Beyonce, OutKast lead Grammys charge

LOS ANGELES – R&B starlet Beyonce Knowles, ailing soul icon Luther Vandross and flamboyant hip-hop duo OutKast, won big at the music industry’s Grammy Awards on Sunday, while acclaimed quintet Coldplay flew the flag for English rock bands.

Knowles, the 22-year-old frontwoman for top-selling trio Destiny’s Child, went home with a leading five Grammy Awards. Only Coldplay’s victory for the record of the year prevented her from making a clean sweep.Vandross won four Grammys, including song of the year, while OutKast won three, including album of the year, the first time a hip-hop release has nabbed the award.Bluegrass musician Alison Krauss also picked up three Grammys, taking her career total to 17 — eighth on the all-time list of Grammy winners.OutKast closed the ceremony with a show-stopping performance of its hit single ‘Hey Ya!’ Singer Andre ‘3000’ Benjamin, decked out as a time-traveling Native American, was accompanied by members of the University of Southern California’s Trojan Marching Band.’Hey Ya!’ — a lyrically glum song about the futility of relationships set against an upbeat melody — won a Grammy for best urban-alternative performance, but was also bested by Coldplay’s ‘Clocks’ for record of the year.In addition to album of the year, the duo’s double set ‘Speakerboxxx/The Love Below’ also won for best rap album.The album has sold 3,6 million copies in the United States.BACKING KERRYAlong with Knowles, her boyfriend, rapper Jay-Z, OutKast and producer Pharrell Williams were also nominated for six Grammys each.Jay-Z won two, for his collaborations with Knowles, while Williams was named producer of the year as part of production duo the Neptunes.Coldplay frontman Chris Martin dedicated his Grammy to late country singer Johnny Cash, who earlier won his 12th Grammy, and to leading Democratic presidential candidate “John Kerry, who hopefully will be your president one day”.Evanescence’s win for best new artist was a surprise, as rapper 50 Cent had been tipped to take the prize.Indeed, he briefly joined the stunned members of Evanescence on stage when they accepted their trophy.Former Evanescence member Ben Moody, when asked about the gangsta rapper’s impromptu appearance, joked: “50 Cent is actually a former member of Evanescence”.Evanescence is no stranger to controversy, creating a storm in the Christian music community last year by disavowing its spiritual roots.Evanescence also won the Grammy for best hard rock performance, which Lee told reporters was “pretty killer”.SIGNATURE SONGVandross, who suffered a near-fatal stroke last April, sent a recorded message that was played during a tribute segment, shared the song of the year prize with co-writer Richard Marx, for ‘Dance with My Father’, the title track from his album.”I do know that Luther knew how special this song was,” Marx told reporters.”He told me, ‘This is my Piano Man, this is my signature song’”.Knowles’ album ‘Dangerously in Love’ was named best contemporary R&B album, while the title track was honoured for female R&B vocal performance.She and Jay-Z shared Grammys for the song, ‘Crazy in Love’, which won for rap/sung collaboration and R&B song.Her other Grammy was for a duet with Vandross, ‘The Closer I Get To You’, which won for R&B performance by a duo or group with vocals.Vandross’ ‘Dance With my Father’ was also named best R&B album, and its title track best male R&B vocal performance.Other double-winners included rapper Eminem, rock band White Stripes, jazz saxophonist Wayne Shorter, late singer-songwriter Warren Zevon and Timberlake.- Nampa-ReutersOnly Coldplay’s victory for the record of the year prevented her from making a clean sweep. Vandross won four Grammys, including song of the year, while OutKast won three, including album of the year, the first time a hip-hop release has nabbed the award. Bluegrass musician Alison Krauss also picked up three Grammys, taking her career total to 17 — eighth on the all-time list of Grammy winners. OutKast closed the ceremony with a show-stopping performance of its hit single ‘Hey Ya!’ Singer Andre ‘3000’ Benjamin, decked out as a time-traveling Native American, was accompanied by members of the University of Southern California’s Trojan Marching Band. ‘Hey Ya!’ — a lyrically glum song about the futility of relationships set against an upbeat melody — won a Grammy for best urban-alternative performance, but was also bested by Coldplay’s ‘Clocks’ for record of the year. In addition to album of the year, the duo’s double set ‘Speakerboxxx/The Love Below’ also won for best rap album. The album has sold 3,6 million copies in the United States. BACKING KERRY Along with Knowles, her boyfriend, rapper Jay-Z, OutKast and producer Pharrell Williams were also nominated for six Grammys each. Jay-Z won two, for his collaborations with Knowles, while Williams was named producer of the year as part of production duo the Neptunes. Coldplay frontman Chris Martin dedicated his Grammy to late country singer Johnny Cash, who earlier won his 12th Grammy, and to leading Democratic presidential candidate “John Kerry, who hopefully will be your president one day”. Evanescence’s win for best new artist was a surprise, as rapper 50 Cent had been tipped to take the prize. Indeed, he briefly joined the stunned members of Evanescence on stage when they accepted their trophy. Former Evanescence member Ben Moody, when asked about the gangsta rapper’s impromptu appearance, joked: “50 Cent is actually a former member of Evanescence”. Evanescence is no stranger to controversy, creating a storm in the Christian music community last year by disavowing its spiritual roots. Evanescence also won the Grammy for best hard rock performance, which Lee told reporters was “pretty killer”. SIGNATURE SONG Vandross, who suffered a near-fatal stroke last April, sent a recorded message that was played during a tribute segment, shared the song of the year prize with co-writer Richard Marx, for ‘Dance with My Father’, the title track from his album. “I do know that Luther knew how special this song was,” Marx told reporters. “He told me, ‘This is my Piano Man, this is my signature song’”. Knowles’ album ‘Dangerously in Love’ was named best contemporary R&B album, while the title track was honoured for female R&B vocal performance. She and Jay-Z shared Grammys for the song, ‘Crazy in Love’, which won for rap/sung collaboration and R&B song. Her other Grammy was for a duet with Vandross, ‘The Closer I Get To You’, which won for R&B performance by a duo or group with vocals. Vandross’ ‘Dance With my Father’ was also named best R&B album, and its title track best male R&B vocal performance. Other double-winners included rapper Eminem, rock band White Stripes, jazz saxophonist Wayne Shorter, late singer-songwriter Warren Zevon and Timberlake. – Nampa-Reuters