Mariah Carey, U2 each win three Grammys

Gavin Rossdale and Gwen Stefani arrive at the Grammy Awards. Picture / Reuters

LOS ANGELES - Mariah Carey and U2 each won three Grammy awards on Wednesday, but Carey, a front-runner going into the ceremony, lost out in a high-profile category to "American Idol" champion Kelly Clarkson.

Carey still had a chance to triumph in the key races for album, record and song of the year, which were set to be announced near the end of the 3-1/2 hour televised ceremony. U2 also will compete for album and song of the year.

Along with rapper Kanye West and R&B newcomer John Legend, Carey led the Grammy contenders with eight nominations each.

She snagged her three awards during the preliminary ceremony, which was not televised and took place in a venue adjacent to the Staples Center, where the main event began at 8 pm. EST (5pm NZT). West and Legend each picked up an early Grammy, and West also won the televised announcement of best rap album.

In the first televised award, Carey had to watch as Clarkson surprisingly took the award for female pop vocal performance.

A tearful Clarkson screeched a few thank-yous, but notably omitted any reference to "American Idol," the blockbuster Fox television show that propelled her to fame and a recording contract in 2002. Clarkson has distanced herself from the talent show as she tries to establish her own identity.

Carey, who had won only two Grammys to date in her career, was honored for female R&B vocal performance and best R&B song, both for the tune "We Belong Together," and for contemporary R&B album for her comeback release "The Emancipation of Mimi."

The only award Carey lost before the televised show began was for traditional R&B vocal performance, where Aretha Franklin won for "A House is Not a Home." This marked the 17th award of the "Queen of Soul's" career.

U2 won the televised award for best rock album ("How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb"), having won two Grammys earlier in the evening. The group's career haul rose to 20, tied at No. 7 on the all-time list with bluegrass fiddler Alison Krauss, who also won three Grammys, including best country album.

U2's other wins were for rock performance by a duo or group with vocal ("Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own") and best rock song ("City of Blinding Lights").

The band also performed at the awards show, rocking the audience with the hit single "Vertigo" and then bringing on R&B singer Mary J. Blige for the ballad "One."

In addition to best rap album for "Late Registration," West won the rap song category for "Diamonds from Sierra Leone." Legend took home the best R&B album award for "Get Lifted."

Motown icon Stevie Wonder's career tally rose to 24, still No. 5 on the all-time list. He won awards for male pop vocal performance ("From the Bottom of My Heart") and R&B performance by a duo or group with vocals ("So Amazing"). He shared the latter award with Beyonce Knowles of R&B group Destiny's Child.

Rocker Bruce Springsteen, reggae star Damian Marley, electronica act the Chemical Brothers, and gospel singer CeCe Winans also won a pair trophies each.

French classical conductor Pierre Boulez won his 26th Grammy, and now ranks as No. 3 on the all-time list of Grammy victors, pulling ahead of late Russian pianist Vladimir Horowitz, with whom he was tied. The only people ahead of him are late conductor Georg Solti with 31 wins, and producer Quincy Jones with 27.

Bluesman B.B. King won the 14th Grammy of his career, in the traditional blues album category for "80," an all-star collaboration that marked his 80th birthday.

While Martin Scorsese has famously yet to win an Academy Award, he did pick up his first Grammy, in his capacity as a director of the Bob Dylan documentary "No Direction Home," which won the category for long-form music video. Dylan himself does not share in the award since he had little involvement with the acclaimed project.

Other double-winners included rock singer Bruce Springsteen, bluegrass combo Alison Krauss + Union Station, reggae star Damian Marley, electronica act the Chemical Brothers, and gospel singer CeCe Winans.

French classical conductor Pierre Boulez won his 26th Grammmy, and now ranks as No 3 on the all time list of Grammy winners, pulling ahead of late Russian pianist Vladimir Horowitz, with whom he was tied. The only people ahead of him are late conductor Georg Solti with 31, and producer Quincy Jones with 27.

Bluesman BB King won the 14th Grammy of his career, in the traditional blues album category for 80, an all-star collaboration that marked his 80th birthday.

Dire Straits frontman Mark Knopfler won the sixth Grammy of his career in the surround sound category for the 20th anniversary reissue of the band's album Brothers in Arms. The award was accepted by mastering engineer, who accidentally thanked his collaborators on another album where he was nominated, the Foo Fighters' In Your Honour.


Among the other winners not noted for their musical ability was US Barack Obama, who won the spoken word album category for the audio version of his book Dreams From My Father.

Winners The recordings

Album of the Year: "How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb," U2.

Record of the Year: "Boulevard of Broken Dreams," Green Day.

Rap Album: "Late Registration," Kanye West.

Rock Album: "How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb," U2.

Country Album: "Lonely Runs Both Ways," Alison Krauss and Union Station.

Pop Vocal Album: "Breakaway," Kelly Clarkson.

Alternative Music Album: "Get Behind Me Satan," The White Stripes.

R&B Album: "Get Lifted," John Legend.

Contemporary R&B Album: "The Emancipation of Mimi," Mariah Carey.

Pop Instrumental Album: "At This Time," Burt Bacharach.

Classical Album: "Bolcom: Songs of Innocence and of Experience," Leonard Slatkin, conductor (Christine Brewer and Joan Morris, University of Michigan School of Music Symphony Orchestra).

Traditional Blues Album: "80," B.B. King and Friends.

Traditional Folk Album: "Fiddler's Green," Tim O'Brien.

Contemporary Folk Album: "Fair & Square," John Prine.

Reggae Album: "Welcome to Jamrock," Damian Marley.

Electronic-Dance Album: "Push the Button," The Chemical Brothers.

Traditional World Music Album: "In the Heart of the Moon," Ali Farka Toure and Toumani Diabate.

Contemporary World Music Album: "Eletracustico," Gilberto Gil.

Jazz Vocal Album: "Good Night, and Good Luck," Dianne Reeves.

Jazz Instrumental Album, Individual or Group: "Beyond the Sound Barrier," Wayne Shorter Quartet.

Contemporary Jazz Album: "The Way Up," Pat Metheny Group.

Large Jazz Ensemble Album: "Overtime," Dave Holland Big Band.

Latin Jazz Album: "Listen Here!" Eddie Palmieri.

Traditional Pop Vocal Album: "The Art of Romance," Tony Bennett.

The songs

Song of the Year: "Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your Own," U2.

Rap Song: "Diamonds From Sierra Leone," D. Harris and Kanye West.

Rock Song: "City of Blinding Lights, U2, (U2).

R&B Song: "We Belong Together," J. Austin, M. Carey, J. Dupri & M. Seal, (D. Bristol, K. Edmonds, S. Johnson, P. Moten, S. Sully & B. Womack, (Mariah Carey).

Country Song: "Bless the Broken Road," Bobby Boyd, Jeff Hanna and Marcus Hummon, (Rascal Flatts)

Dance Recording: "Galvanize," The Chemical Brothers featuring Q-Tip.- REUTERS