CBC Live - Radio & Music - Adele Dominates the Grammys

Adele Dominates the Grammys

February 12, 2012 By Calum Shanlin | @calumshanlin

Can Adele now consider herself part of music royalty, alongside the likes of Paul McCartney? Pretty much.

No pyrotechnics. No backing tracks. No cute routine. Just a killer band and one of world's greatest voices. Thank you Adele Adkins! #grammys
— jian ghomeshi (@jianghomeshi) February 13, 2012

Before the 54th Grammy Awards, all thoughts were with the friends and family of Whitney Houston after her tragic death. After the ceremony, all eyes were on Adele. Making her long awaited live comeback after throat surgery in November and up for six awards, she did not disappoint. She took home all six of those Grammys, including Record, Song and Album of the Year. If you're wondering what the difference is between record and song of the year, let us explain.

Just curious...when wud it be a good time to remind you that Adele's first appearance in North America was on #Q? Let me know. #Grammys #CBC
— jian ghomeshi (@jianghomeshi) February 13, 2012

Foo Fighters were another big winner on the night, winning four awards prior to the broadcast and one more during, for Best Rock Performance. Justin Vernon (aka Bon Iver) was sitting next to girlfriend Kathleen Edwards - the Canadian singer-songstress - and was named Best New Artist, beating out The Band Perry and Nicki Minaj. His eponymous album was also named Best Alternative Music Album.

Leading the nominations with seven, Kanye West also won four awards, but was not at the ceremony. Other winners included Betty White (yes, Betty White) for Best Spoken Word Album, and Canadian singer Melanie Fiona. The 28 year old from Toronto won two awards for her collaboration with Cee-Lo Green, Fool For You. Montreal's Caroline Robert designed the packaging for Scenes from The Suburbs, a special edition of Arcade Fire's The Suburbs, and won Best Recording Package for her efforts.

(L) Toronto's Melanie Fiona won two Grammys for her collaboration with Cee-Lo Green.
(R) Glen Campbell performing Rhinestone Cowboy.

Performances on the night came from some of the greats of the musical world. The Boss, Bruce Springsteen, kicked off the ceremony with his new single We Take Care of our Own. A great performance from the Foo Fighters with their award winner Walk was followed by unconvincing performances from Rihanna and Coldplay (but they were both still better than Chris Brown's lip synching). Late on in the ceremony Nicki Minaj baffled the world with her performance as her British alter-ego Ronan.

It was a night for the legends though. Along with performances from Tony Bennett and Paul McCartney, the Beach Boys performed as a whole for the first time in many years. Despite suffering from Alzheimers, Glen Campbell took to the stage to perform Rhinestone Cowboy, his performance one of the best of the night. It's a close call as to whether he or Adele can take that title. After that surgery, tonight was the first real test for her... and boy, did she pass with flying colours. Her performance of Rolling in the Deep earned a standing ovation, and the Twitterverse went mad with compliments.

Above, you can see the visibly emotional Jennifer Hudson. She was met with a huge ovation after performing a rousing rendition of I Will Always Love You in tribute to Whitney Houston. While there's no doubt the new Queen of Pop Adele's achievements won't be forgotten quickly, the night will stay long in the memory as a tribute to the former Queen of Pop, Whitney Houston.

Selected winners below:

Album of the Year: Adele - 21

Record of the Year: Adele - Rolling in the Deep

Best New Artist: Bon Iver

Best Country Album: Lady Antebellum - Own the Night

Song Of The Year: Adele Adkins & Paul Epworth - Rolling in the Deep

Best R&B Album: Chris Brown - F.A.M.E.

Best Rock Performance: Foo Fighters - Walk

Best Rap Performance: Jay-Z & Kanye West - Otis

Best Pop Solo Performance: Adele - 21

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance: Tony Bennett & Amy Winehouse - Body and Soul

Best Pop Vocal Album: Adele - 21