Grammys Rock

On Sunday night, The Recording Academy celebrated 50 years of its Grammy awards spectacular fashion. Brit-soulstress Amy Winehouse won five awards including “Record of the Year” and “Song of the Year”-for her aptly-titled anthem “Rehab.” Winehouse performed and gave her acceptance speech from London via satellite, thanking Mom, Dad and husband (“Blake incarcerated”).

On Sunday night, The Recording Academy celebrated 50 years of its Grammy awards spectacular fashion. Brit-soulstress Amy Winehouse won five awards including “Record of the Year” and “Song of the Year”-for her aptly-titled anthem “Rehab.” Winehouse performed and gave her acceptance speech from London via satellite, thanking Mom, Dad and husband (“Blake incarcerated”). The pop queen was unable to leave London in time to make the show due to visa troubles and her stint in rehab for drug abuse. Kanye West experienced a similar, anticipated sweep with four wins, including “Best Rap Album.” But the ever-confident West saw “Album of the Year” slip through his fingers once again, with the award going to Herbie Hancock for his tribute album to Joni Mitchell, River: The Joni Letters.

Other notable trophy winners were Bruce Springsteen-with three wins-and the Foo Fighters, whose stellar performance underscored their “Best Rock Album” victory. Robert Plant and Alison Krauss took home “Best Pop Collaboration” with vocals for the single “Gone Gone Gone (Done Moved On).”

The talk of the night, however, was the performances rather than the awards and winners. Alicia Keys ushered in the night with a soulful performance of Frank Sinatra’s “Learnin’ the Blues,” accompanied by “The Voice” himself via a jumbo screen. Kanye West and German techno rockers Daft Punk joined forces for a stomping techno-hop version of “Stronger,” followed by West’s moving performance of “Hey Mama” with a beautiful string accompaniment. Cirque du Soleil raised the bar early in the night with a stunning interpretive performance of The Beatles’ “A Day in the Life.” Little Richard roused the crowd with a thrilling performance alongside Jerry Lee Lewis and John Fogerty-an appropriate cap to a 50-year celebration.