LOS ANGELES — Robert Plant and Alison Krauss' unorthodox partnership yielded rich rewards on Grammy night, as the pair nabbed five Grammys for their haunting CD "Raising Sand," including record and album of the year honors.
But their Grammy sweep was overshadowed by the shocking arrest of another nominee as the broadcast was taking place — teen heartthrob Chris Brown, who was in police custody charged with felony assault on a woman the night before. Police records showed he was being held on $50,000 bail.
Brown and longtime girlfriend Rihanna, also nominated, were both slated to perform in different slots of the show but separately dropped out at the last minute. The victim of Brown's alleged assault wasn't identified, and it wasn't immediately clear whether Rihanna's absence was related to Brown's.
The pairing of Plant, the former Led Zeppelin rocker, and Krauss, a bluegrass queen, may have seemed downright weird on paper, but the T Bone Burnett-produced album was universally acclaimed and highlighted Krauss' unique talent of mastering different musical styles. Subdued but emotionally stirring, "Raising Sand" was an artistic triumph for both artists, and perhaps demonstrated why Krauss is the most decorated female artist in Grammy history.
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Lil Wayne entered the evening with the most nominations with eight, and ended the night with four awards, including rap album of the year.
But it was Jennifer Hudson who provided the night's most emotional moments onstage. The Oscar winner took her first Grammy award — for best R&B album — for her self-titled debut.
Hudson, 27, made no direct reference to the October killings of her mother, brother and nephew that kept her in seclusion until just this month. But while fighting back tears, she made it clear that her family was foremost on her mind.
"I first would like to thank God, who has brought me through. I would like to thank my family in heaven and those who are with me today," she said.
There were no tears as Krauss and Plant accepted their awards for "Raising Sand."
Plant said "Please Read the Letter" was "an old song that me and Jimmy Page wrote together post-Led Zeppelin, and it's been given that Nashville touch, and it feels pretty good."
The pair already had won a Grammy last year for "Gone Gone Gone (Done Moved On)" from the same album, bringing their total "Raising Sand" haul to six.
The Grammy telecast was filled with eye-popping and eyebrow-raising performances, from Radiohead's collaboration with a college marching band to a televised black-and-white throwback performance from Jay-Z, T.I., Lil Wayne, Kanye West and a (very) pregnant M.I.A.
But the absences of Brown and Rihanna put a huge hole in the Grammy telecast. Rihanna was supposed to sing "Live Your Life/Disturbia" as the second performance of the night; Brown was later to sing "Forever." Each was nominated in the pop collaboration with vocals category, Brown for "No Air" with "American Idol" champion Jordin Sparks and Rihanna for "If I Never See Your Face Again" with Maroon 5.
According to the police report on Brown's arrest, released 90 minutes before the show began Sunday, Brown and a woman were in a vehicle in the Hancock Park neighborhood when they began to argue at about 12:30 a.m. Sunday. Brown stopped the car and both got out, and the argument escalated, the report said.
The woman, who had visible injuries when police arrived, identified Brown as her attacker, but he had left the scene, the report said. Los Angeles police Officer Karen Smith said Brown walked into a station at about 7 p.m. and was being interviewed by detectives.
With all the drama happening onstage and behind the scenes, the awards seemed almost like an afterthought — but the show went on. Lil Wayne won the first Grammys of his career for "Tha Carter III," which took the 26-year-old rap veteran to from rap to pop MVP. Coldplay won three, included song of the year for "Viva La Vida."
On StarNet: See photos from the red carpet at azstarnet.com/slideshows
THE WINNERS
Some of awards presented during Sunday's telecast of the 51st annual Grammys:
• Album of the Year: "Raising Sand," Robert Plant and Alison Krauss
• Rap Album: "Tha Carter III," Lil Wayne
• Male Pop Vocal Performance: "Say," John Mayer
• Record of the Year: "Please Read the Letter," Robert Plant and Alison Krauss
• New Artist: Adele
• Rock Album: "Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends," Coldplay
• Pop Collaboration With Vocals: "Rich Woman," Robert Plant and Alison Krauss
• Song of the Year: "Viva La Vida," Guy Berryman, Jonny Buckland, Will Champion and Chris Martin, songwriters (Coldplay)
• Country Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals: "Stay," Sugarland
• R&B Album: "Jennifer Hudson," Jennifer Hudson
The Associated Press
