The 2008 Grammy Winners Are...
Imp News Wire February 12, 2008
Amy Winehouse and Kanye West were the big winners at Sunday's 50th annual Grammy Awards, each scoring multiple trophies — but in the surprise of the night, Album of the Year honors went to Herbie Hancock's River: The Joni Letters, the legendary jazz pianist's collection of Joni Mitchell covers (featuring guest artists like Norah Jones, Tina Turner, and Corrine Bailey Rae).
Winehouse, who performed ''I'm No Good'' and ''Rehab'' via satellite from London, came close to sweeping every category in which she was nominated. By the end of the night, she'd won five Grammys, including Best New Artist, Best Pop Vocal Album (for Back to Black), and Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Pop Vocal Performance (all for ''Rehab''). In her acceptance speech for Record of the Year, an ecstatic Winehouse thanked, among others, her label, her parents, and ''my Blake, incarcerated'' (referring to her husband, Blake Fielder-Civil); she dedicated the award to London, as the crowd cheered.
West, who went into the night with the most nominations (eight), picked up four trophies: Best Rap Solo Performance (for ''Stronger''), Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group (''Southside,'' with Common), Best Rap Song (for ''Good Life''), and Best Rap Album (for Graduation). After ripping through his hit ''Stronger'' with Daft Punk, the rapper paid tribute to his late mother, Donda, with an emotional performance of ''Hey Mama.'' He again recognized her in his acceptance speech for Best Rap Album, and admonished the band for attempting to play him off.
Other winners include Carrie Underwood (two country-category trophies for ''Before He Cheats''); Rihanna and Jay-Z (Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for the ubiquitous ''Umbrella''); Justin Timberlake (Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for ''What Goes Around...Comes Around'' and Best Dance Recording for ''LoveStoned/I Think She Knows''); Bruce Springsteen and Foo Fighters, who split most of the trophies in the rock categories; and even Barack Obama, who beat Bill Clinton for Best Spoken Word Album.
Winners in the major categories:
ALBUM OF THE YEAR
River: The Joni Letters, Herbie Hancock
RECORD OF THE YEAR
''Rehab,'' Amy Winehouse
SONG OF THE YEAR
''Rehab,'' Amy Winehouse, songwriter (Amy Winehouse)
NEW ARTIST
Amy Winehouse
RAP ALBUM
Graduation, Kanye West
ROCK ALBUM
Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace, Foo Fighters
ALTERNATIVE MUSIC ALBUM
Icky Thump, the White Stripes
POP VOCAL ALBUM
Back to Black, Amy Winehouse
COUNTRY ALBUM
These Days, Vince Gill
R&B ALBUM
Funk This, Chaka Khan
CONTEMPORARY R&B ALBUM
Because of You, Ne-Yo
FEMALE POP VOCAL PERFORMANCE
''Rehab,'' Amy Winehouse
MALE POP VOCAL PERFORMANCE
''What Goes Around...Comes Around,'' Justin Timberlake
POP PERFORMANCE BY A DUO OR GROUP WITH VOCAL
''Makes Me Wonder,'' Maroon 5
SOLO ROCK VOCAL PERFORMANCE
''Radio Nowhere,'' Bruce Springsteen
ROCK PERFORMANCE BY A DUO OR GROUP WITH VOCAL
''Icky Thump,'' the White Stripes
HARD ROCK PERFORMANCE
''The Pretender,'' Foo Fighters
ROCK SONG
''Radio Nowhere,'' Bruce Springsteen, songwriter (Bruce Springsteen)
FEMALE R&B VOCAL PERFORMANCE
''No One,'' Alicia Keys
MALE R&B VOCAL PERFORMANCE
''Future Baby Mama,'' Prince
R&B PERFORMANCE BY A DUO OR GROUP WITH VOCALS
''Disrespectful,'' Chaka Khan Featuring Mary J. Blige
R&B SONG
''No One,'' Alicia Keys
RAP SOLO PERFORMANCE
''Stronger,'' Kanye West
RAP/SUNG COLLABORATION
''Umbrella,'' Rihanna Featuring Jay-Z
RAP PEFORMANCE BY A DUO OR GROUP
''Southside,'' Common Featuring Kanye West
RAP SONG
''Good Life,'' Kanye West Featuring T-Pain
FEMALE COUNTRY VOCAL PERFORMANCE
''Before He Cheats,'' Carrie Underwood
MALE COUNTRY VOCAL PERFORMANCE
''Stupid Boy,'' Keith Urban
COUNTRY PERFORMANCE BY A DUO OR GROUP WITH VOCALS
''How Long,'' the Eagles
COUNTRY SONG
''Before He Cheats,'' Carrie Underwood
BEST COMPILATION SOUNDTRACK ALBUM FOR MOTION PICTURE, TELEVISION OR OTHER VISUAL MEDIA
Love, the Beatles (George Martin and Giles Martin, producers)
For a full list of Grammy winners, click here.