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51st Grammy® Awards Coverage

Nominees list

The 51st Grammy Awards were handed out in a ceremony held on February 8th, 2009.

8:00 PM ET

U2 opens the show with a performance of "Get On Your Boots."

8:04 PM ET

A healthier looking Whitney Houston comes out to present Best R&B Album. She still a bit "nutty" as she recognizes Clive Davis before announcing the winner. And the Grammy goes to Jennifer Hudson. She thanks her family, both "those in heaven and those here tonight."

8:08 PM ET

Dwayne Johnson is out next. After some schtick about Katy Perry, he announces some of the acts tonight. I'm always amused, or is it dismayed, when the writing on these shows can be so bad. Finally, he intros Justin Timberlake. JT talks about Al Green before joining him, Boyz II Men and Keith Urban in a performance of "Let's Stay Together."

8:21 PM ET

Simon Baker's out next to present a performance by Coldplay who are joined by Jay-Z on "Lost." They then play "Viva La Vida."

8:27 PM ET

Keith Urban pays tribute to Gene Autry before introducing a performance by Carrie Underwood. I say this all the time, but she's done so well for herself that I totally forget she was ever on American Idol.

LeAnn Rimes and Sheryl Crow pay tribute to Brenda Lee before presenting Best Country Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals to Sugarland for "Stay."

8:41 PM ET

Duffy and Al Green have the task of presenting Song of the Year. And the And the Grammy goes to Coldplay for "Viva La Vida.". They apologize to Paul McCartney for blatantly ripping of the Sgt. Pepper uniforms.

8:44 PM ET

Kid Rock performs.

8:53 PM ET

Miley Cyrus and Taylor Swift perform together. Everyone over 16 can go for a sandwich. The girls then present Pop Collaboration with Vocals. And the Grammy goes to Robert Plant & Alison Krauss for "Rich Woman." You wonder if Miley has any idea who Plant is.

8:59 PM ET

Jennifer Hudson performs an emotional "You Pulled Me Through."

9:08 PM ET

Emily Proctor and Jason Mraz are out next to present a performance by The Jonas Brother...and Stevie Wonder. Really?

9:14 PM ET

Blink-182 joke about The Jonas Brothers before presenting Best Rock Album to Coldplay for Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends.

9:21 PM ET

Craig Ferguson intros the "beautifully bi-curious" Katy Perry.

9:26 PM ET

Ten-time Grammy winner Kanye West performs with Estelle on "American Boy." They then present Best New Artist. And the Grammy goes to Adele. I'm so ouuta touch right now. I'll have to try and find some tracks, since I have no idea who she is.

9:36 PM ET

Morgan Freeman presents a performance by Kenny Chesney.

Sean "Diddy" Combs, Herbie Hancock and Natalie Cole present Record of the Year to Robert Plant and Alison Krauss for "Please Read The Letter."

9:48 PM ET

Queen Latifah pays tribute to Dean Martin. She then introduces a performance by Kanye West, M.I.A., Jay-Z, Lil Wayne and T.I. of "Swagger Like Us."

9:53 PM ET

Kate Beckinsale, after giving props to the very pregnant M.I.A., introduces a performance by Paul McCartney and Dave Grohl of "I Saw Her Standing There."

10:04 PM ET

Jack Black and his father-in-law bassist Charlie Haden pay tribute to Hank Jones before presenting Best Male Pop Vocal. And the Grammy goes to John Mayer for "Say."

10:06 PM ET

Jay Mohr and LL Cool J present performances by Sugarland and Adele.

10:18 PM ET

Gwyneth Paltrow, Mrs. Coldplay, intros a performance by Radiohead.

10:28 PM ET

The always cool Samuel L. Jackson gets ready to introduce a performance by T.I. and Justin Timberlake. It's amazing how few awards they actually give out on air in this awards show.

10:34 PM ET

Now the real excitement starts...Grammy Prez Neil Portnow takes to the stage. He mentions that President Obama has previously won two spoken-word Grammys. He then goes on to talk about the various charities that the Recording Academy supports. He then introduces Smokey Robinson. He pays tribute to the Four Tops. He then performs with the Tops sole surviving member, Abdul "Duke" Fakir, as well as Ne-Yo, and Jamie Foxx as they do a medley of their hits. A nice, sweet performance that gets a rousing ovation from the crowd.

