton Hollow, The Civil Wars
27. Best Country Song
Mean, Taylor Swift, songwriter (Taylor Swift)
28. Best Country Album
Own the Night, Lady Antebellum
29. Best New Age Album
What’s It All About, Pat Metheny
30. Best Improvised Jazz Solo
500 Miles High, Chick Corea, soloist
31. Best Jazz Vocal Album
The Mosaic Project, Terri Lyne Carrington & Various Artists
32. Best Jazz Instrumental Album
Forever, Corea, Clarke & White
33. Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album
The Good Feeling, Christian McBride Big Band
34. Best Gospel/Contemporary Christian Music Performance
Jesus, Le’Andria Johnson
35. Best Gospel Song
Hello Fear, Kirk Franklin, songwriter (Kirk Franklin)
36. Best Contemporary Christian Music Song
Blessings, Laura Story, songwriter (Laura Story)
37. Best Gospel Album
Hello Fear, Kirk Franklin
38. Best Contemporary Christian Music Album
And If Our God Is For Us…, Chris Tomlin
39. Best Latin Pop, Rock, Or Urban Album
Drama Y Luz, Maná
40. Best Regional Mexican Or Tejano Album
Bicentenario, Pepe Aguilar
41. Best Banda Or Norteño Album
Los Tigres Del Norte And Friends, Los Tigres Del Norte
42. Best Tropical Latin Album
The Last Mambo, Cachao
43. Best Americana Album
Ramble At The Ryman, Levon Helm
44. Best Bluegrass Album
Paper Airplane, Alison Krauss & Union Station
45. Best Blues Album
Revelator, Tedeschi Trucks Band
46. Best Folk Album
Barton Hollow, The Civil Wars
47. Best Regional Roots Music Album
Rebirth Of New Orleans, Rebirth Brass Band
48. Best Reggae Album
Revelation Pt 1: The Root Of Life, Stephen Marley
49. Best World Music Album
Tassili, Tinariwen
50. Best Children’s Album
All About Bullies… Big And Small
(Various Artists), Jim Cravero, Gloria Domina, Kevin Mackie, Steve Pullara & Patrick Robinson, producers
51. Best Spoken Word Album (Includes Poetry, Audio Books & Story Telling)
If You Ask Me (And Of Course You Won’t), Betty White
52. Best Comedy Album
Hilarious, Louis C.K.
53. Best Musical Theater Album
The Book Of Mormon
54. Best Compilation Soundtrack For Visual Media
Boardwalk Empire: Volume 1, (Various Artists) Stewart Lerman, Randall Poster & Kevin Weaver, producers
55. Best Score Soundtrack For Visual Media
The King’s Speech, Alexandre Desplat
56. Best Song Written For Visual Media
I See The Light (From Tangled), Alan Menken & Glenn Slater, songwriters (Mandy Moore & Zachary Levi)
57. Best Instrumental Composition
Life In Eleven, Béla Fleck & Howard Levy, composers (Béla Fleck & The Flecktones)
58. Best Instrumental Arrangement
Rhapsody In Blue, Gordon Goodwin, arranger (Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band)
59. Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s)
Who Can I Turn To (When Nobody Needs Me), Jorge Calandrelli, arranger (Tony Bennett & Queen Latifah)
60. Best Recording Package
Scenes From The Suburbs, Caroline Robert, art director (Arcade Fire)
61. Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package
The Promise: The Darkness On The Edge Of Town Story
62. Best Album Notes
Hear Me Howling!: Blues, Ballads & Beyond As Recorded By The San Francisco Bay By Chris Strachwitz In The 1960s
63. Best Historical Album
Band On The Run (Paul McCartney Archive Collection – Deluxe Edition)
64. Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical
Paper Airplane, Neal Cappellino & Mike Shipley, engineers; Brad Blackwood, mastering engineer (Alison Krauss & Union Station)
65. Producer Of The Year, Non-Classical
Paul Epworth
66. Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical
Cinema (Skrillex Remix), Sonny Moore, remixer (Benny Benassi)
67. Best Surround Sound Album
Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs (Super Deluxe Edition)
68. Best Engineered Album, Classical
Aldridge: Elmer Gantry
69. Producer Of The Year, Classical
Judith Sherman
70. Best Orchestral Performance
Brahms: Symphony No. 4
Gustavo Dudamel, conductor (Los Angeles Philharmonic)
71. Best Opera Recording
Adams: Doctor Atomic
Alan Gilbert, conductor; Meredith Arwady, Sasha Cooke, Richard Paul Fink, Gerald Finley, Thomas Glenn & Eric Owens; Jay David Saks, producer (Metropolitan Opera Orchestra; Metropolitan Opera Chorus)
72. Best Choral Performance
Light & Gold
Eric Whitacre, conductor (Christopher Glynn & Hila Plitmann; The King’s Singers, Laudibus, Pavão Quartet & The Eric Whitacre Singers)
73. Best Small Ensemble Performance
Mackey: Lonely Motel – Music From Slide
Rinde Eckert & Steven Mackey; Eighth Blackbird
74. Best Classical Instrumental Solo
Schwantner: Concerto For Percussion & Orchestra
Giancarlo Guerrero, conductor; Christopher Lamb (Nashville Symphony)
75. Best Classical Vocal Solo
Diva Divo
Joyce DiDonato (Kazushi Ono; Orchestre De L’Opéra National De Lyon; Choeur De L’Opéra National De Lyon)
76. Best Contemporary Classical Composition
Aldridge, Robert: Elmer Gantry
Robert Aldridge & Herschel Garfein
77. Best Short Form Music Video
Rolling In The Deep
Adele
Sam Brown, video director; Hannah Chandler, video producer
78. Best Long Form Music Video
Foo Fighters: Back And Forth
Foo Fighters
James Moll, video director; James Moll & Nigel Sinclair, video producers
Winners by number:
Adele – 6
Foo Fighters – 5
Kanye West – 4
Paul Epworth – 3
Skrillex – 3
Tony Bennett – 2
The Civil Wars – 2
Chick Corea – 2
Kirk Franklin – 2
Cee Lo Green – 2
Taylor Swift – 2
Related: Grammy notes
