The 53rd Annual Grammy Awards: Ceremony Summary

February 13, 2011 — The Staples Center in Los Angeles hosted the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards. The ceremony traditionally showcases new artists, old favorites, and of course Lady Gaga’s ridiculous outfits – this year was no exception.

Most of the 109 awards are distributed during the pre-telecast. Categories that are chosen for the televised program are determined by record sales, and most importantly, viewer interest.

Highlights:

– Lady Gaga’s stage entrance includes a giant egg.
– Christina Aguilera’s sought redemption as part of the Aretha Franklin Tribute Choir. (She almost made up for her atrocious slaughtering of the national anthem before the kick-off of Super Bowl XLV.)
– Eminem is nominated for 10 awards. He gives a warm shout out to Detroit at the end of his acceptance speech for ‘Best Rap Album’.
– Arcade Fire shocks and pleases with a classic underdog win.
– Special Merit Award is given to Barbara Streisand. (Seriously?)
– Historical Album of the Year awarded to The Beatles (Original Studio Recordings).
– Cee Lo Green’s feathered fantasy outfit – complete with matching dog and bedazzled piano.

Performers:
Adam Levine
Arcade Fire
B.o.B.
Barbara Streisand
Bob Dylan
Bruno Mars
Cee Lo Green
Christina Aguilera
Dr. Dre
Drake
Eminem
Florence Welch
Gwyneth Paltrow
Jaden Smith
Janelle Monáe
Jennifer Hudson
John Mayer
Justin Bieber
Katy Perry
Keith Urban
Lady Antebellum
Lady Gaga
Martina McBride
Mick Jagger
Miranda Lambert
Mumford & Sons
Muse
Nora Jones
Raphael Saadiq
Rihanna
Skylar Grey
The Avett Brothers
The Muppets
Usher
Yolanda Adams

Winners:
(Most Recognized of 109 Awards… this list is very long.)

Album Of The Year

The Suburbs — Arcade Fire

Record Of The Year

Need You Now — Lady Antebellum

Best Rap Album

Recovery — Eminem

Best New Artist

Esperanza Spalding

Song Of The Year

Need You Now — Dave Haywood, Josh Kear, Charles Kelley & Hillary Scott, songwriters (Lady Antebellum)

Best Country Album

Need You Now — Lady Antebellum

Best Pop Vocal Album

The Fame Monster — Lady Gaga

Best Rock Album

The Resistance — Muse

Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals

Hey, Soul Sister (Live) — Train

Best Female Country Vocal Performance

The House That Built Me — Miranda Lambert

Best Rock Song

Angry World — Neil Young, songwriter (Neil Young)

Best Rock Instrumental Performance

Hammerhead — Jeff Beck

Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals

Tighten Up — The Black Keys

Best Hard Rock Performance

New Fang — Them Crooked Vultures

Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance

Helter Skelter — Paul McCartney

Best Metal Performance

El Dorado — Iron Maiden

Best Female Pop Vocal Performance

Bad Romance — Lady Gaga

Best Male Pop Vocal Performance

Just The Way You Are — Bruno Mars

Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals

Imagine — Herbie Hancock, Pink, India.Arie, Seal, Konono No. 1, Jeff Beck & Oumou Sangare

Best Pop Instrumental Performance

Nessun Dorma — Jeff Beck

Best Pop Instrumental Album

Take Your Pick — Larry Carlton & Tak Matsumoto

Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album

Crazy Love – Michael Buble

Best Alternative Music Album

Brothers — The Black Keys

Best Urban/Alternative Performance

F— You — Cee Lo Green

Best Rap Song

Empire State Of Mind — Shawn Carter, Angela Hunte, Burt Keyes, Alicia Keys, Jane’t “Jnay” Sewell-Ulepic & Alexander Shuckburgh, songwriters (Sylvia Robinson, songwriter) (Jay-Z & Alicia Keys)

Best Rap Solo Performance

Not Afraid — Eminem

Best Rap Performance By A Duo Or Group

On To The Next One — Jay-Z & Swizz Beatz

Best Rap/Sung Collaboration

Empire State Of Mind” — Jay-Z & Alicia Keys

Best Contemporary R&B Album

Raymond V Raymond — Usher

Best R&B Album

Wake Up! — John Legend & The Roots

Best R&B Song

Shine — John Stephens, songwriter (John Legend & The Roots)

Best Female R&B Vocal Performance

Bittersweet — Fantasia

Best Male R&B Vocal Performance

There Goes My Baby — Usher

Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals

Soldier Of Love — Sade

Best Contemporary R&B Gospel Album

Still – BeBe & CeCe Winans

Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance

Hang On In There — John Legend & The Roots

Best Contemporary Jazz Album

The Stanley Clarke Band — The Stanley Clarke Band

Best Jazz Vocal Album

Eleanora Fagan (1915-1959): To Billie With Love From Dee Dee — Dee Dee Bridgewater

