The 51st annual Grammy Awards ceremony was led by a legendary rock artist who won peoples’ hearts together with a bluegrass-country singer, as the pair was awarded with five prizes on Sunday, including album of the year.
During the acceptance speech, 37-year-old Alison Krauss told the audience that there was “never a dull moment” with Robert Plant, the former Led Zeppelin frontman with whom she produced the successful album “Raising Sand.” The duo was also awarded with the prize for record of the year for “Please Read the Letter.” The 60-year-old rock legend said that he was “bewildered.” “In the old days we would have called this selling out, but I think it’s a good way to spend a Sunday,” he added.
This year’s Grammys brought together representatives of various generations, as teenage stars Taylor Swift and Miley Cyrus performed the former’s “Fifteen,” while 66-year-old Paul McCartney sang a Beatles classic with some help from Dave Grohl, who took over the drums.
Lil Wayne, who led the contenders list with eight nominations, won three awards, including best rap album for “Tha Carter III,” while his name was featured on the list of artists who contributed on “Swagger Like Us,” which won best rap performance by a duo or group.
Coldplay also had a big night, as the rock band took home three awards, including the best rock album prize for their hit album “Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends.” Lead singer Chris Martin said that he and his mates were very “grateful” and that he was “going to tear up.”
However, the Grammy night saw a few absences, since Rihanna and Chris Brown, two artists who had been nominated for awards and were due to perform during the show, failed to attend the ceremony. The Los Angeles Police Department announced that the 19-year-old R&B singer, who is currently dating Rihanna, was involved in an investigation with regard to a felony domestic violence battery. The musician turned himself in on Sunday and was released immediately after posting bail. Authorities booked him on suspicion of making a criminal threat.
Organizers hurriedly arranged a new act comprised of Al Green, Justin Timberlake, Boyz II Men and Keith Urban so as to make up for the absence of Rihanna.
Other noteworthy winners included Adele for best female pop vocal performance (“Chasing Pavements”), Duffy for best pop vocal album (“Rockferry”), Rick Rubin for producer of the year, Radiohead for best alternative music album (“In Rainbows”), Al Green for best R&B performance by a duo or group with vocals, Metallica for best metal performance (“My Apocalypse”), as well as Daft Punk for best dance recording and best electronic dance album.
