Beyonce tops Grammys

The 46th Grammy Awards was held at the Staple Center last Sunday, Feb. 7. We got the live telecast Monday morning via the cable channel, Star World. As expected, the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences put on a truly enjoyable show. There was a star-studded line-up of presentors that ranged from Quentin Tarantino to Samuel L. Jackson and Sean Astin to previous winners like Norah Jones and John Mayer plus 19 musical numbers that dazzled viewers.

Janet Jackson wasn’t there. Talks have it that she was dropped from the show because of that breast-baring incident with Justin Timberlake during the Superbowl half-time show last week. Janet was supposed to have joined Celine Dion and Alicia Keys in the tribute to Luther Vandross number. Justin was around though and so profuse with apologies for what happened at the Superbowl. He went home with two trophies, for Male Pop Vocal Performance for Cry Me a River and Pop Vocal Album for Justified. For a touch of respectability, his date for the evening was his glamorously-attired mother.

Looking respectable too was a full-clothed Christina Aguilera who performed her Female Pop Vocal Performance winning song Beautiful in a black tuxedo. Although she looked beautiful and so did Gwen Stefani, Alicia Keys, Queen Latifah and many of the other female guests, the belle of the ball was the sensational Beyonce. The young diva opened the show in a duet of Purple Rain with Prince. Take note, she modestly held her feathered pink mini skirt down while singing before the wind machine. She also later did a langourous version of her big winner of a song Crazy in Love.

At the end of the evening, Beyonce had a total of five Grammys, for Female R&B Vocal for Dangerously in Love 2; R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group, The Closer I Get to You with Luther Vandross; R&B Song for Crazy in Love; Rap/Sung Collaboration also for Crazy in Love with Jay-Z; Contemporary R&B Album for Dangerously in Love; which also won Best Non-Classical Remixed Recording.

Sentimental favorite Luther Vandross got four Grammys. The famous soul artist was in coma for a few days after he suffered a debilitating stroke last year at about the same time his new album Dance with My Father was released. He is now on the road to full recovery. He was not yet strong enough to attend the Grammys but his remarkable voice soared out in song in a videotaped speech. Coincidentally, Vandross and Beyonce shared honors in The Closer I Get to You, which won for R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. This duet is included in both their albums Dangerously in Love and Dance with My Father. Vandross also won for R&B Vocal Performance; R & B Album; and Song of the Year, all for the track Dance with My Father and the album of the same title.

Other winners:
Record of the Year: Clocks by Coldplay
Album of the Year: Speakerboxxx/The Love Below by Outkast
New Artist: Evanescence
Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal: No Doubt Underneath It All
Pop Collaboration with Vocals: Whenever I Say Your Name Sting & Mary J. Blige
Pop Instrumental Performance: Marwa Blues George Harrison
Pop Instrumental Album: Mambo Sinuendo Ry Cooder & Manuel Galban
Dance Recording: Come into My World Kylie Minogue
Traditional Pop Vocal: A Wonderful World Tony Bennet & k.d. lang
Female Rock Vocal: Trouble Pink
Male Rock Vocal: Gravedigger Dave Matthews
Rock Group or Duo with Vocal: Disorder in the House Warren Zevon & Bruce Springsteen
Hard Rock Performance: Bring Me to Life Evanescence feat. Paul McCoy
Metal Performance: St. Anger Metallica
Rock Instrumental Performance: Plan B Jeff Beck
Rock Song: Seven Nation Army White Stripes
Rock Album: One by One Foo Fighters
Alternative Music Album: Elephant White Stripes
Traditional R&B Vocal: Wonderful Aretha Franklin
Urban/Alternative Performance: Hey Ya! Outkast
Female Rap Solo: Work It Missy Elliott
Male Rap Solo: Lose Yourself Eminem
Rap Duo or Group: Shake Ya Tailfeather Nelly, P.Diddy & Murphy Lee
Rap Song: Lose Yourself by Eminem.
Rap Album: Speakerboxxx/The Love Below Outkast
Jazz Vocal Album: A Little Moonlight Diane Reeves
Compilation Soundtrack Album: Chicago by Various Artists
Score Soundtrack Album: The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
Song written for a motion picture: A Mighty Wind from A Mighty Wind by Mitch & Mickey and the New Main Street Singers

Musical Show Album: Gypsy with Bernadette Peters and Tammy Blanchard

Lifetime Achievement Awards went to Van Cliburn, the first American to win the Russian Tchaikovsky Piano Competition; The Funk Brothers, official backing group for those Motown recordings which have since become classics; Ella Jenkins, first lady of children’s music; sax wizard Sonny Rollins; band leader and clarinetist Artie Shaw and bluegrass music great Doc Watson. Sting was named MusiCares Person of the Year while the Trustees Award went to the songwriting team of Gerry Goffin and Carole King; jazz music anthologist Orrin Keepnews; and jazz pianist Marian Mc Partland.