- Title: USA: 44TH ANNUAL GRAMMY AWARDS
- Date: 27th February 2002
- Summary: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (FEBRUARY 27, 2002) (REUTERS) VARIOUS RED CARPET AREA AT GRAMMY AWARDS (0.06) BILLY JOEL AND TONY BENNETT POSING FOR PRESS (0.11) *NSYNC MEMBERS POSING FOR PRESS (2 SHOTS) (0.24) RAPPER JA RULE (0.30) GOLD MEDAL WINNING USA FIGURE SKATER SARAH HUGHES (0.35) MELISSA ETHERIDGE AND GIRLFRIEND TAMMY-LYNN MICHAELS (0.40) PAMELA ANDE
- Embargoed: 14th March 2002 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES AND VARIOUS FILM LOCATIONS
- Country: USA
- Topics: Entertainment,General
- Reuters ID: LVA13S7J5HVXFANVLQYFKBDS8ZG3
- Story Text: It was R&B newcomer Alicia Keys' night at the 44th Annual Grammy Awards, as she took home five awards, coming in just ahead of Irish rockers U2 who racked up four Grammys.
Meanwhile, neo-soul star India.Arie who was nominated in seven categories was left behind, going home without a single award.
Soulful newcomer Alicia Keys, who burst onto the music scene last year with a hit album after being dumped by her old record company, was crowned the new queen of the music industry on Wednesday (February 27), after winning five Grammy Awards.
But the 21-year-old New York native had to share the spotlight with Irish rockers U2 and the hit country music-themed soundtrack to "O Brother, Where Art Thou?"
Keys' haul included the coveted best new artist and song of the year prizes. She had been nominated in six categories, and was prevented from a clean sweep when U2 won the final prize of the night, record of the year, for its tune "Walk On."
The veteran rock quartet, which led the field of Grammy contenders with eight nominations, ended up with four Grammys, after winning three awards last year. R&B rookie India.Arie, who trailed U2 with seven nominations, went home empty-handed.
She had competed against Keys in most categories.
"O Brother" was the biggest surprise of the night, yielding four Grammy Awards in total. Its musical mastermind, T-Bone Burnett, also nabbed four Grammys, including producer of the year.
Although "O Brother" has sold a staggering 4 million copies in the United States," it was considered a long-shot in a field comprising former category winners U2 and Bob Dylan, and also including rap duo Outkast and India.Arie.
Burnett told reporters backstage he didn't think the soundtrack stood a chance after he saw Bob Dylan perform.
"I was completely surprised. It seemed like all night, whoever was playing right before the award, won. So I completely expected Dylan to win and of course Dylan did win, in his own way," Burnett said.
The "O Brother" album, which consists of blues, gospel, country and bluegrass tunes performed by various artists, becomes the first soundtrack to win this category since "The Bodyguard" in 1994, and the first country album since Glen Campbell's "By the Time I Get To Phoenix" in 1969. It also won the movie soundtrack Grammy.
"O Brother" shone on two soundtrack performers: Stanley and the Foggy Bottom Boys. Stanley, who turned 75 two days ago, won the male country vocal Grammy for his rendition of "O Death." The Foggy Bottom Boys' "I Am A Man of Constant Sorrow"
won the Grammy for best country collaboration with vocals. The awards were the first of Stanley's five-decade career.
Keys was considered a clear favourite. Her debut album, "Songs In A Minor," one of the best selling releases of last year, was named best R&B album. Its first single, the piano ballad, "Fallin'," was honoured for female R&B vocal and R&B song.
In her acceptance speech for the R&B Album award, Keys credited her success to unconventional thinking.
"I would like to dedicate this to thinking outside the box, just not being afraid to be who you are no matter what anybody says," Keys said.
She later said backstage, when asked about the pressure now to top the success of "Songs in A Minor," that she's not worried about it.
"I'm not even one bit concerned about that. How you top anything is by coming from your heart and doing what you have always have done. Nothing has changed when it comes to that.
I'm ready for the second album; we're ready for this," Keys told reporters.
U2's two-year Grammy haul was all for the same album, "All That You Can't Leave Behind." The 10 million-selling album, which was released in 2000, was borne out of the band seeking to make music that was was not only successful, but connected with fans. They did just that and after winning their first award of the telecast, Bono said it was a good thing they took home at least one prize out of their eight nominations because had they lost, the backlash could have been disastrous.
"Oh, thank God. That's two in the bag. Being Irish, if you get eight nominations and got no awards, they wouldn't let you back in the country, so this is a public safety issue,"
Bono joked in his acceptance speech for Best Pop Performance by a Group.
U2 opened the televised ceremony at the Staples Center with a performance of "Walk On," which is dedicated in the CD to Burmese dissident Aung San Suu Kyi. The band had placed a gospel choir throughout the audience to sing the "hallelujah"
chorus.
U2 won the rock album award for its 10 million-selling opus "All That You Can't Leave Behind." The band's "Elevation"
won the Grammy for best performance by a duo or group with vocal, and "Stuck In A Moment You Can't Get Out Of" was honoured for pop performance by a duo or group with vocal.
In one of his acceptance speeches, Bono thanked someone many artists thanked -- God.
"It's an extraordinary thing. This, it is a gift, much more than it is a craft, in our case. This is a punk rock band hearing mad tunes in their head that are gospel and folk and psychedelic and hard rock. And we depend on what Quincy Jones says, we depend on God walking through the room more than most," Bono said.
Other winning performers included Keys; Canadian pop singer Nelly Furtado; San Francisco rock band Train; the combo of Christina Aguilera, Pink, Lil' Kim, Mya and Missy Elliott.
Additionally, several of the "O Brother" acts performed a revue. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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