10:47 PM ET

Josh Groban, a nominee tonight, introduces a performance by the MusicCares Performer of the Year, Neil Diamond.

10:51 PM ET

It's now time for their In Memoriam segment. Keith Urban, BB King, John Mayer and Buddy Guy then perform a tribute to Bo Diddley.

11:02 PM ET

Gary Sinise introduces a performance by Lil Wayne, Robin Thicke and Allen Toussaint that pays tribute to New Orleans.

11:08 PM ET

Will.i.am and T-Pain give a shout out to Obama. They're presenting Best Rap Album. And the Grammy goes to Lil Wayne for Tha Carter III. He thanks God and New Orleans.

11:18 PM ET

Zooey Deschanel introduces a performance by winners tonight, Robert Plant and Alison Krauss. They're joined by T-Bone Burnett.

11:22 PM ET

Green Day take to the stage. First they announce that Rick Rubin was producer of the year. They then present Album of the Year. And the Grammy goes to Raising Sand by Robert Plant and Alison Krauss. Unfortunately their win gets a bit of a lukewarm reception from the crowd.

11:27 PM ET

Stevie Wonder closes the show.

Now here's the full list of tonight's winners:

Record Of The Year

(Award to the Artist and to the Producer(s), Recording Engineer(s) and/or Mixer(s), if other than the artist.)

Album Of The Year

(Award to the Artist(s) and to the Album Producer(s), Recording Engineer(s)/Mixer(s) & Mastering Engineer(s), if other than the artist.)

Song Of The Year

(A Songwriter(s) Award. A song is eligible if it was first released or if it first achieved prominence during the Eligibility Year. (Artist names appear in parentheses.) Singles or Tracks only.)

Best New Artist

(For a new artist who releases, during the Eligibility Year, the first recording which establishes the public identity of that artist.)

Best Female Pop Vocal Performance

(For a solo vocal performance. Singles or Tracks only.)

Best Male Pop Vocal Performance

(For a solo vocal performance. Singles or Tracks only.)

Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals

(For established duos or groups, with vocals. Singles or Tracks only.)

Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals

(For a collaborative performance, with vocals, by artists who do not normally perform together. Singles or Tracks only.)

Best Pop Instrumental Performance

(For solo, duo, group or collaborative performances, without vocals. Singles or Tracks only.)

Best Pop Instrumental Album

(For albums containing 51% or more playing time of INSTRUMENTAL tracks.)

Best Pop Vocal Album

(For albums containing 51% or more playing time of VOCAL tracks.)

Best Dance Recording

(For solo, duo, group or collaborative performances. Vocal or Instrumental. Singles or tracks only.)

Best Electronic/Dance Album

(For vocal or instrumental albums. Albums only.)

Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album

(For albums containing 51% or more playing time of VOCAL tracks.)

Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance

(For a solo vocal performance. Singles or Tracks only.)

Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals

(For duo, group or collaborative performances, with vocals. Singles or Tracks only.)

Best Hard Rock Performance

(For solo, duo, group or collaborative performances, with vocals. Singles or Tracks only.)

Best Metal Performance

(For solo, duo, group or collaborative performances, with vocals. Singles or Tracks only.)

Best Rock Instrumental Performance

(For solo, duo, group or collaborative performances, without vocals. Includes Rock, Hard Rock and Metal. Singles or Tracks only.)

Best Rock Song

(A Songwriter(s) Award. Includes Rock, Hard Rock & Metal songs. A song is eligible if it was first released or if it first achieved prominence during the Eligibility Year. (Artist names appear in parentheses.) Singles or Tracks only.)

Best Rock Album

(Vocal or Instrumental. Includes Hard Rock and Metal.)

Best Alternative Music Album

(Vocal or Instrumental.)

Best Female R&B Vocal Performance

(For a solo vocal performance. Singles or Tracks only.)

Best Male R&B Vocal Performance

(For a solo vocal performance. Singles or Tracks only.)

Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals

(For duo, group or collaborative performances, with vocals. Singles or Tracks only.)

Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance

(For solo, duo, group or collaborative performances, with vocals. Singles or Tracks only.)

Best Urban/Alternative Performance

(For solo, duo, group or collaborative performances, with vocals. Singles or Tracks only.)