Best Improvised Jazz Solo

Change Is Gonna Come — Herbie Hancock, soloist, off The Imagine Project

Best Jazz Instrumental Album, Individual or Group

Moody 4B — James Moody

Best Large Jazz Ensemble

Mingus Big Band Live At Jazz Standard — Mingus Big Band

Best Latin Jazz Album

Chucho’s Steps — Chucho Valdés And The Afro-Cuban Messengers

Best Male Country Vocal Performance

Til Summer Comes Around” — Keith Urban

Best Country Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals

Need You Now — Lady Antebellum

Best Country Collaboration With Vocals

As She’s Walking Away — Zac Brown Band & Alan Jackson

Best Country Instrumental Performance

Hummingbyrd — Marty Stuart

Best Country Song

Need You Now — Dave Haywood, Josh Kear, Charles Kelley & Hillary Scott, songwriters (Lady Antebellum)

Best Traditional Blues Album

Joined At The Hip — Pinetop Perkins & Willie ‘Big Eyes’ Smith

Best Contemporary Blues Album

Living Proof — Buddy Guy

Best Traditional Folk Album

Genuine Negro Jig — Carolina Chocolate Drops

Best Contemporary Folk Album

God Willin’ & The Creek Don’t Rise — Ray LaMontagne And The Pariah Dogs

Best Americana Album

You Are Not Alone — Mavis Staples

Best Gospel Performance

Grace – BeBe & CeCe Winans

Best Gospel Song

It’s What I Do – Jerry Peters & Kirk Whalum

Best Southern, Country or Bluegrass Gospel Album

The Reason – Diamond Rio

Best Bluegrass Album

Mountain Soul II — Patty Loveless

Best Traditional Gospel Album

Downtown Church – Patty Griffin

Best Classical Album

Verdi: Requiem — Riccardo Muti, conductor; Duain Wolfe, chorus master; Christopher Alder, producer

Best Classical Crossover album

Tin, Christopher: Calling All Dawns — Lucas Richman, conductor

Best Classical Contemporary Composition

Daugherty, Michael: Deus Ex Machina — Michael Daugherty (Giancarlo Guerrero)

Best Orchestral Performance

Daugherty: Metropolis Symphony; Deus Ex Machina — Giancarlo Guerrero, conductor

Best Opera Recording

Saariaho: L’Amour De Loin – Kent Nagano, conductor; Daniel Belcher, Ekaterina Lekhina & Marie-Ange

Best Choral Performance

Verdi: Requiem — Riccardo Muti, conductor; Duain Wolfe, chorus master

Best Instrumental Soloist(s) Performance (with Orchestra)

Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos. 23 & 24 — Mitsuko Uchida (The Cleveland Orchestra)

Best Instrumental Soloist(s) Performance (without Orchestra)

Messiaen: Livre Du Saint-Sacrement — Paul Jacobs

Best Classical Vocal Performance

Sacrificium — Cecilia Bartoli (Giovanni Antonini; Il Giardino Armonico)

Best Latin Pop Album

Paraiso Express – Alejandro Sanz

Best Native American Music Album

2010 Gathering of Nations Pow Wow: A Spirit’s Dance – various artists

Best Reggae Album

Before the Dawn – Buju Banton

Best Short Form Music Video

Bad Romance – Lady Gaga

Best Long Form Music Video

When You’re Strange – The Doors

Best Dance Recording

Only Girl (In the World) — Rihanna

Best Electronic/Dance Album

La Roux — La Roux

Best Musical Show Album

American Idiot (featuring Green Day) – Billy Joe Armstrong, producer

Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media

Crazy Heart – various artists

Best Score Soundtrack Album for Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media

Toy Story 3 – Randy Newman composer

Best Song Written for Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media

The Weary Kind (from Crazy Heart) – Ryan Bingham & T Bone Burnett

Best New Age Album

Miho: Journey to the Mountain – Paul Winter Consort

Best Musical Album for Children

Tomorrow’s Children – Pete Seeger with the Rivertown Kids and Friends

Best Spoken Word Album for Children

Julie Andrews’ Collection of Poems, Songs and Lullabies – Julie Andrews & Emma Walton Hamilton

Best Spoken Word Album

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart Presents Earth – Jon Stewart with Samantha Bee, Wyatt Cenac, Jason Jones, John Oliver and Sigourney Weaver

Best Comedy Album

Stark Raving Black — Lewis Black

Best Historical Album

The Beatles (The Original Studio Recordings) – Jeff Jones & Allan Rouse, compilation producers

New York Times Grammy Slide Show
Grammy Official Website