LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Soul singer Adele triumphed in her return to music's stage on Sunday, scooping up six Grammys and winning every category in which she was nominated including album of the year for "21" and best record with "Rolling In the Deep."
As joyous as the show was for Adele, it was equally as serious with tributes to late pop star Whitney Houston, who died suddenly on Saturday. She was remembered by fellow artists in acceptance speeches and songs. Jennifer Hudson sang Houston's signature hit, "I Will Always Love You," and Grammy host LL Cool J offered a prayer for Houston's family, friends and fans.
But it was Adele who stole the show. The 23-year-old, who has taken the music world by storm, underwent surgery on her vocal cords late last year and had been resting her voice on doctor's orders until music's biggest night. For the first time since then, the British singer took the stage to belt out "Rolling In the Deep" and finished to a standing ovation.
Adele claimed three of the music industry's top awards - album, record and song of the year - and added best pop solo performance, pop vocal and short video to her stack of trophies.
Tearing up and having difficulty speaking as she took the stage to claim the night's top award, album of the year, Adele talked about "21" and its heartfelt songs dreamed up after a failed love affair.
"This record is inspired by something that is really normal and everyone's been through it, just a rubbish relationship, and it's gone on to do things I can't tell you how I feel about it, it's been the most life-changing year."
Indeed, her sophomore album has sold more than 6.3 million copies in the United States and broken many sales records, including spending 19 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard album chart. Now it can add the Grammys to its many accolades.
Rockers Foo Fighters were the other big winners, picking up five Grammys including best rock performance for the hit "Walk."
"This is a great honor because this record was a special record for our band. Rather than go to the best studio ... we made this one in my garage with some microphones and a tape machine," said frontman Dave Grohl. "It shows that the human element of making music is what's most important."
But as jubilant as the audience was for Adele and as much as Foo Fighters rocked the house, Grammy organizers were equally as serious about Houston, whose body was found in the bathtub of her Beverly Hills hotel room. The cause is still unknown.
Host LL Cool J took the stage and offered a prayer for Houston, her fans and her family. "Although she is gone too soon, we remain truly blessed by her musical spirit," he said.
MANY WINNERS, REMEMBERING WHITNEY
Grammy organizers give out awards in more than 75 categories and many early winners mentioned Houston. Singer Melanie Fiona, who won with Cee Lo Green for traditional R&B performance for "Fool For You," said she was inspired by the singer.
"Whitney Houston, I would not be standing up here if not for you," Fiona said. Backstage, she told reporters her mother had rocked her in the cradle to Houston's songs when she was a baby.
Other major Grammy winners included country's Taylor Swift, who picked up Grammys for solo performance and country song with "Mean," which she performed to a standing ovation. She had been expected to take best country album, too, but Lady Antebellum swooped in and took that prize with "Own the Night."
The other big surprise came when indie folk band Bon Iver took the Grammy for best new artist over rapper Nicki Minaj, who had been widely expected to win behind hit album "Pink Friday."
DJ Skrillex won two Grammys for best dance recording and top dance/electronica album with "Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites."
Jay-Z and Kanye West won best rap performance with their song "Otis" from the album "Watch the Throne," but they failed to show up to claim their prize. Chris Brown won the Grammy for best R&B album "F.A.M.E."
West entered the night with seven nominations, more than any other artist, but came away with the Grammy for "Otis" and another for best rap album with "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy."
Rousing performances were given by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Chris Brown, Coldplay and Rihanna, Jason Aldean and Kelly Clarkson. Alicia Keys and Bonnie Raitt sang a duet of "A Sunday Kind of Love" from Etta James, who also died in 2012.
Minaj gave fans an over-the-top performance toward the show's final act, and Sir Paul McCartney ended in a guitar-heavy number with Springsteen, Grohl and others. Memorable moments came in a reunion of members of the Beach Boys and a lifetime award for Glen Campbell, who sang "Rhinestone Cowboy."
Finally, one of the show's more poignant moments came early in the day when Mitch and Janis Winehouse, parents of the late singer Amy Winehouse who died of excessive drinking in 2011, accepted the award for best pop duo or group performance - Amy Winehouse and Tony Bennett for "Body and Soul."
"Long live Whitney Houston. Long live Amy Winehouse and long live Etta James," Mitch Winehouse said, referring to the "At Last" singer who died earlier this year. "There's a beautiful girl band up there."