Best R&B Song

(A Songwriter(s) Award. A song is eligible if it was first released or if it first achieved prominence during the Eligibility Year. (Artist names appear in parentheses.) Singles or Tracks only.)

Best R&B Album

(For albums containing 51% or more playing time of VOCAL tracks.)

Best Contemporary R&B Album

(For albums containing 51% or more playing time of VOCAL tracks.)

Best Rap Solo Performance

(For a solo Rap performance. Singles or Tracks only.)

Best Rap Performance By A Duo Or Group

(For duo, group or collaborative performances of Rap only. Singles or Tracks only.)

Best Rap/Sung Collaboration

(For a Rap/Sung collaborative performance by artists who do not normally perform together. Singles or Tracks only.)

Best Rap Song

(A Songwriter(s) Award. A song is eligible if it was first released or if it first achieved prominence during the Eligibility Year. (Artist names appear in parentheses.) Singles or Tracks only.)

Best Rap Album

(For albums containing 51% or more playing time of VOCAL tracks.)

Best Female Country Vocal Performance

(For a solo vocal performance. Singles or Tracks only.)

Best Male Country Vocal Performance

(For a solo vocal performance. Singles or Tracks only.)

Best Country Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals

(For established duos or groups with vocals. Singles or Tracks only.)

Best Country Collaboration With Vocals

(For a collaborative performance, with vocals, by artists who do not normally perform together. Singles or Tracks only.)

Best Country Instrumental Performance

(For solo, duo, group or collaborative performances, without vocals. Singles or Tracks only.)

Best Country Song

(A Songwriter(s) Award. A song is eligible if it was first released or if it first achieved prominence during the Eligibility Year. (Artist names appear in parentheses.) Singles or Tracks only.)

Best Country Album

(Vocal or Instrumental.)

Best Bluegrass Album

(Vocal or Instrumental.)

Best New Age Album

(Vocal or Instrumental.)

Best Contemporary Jazz Album

(For albums containing 51% or more playing time of INSTRUMENTAL tracks.)

Best Jazz Vocal Album

(For albums containing 51% or more playing time of VOCAL tracks.)

Best Jazz Instrumental Solo

(For an instrumental jazz solo performance. Two equal performers on one recording may be eligible as one entry. If the soloist listed appears on a recording billed to another artist, the latter's name is in parenthesis for identification. Singles or Tracks only.)

Best Jazz Instrumental Album, Individual or Group

(For albums containing 51% or more playing time of INSTRUMENTAL tracks.)

Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album

(For large jazz ensembles, including big band sounds. Albums must contain 51% or more INSTRUMENTAL tracks.)

Best Latin Jazz Album

(Vocal or Instrumental.)

Best Gospel Performance

(For solo, duo, group as collaborative performances. Singles or tracks with vocal containing Gospel lyrics. All genres of Gospel music are eligible.)

Best Gospel Song

(A Songwriter(s) Award. A song is eligible if it was first released or if it first achieved prominence during the Eligibility Year. (Artist names appear in parentheses.) Singles or Tracks only.)

Best Rock Or Rap Gospel Album

(For albums containing 51% or more playing time of VOCAL tracks.)

Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album

(For albums containing 51% or more playing time of VOCAL tracks.)

Best Southern, Country, Or Bluegrass Gospel Album

(For albums containing 51% or more playing time of VOCAL tracks.)

Best Traditional Gospel Album

(For albums containing 51% or more playing time of VOCAL tracks.)

Best Contemporary R&B Gospel Album

(For albums containing 51% or more playing time of VOCAL tracks.)

Best Latin Pop Album

(Vocal or Instrumental.)

Best Latin Rock Or Alternative Album

(Vocal or Instrumental.)

Best Latin Urban Album

(Vocal or Instrumental.)

Best Tropical Latin Album

(Vocal or Instrumental.)

Best Regional Mexican Album

(Vocal or Instrumental.)

Best Tejano Album

(Vocal or Instrumental.)

Best Norteño Album

(Vocal or Instrumental.)

Best Banda Album

(Vocal or Instrumental.)

Best Traditional Blues Album

(Vocal or Instrumental.)

Best Contemporary Blues Album

(Vocal or Instrumental.)

Best Traditional Folk Album

(Vocal or Instrumental.)

