Adele back on song as queen of Grammy awards

The talented Londoner, 23, scooped the coveted album of the year award for her chart-topping 21 after wowing the Los Angeles audience with her first live performance since undergoing vocal-cord surgery last November.

She was also presented with the prestigious accolades of record and song of the year for the global hit Rolling In the Deep as some of music’s biggest stars paid tribute to Whitney Houston, who was found dead in a bathtub on the eve of the ceremony.

But while Houston’s death lent a sombre overtone to the evening’s show, it did not overwhelm it, perhaps best proved by the show’s closing number, a rollicking jam session featuring Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, and Dave Grohl among others.

The night’s other big winners were Grohl’s Foo Fighters, who won five Grammys. They noted that they made their album Wasting Light in a garage.

Leeds singer/songwriter Corinne Bailey Rae also picked up a Grammy for best R&B performance for Is This Love, while Amy Winehouse, who was found dead last year following a battle with drugs, scooped a posthumous award for best pop duo/group performance.

Adele, who won all six categories she was nominated in, matched Beyonce for most Grammy wins in a night by a female act, capping off what she described as a “life-changing” 12 months. Picking up album of the year, a sobbing Adele said: “Oh my God... thank you so much. Thank you.

“First of all I want to say mum... girl did good. This record is inspired by something that is really normal and everyone’s been through it, which is a rubbish relationship.”

She added: “It’s been a life-changing year.”

The singer, who hails from Tottenham, north London, was forced to undergo laser throat surgery after being diagnosed with a vocal cord haemorrhage.

The condition forced her to cancel a string of UK concerts at the end of last year and she has kept a low profile since the treatment.

Receiving the award for pop vocal performance, Adele paid gratitude to the US surgeons who performed her operation.

“Seeing as it’s a vocal performance, I need to thank my doctors, I suppose, who brought my voice back,” she said.

Adele received a rousing standing ovation from the Staples Centre crowd following the comeback performance of Rolling In the Deep.

She ended the night with Grammys for best pop solo performance for number one hit Someone Like You, best pop vocal album and best album for 21, and song of the year, record of the year and short form music video for Rolling in the Deep. She already has two Grammys from the the 2009 awards.

Paul Epworth, the British music producer who co-wrote Rolling in the Deep, took the Grammy for producer of the year.

Among the evening’s performances was a dance-heavy number by Chris Brown, and performances by McCartney and Springsteen, who kicked off the show by performing his new song We Take Care of Our Own.

The Grammys did their best to keep a tone that balanced the many moods of the night. The Foo Fighters performed in a tent outside the Staples Centre, where the awards were being held, amid a throng of bouncing fans; but moments earlier, Alicia Keys and Bonnie Raitt paid tribute to Etta James, who died last month.

There was also a tribute to the recently reunited Beach Boys that featured Maroon 5, Foster the People and Mike Love, Al Jardine and Brian Wilson, the three remaining members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band, all still capable of pitch-perfect harmonies.

Among the other award winners was Chris Brown for best R&B album performing on the stage for the first time since he dropped out of 2009’s broadcast following his attack on Rihanna the night before.