The full list of winners is:
Record of the Year
Rolling in the Deep by Adele
Song Of The Year
Rolling in the Deep by Adele & Paul Epworth
Best New Artist
Bon Iver
Album Of The Year
21 by Adele
Best Pop Solo Performance
Someone Like You by Adele
Best Pop Duo/Group Performance
Body And Soul by Tony Bennett & Amy Winehouse
Best Pop Instrumental Album
The Road From Memphis by Booker T. Jones
Best Pop Vocal Album
21 by Adele
Best Dance Recording
Scary Monsters And Nice Sprites by Skrillex
Best Dance/Electronica Album
Scary Monsters And Nice Sprites by Skrillex
Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album
Duets II by Tony Bennett
Best Rock Performance
Walk by Foo Fighters
Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance
White Limo by Foo Fighters
Best Rock Song
Walk by Foo Fighters
Best Rock Album
Wasting Light by Foo Fighters
Best Alternative Music Album
Bon Iver by Bon Iver
Best R&B Performance
Is This Love by Corinne Bailey Rae
Best Traditional R&B Performance
Fool For You by Cee Lo Green
Best R&B Song
Fool For You by Cee Lo Green
Best R&B Album
F.A.M.E. by Chris Brown
Best Rap Performance
Otis by Jay-Z & Kanye West
Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
All of the Lights by Kanye West
Best Rap Song
All of the Lights by Kanye West
Best Rap Album
My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy by Kanye West
Best Country Solo Performance
Mean by Taylor Swift
Best Country Duo/Group Performance
Boston Hollow by The Civil Wars
Best Country Song
Mean by Taylor Swift
Best Country Album
Own The Night by Lady Antebellum
Best New Age Album
What's It All About by Pat Metheny
Best Improvised Jazz Solo
500 Miles High by Chick Corea
Best Jazz Vocal Album
The Mosaic Project by Terri Lyne Carrington & Various Artists
Best Jazz Instrumental Album
Forever by Corea, Clarke & White
Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album
The Good Feeling by Christian McBride Big Band
Best Gospel/Contemporary Christian Music Performance
Jesus by Le'Andria Johnson
Best Gospel Song
Hello Fear by Kirk Franklin
Best Contemporary Christian Music Song
Blessings by Laura Story
Best Gospel Album
Hello Fear by Kirk Franklin
Best Contemporary Christian Music Album
And If Our God Is For Us... by Chris Tomlin
Best Latin Pop, Rock, Or Urban Album
Drama Y Luz by Mana
Best Regional Mexican Or Tejano Album
Bicentenario by Pepe Aguilar
Best Banda Or Norteño Album
Los Tigres Del Norte And Friends by Los Tigres Del Norte
Best Tropical Latin Album
The Last Mambo by Cachao
Best Americana Album
Ramble At The Ryman by Levon Helm
Best Bluegrass Album
Paper Airplane by Alison Krauss & Union Station
Best Blues Album
Revelator by Tedeschi Trucks Band
Best Folk Album
Barton Hollow by The Civil Wars
Best Regional Roots Music Album
Rebirth Of New Orleans by Rebirth Brass Band
Best Reggae Album
Revelation Pt 1: The Root Of Life by Stephen Marley
Best World Music Album
Tassili by Tinariwen
Best Children's Album
All About Bullies... Big And Small by Various Artists
Best Spoken Word Album
If You Ask Me (And Of Course You Won't) by Betty White
Best Comedy Album
Hilarious by Louis C.K.
Best Musical Theater Album
The Book Of Mormon by Josh Gad & Andrew Rannells
Best Compilation Soundtrack For Visual Media
Boardwalk Empire: Volume 1 by Various Artists
Best Score Soundtrack For Visual Media
The King's Speech by Alexandre Desplat
Best Song Written For Visual Media
I See The Light (From Tangled) by Alan Menken & Glenn Slater
Best Instrumental Composition
Life In Eleven by Bela Fleck & Howard Levy
Best Instrumental Arrangement
Rhapsody In Blue by Gordon Goodwin
Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s)
Who Can I Turn To (When Nobody Needs Me) by Jorge Calandrelli, arranger (for Tony Bennett & Queen Latifah)
Best Recording Package
Scenes From The Suburbs (Arcade Fire) by Caroline Robert
Best Boxed Or Special Limited Edition Package
The Promise: The Darkness On The Edge Of Town Story (Bruce Springsteen) by Dave Bett & Michelle Holme
Best Album Notes
Hear Me Howling!: Blues, Ballads & Beyond As Recorded By The San Francisco Bay By Chris Strachwitz In The 1960s by Adam Machado
Best Historical Album
Band On The Run (Paul McCartney Archive Collection - Deluxe Edition) by Paul McCartney
Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical
Paper Airplane (Alison Krauss & Union Station) by Neal Cappellino & Mike Shipley
Producer Of The Year, Non-Classical
Paul Epworth (Foster The People, Cee Lo Green, Adele)
Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical
Cinema (Skrillex Remix) by Sonny Moore
Best Surround Sound Album
Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs (Super Deluxe Edition) by Elliot Scheiner
Best Engineered Album, Classical
Aldridge: Elmer Gantry (William Boggs, Keith Phares, Patricia Risley, Vale Rideout, Frank Kelley, Heather Buck, Florentine Opera Chorus & Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra) by
Byeong-Joon Hwang, John Newton and Jesse Lewis
Producer Of The Year, Classical
Judith Sherman (John Adams, St. Lawrence String Quartet & International Contemporary Ensemble, Rachel Barton Pine, Claude Frank, Anthony De Mare and others)
Best Orchestral Performance
Brahms: Symphony No. 4 by Los Angeles Philharmonic (conductor Gustavo Dudamel)
Best Opera Recording
Adams: Doctor Atomic by Meredith Arwady, Sasha Cooke, Richard Paul Fink, Gerald Finley, Thomas Glenn, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra & Metropolitan Opera Chorus (conductor Alan Gilbert)
Best Choral Performance
Light & Gold by Christopher Glynn & Hila Plitmann; The King's Singers, Laudibus, Pavao Quartet & The Eric Whitacre Singers (conductor Eric Whitacre)
Best Small Ensemble Performance
Mackey: Lonely Motel - Music From Slide by Rinde Eckert & Steven Mackey
Best Classical Instrumental Solo
Schwantner: Concerto For Percussion & Orchestra by Giancarlo Guerrero Nashville Symphony)
Best Classical Vocal Solo
Diva Divo by Joyce DiDonato (Kazushi Ono; Orchestre De L'Opera National De Lyon; Choeur De L'Opera National De Lyon)
Best Contemporary Classical Composition
Aldridge, Robert: Elmer Gantry by Robert Aldridge & Herschel Garfein
Best Short Form Music Video
Rolling in the Deep by Adele
Best Long Form Music Video
Foo Fighters: Back And Forth by Foo Fighters
Trustees Award winners
Dave Bartholomew, Steve Jobs and Rudy Van Gelder
Lifetime Achievement Award winners
Glen Campbell, The Allman Brothers Band, Antonio Carlos Jobim, The Memphis Horns, George Jones and Diana Ross.