Best Contemporary Folk/Americana Album

(Vocal or Instrumental.)

Best Native American Music Album

(Vocal or Instrumental.)

Best Hawaiian Music Album

(Vocal or Instrumental.)

Best Zydeco Or Cajun Music Album

(Vocal or Instrumental.)

Best Reggae Album

(Vocal or Instrumental.)

Best Traditional World Music Album

(Vocal or Instrumental.)

Best Contemporary World Music Album

(Vocal or Instrumental.)

Best Polka Album

(Vocal or Instrumental.)

Best Musical Album For Children

(For albums consisting of predominantly music or song vs. spoken word.)

Best Spoken Word Album For Children

(For albums consisting of predominantly spoken word vs. music or song.)

Best Spoken Word Album (Includes Poetry, Audio Books & Story Telling)

Best Comedy Album

(For comedy recordings, spoken or musical)

Best Musical Show Album

(Award to the Album Producer(s), and to the Lyricist(s) & Composer(s) of 51% or more of a new score. (Artist, Lyricist & Composer names appear in parentheses.))

Best Compilation Soundtrack Album For Motion Picture, Television Or Other Visual Media

(Award to the Artist(s) and/or Producer(s) of a majority of the tracks on the album, or to the individual(s) actively responsible for the concept and musical direction and for the selection of artists, songs and producers, as applicable.)

Best Score Soundtrack Album For Motion Picture, Television Or Other Visual Media

(Award to Composer(s) for an original score created specifically for, or as a companion to, a current legitimate motion picture, television show or series or other visual media.)

Best Song Written For Motion Picture, Television Or Other Visual Media

(A Songwriter(s) award. For a song (melody & lyrics) written specifically for a motion picture, television or other visual media, and released for the first time during the Eligibility Year. (Artist names appear in parentheses.) Singles or Tracks only.)

Best Instrumental Composition

(A Composer's Award for an original composition (not an adaptation) first released during the Eligibility Year. Singles or Tracks only.)

Best Instrumental Arrangement

(An Arranger's Award. (Artist names appear in parentheses.) Singles or Tracks only.)

Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s)

(An Arranger's Award. (Artist names appear in parentheses.) Singles or Tracks only.)

Best Recording Package

Best Boxed Or Special Limited Edition Package

Best Album Notes

Best Historical Album

Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical

(An Engineer's Award. (Artists names appear in parentheses.))

Producer Of The Year, Non-Classical

(A Producer's Award. (Artists names appear in parentheses.))

Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical

(A Remixer's Award. (Artists names appear in parentheses for identification.) Singles or Tracks only.)

Best Surround Sound Album

(For vocal or instrumental albums. Albums only.)

Best Engineered Album, Classical

(An Engineer's Award. (Artist names appear in parentheses.))

Producer Of The Year, Classical

(A Producer's Award. (Artist names appear in parentheses.))

Best Classical Album

(Award to the Artist(s) and to the Album Producer(s) if other than the Artist.)

Best Orchestral Performance

(Award to the Conductor and to the Orchestra.)

Best Opera Recording

(Award to the Conductor, Album Producer(s) and Principal Soloists.)

Best Choral Performance

(Award to the Choral Conductor, and to the Orchestra Conductor if an Orchestra is on the recording, and to the Choral Director or Chorus Master if applicable.)

Best Instrumental Soloist(s) Performance (with Orchestra)

(Award to the Instrumental Soloist(s) and to the Conductor.)

Best Instrumental Soloist Performance (without Orchestra)

(Award to the Instrumental Soloist.)

Best Chamber Music Performance

(Award to the Artists.)

Best Small Ensemble Performance

(Award to the Ensemble (and to the Conductor.))

Best Classical Vocal Performance

(Award to the Vocal Soloist(s).)

Best Classical Contemporary Composition

(A Composer's Award. (For a contemporary classical composition composed within the last 25 years, and released for the first time during the Eligibility Year.) Award to the librettist, if applicable.)

Best Classical Crossover Album

(Award to the Artist(s) and/or to the Conductor.)

Best Short Form Music Video

(For an individual track or single promotional clip. Award to the Artist and to the Video Director/Producer.)

Best Long Form Music Video

(For video album packages consisting of more than one song or track. Award to the Artist and to the Video Director/Producer of at least 51% of the total playing time.)