With six awards, Adele has matched the record Beyoncé set two years ago for most Grammy wins in a night by a female act.Adele's wins Sunday night included album, record and song of the year ("Rolling in the Deep"). The British soul singer was shaking as she won album of the year, almost in tears as she held the award.
Adele's "21" was 2011's biggest album, selling more than 6 million units in the United States.
She yelled at the end of her acceptance speech: "Thank you so much!"
Adele's emotional response came amid a Grammy ceremony that had the difficult task of celebrating music's best, while mourning the loss of one of its greatest, Whitney Houston.
Houston's death on the eve of the awards forced a delicate balance between the loss and the exuberance of the show's winners and performances.
Adele was triumphant in her first performance since vocal-cord surgery forced the cancellation of a tour and months of vocal rest. As the world wondered whether her voice would still soar, she answered with her performance of her hit "Rolling in the Deep" and received a sustained standing ovation from the crowd.
The other big winner at the Grammys was the Foo Fighters, who captured five awards.
Watchers of Northwest music were no doubt pleased, as the band's leader, Dave Grohl, played in Seattle's Nirvana. Other musicians with Northwest links nominated this year did not fare so well. Fleet Foxes and Eddie Vedder, in the running for best folk album, lost to the Civil Wars. Death Cab For Cutie lost to Bon Iver for best alternative album. Bon Iver also won for best new artist.
Portland's The Decemberists, in the running for best rock performance and best rock song, lost to the Foo Fighters. And the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, nominated for best spoken word album, lost out to Betty White.
The Foo Fighters noted that they made their album "Wasting Light" in a garage.
"To me this award means a lot because it shows that the human element of making music is what's most important," said Grohl as the band accepted the best rock performance trophy for "Walk."
"Singing into a microphone, learning to play an instrument and learning to do your craft, that's the most important thing for people to do. It's not about being perfect. It's not about sounding absolutely correct. It's not about what goes on in a computer. It's about what goes on in here (your heart) and what goes on here (your head). ... Long live rock 'n' roll!"
Among the evening's performances was a dance-heavy number by Chris Brown, a performance by Paul McCartney and Bruce Springsteen, who kicked off the show by performing his new song "We Take Care of Our Own," a rousing song that references the troubles of the nation.
But the evening's most moving moment came as Jennifer Hudson — who has called Houston an inspiration and one of her biggest idols — emerged to sing one of Houston's signature songs, "I Will Always Love You."
Dressed in black, with only the accompaniment of a piano, Hudson appeared to fight back tears as she sang the song, ending with the line, "Whitney, we will always love you."
The show started off on a somber note, as host LL Cool J appeared in black and told the audience: "There is no way around this. We've had a death in our family."
He then led the audience in prayer to "our fallen sister, Whitney Houston."
"Heavenly father, we thank you for sharing our sister Whitney with us," he said, as celebrities like Lady Gaga and Miranda Lambert bowed their heads in prayer. "Though she is gone too soon, we remain truly blessed to have been touched by her beautiful spirit."
He introduced a clip of a glowing Houston singing "I Will Always Love You."
In his performance of "Runaway Baby," Bruno Mars also mentioned the death: "Tonight we're celebrating. Tonight we're celebrating the beautiful Miss Whitney Houston."
And Stevie Wonder said: "To Whitney up in heaven, we all love you."
Houston died on the eve of the Grammys at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, where she was preparing to attend a pre-Grammy party.
Still, while Houston's death cast a shadow over the night's winners, it did not obscure them. Among them was Chris Brown, who was performing on the stage for the first time since he dropped out of 2009's broadcast; his attack on Rihanna the night before led to both their absences, an assault charge for Brown and a career low.
But 2011 marked an amazing comeback for Brown and he was rewarded with two planned performances during the show, the first time he and Rihanna performed at the same event since the attack (she sang solo and with Coldplay during the ceremony).
Brown also won best R&B album: "First and foremost, I gotta thank God, and thank the Grammys for letting me get on this stage and do my thing," he said "All my fans, I love you. We got one. Thank you."
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 Staples Center, 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, the legend 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 pitch-perfect as they brought the group's California rock sound and harmonies back to life.
Glen Campbell, who announced his retirement last year after disclosing he had Alzheimer's disease, also performed with The Band Perry and Blake Shelton, singing his classic hit "Rhinestone Cowboy."
