In the end Grammys night 2006 belonged to U2, who took home five awards from the US music industry's big night out, winning in every category in which they were nominated. The Irish band took Best Rock Album and Album Of The Year for 'How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb', Song Of The Year and Best Vocal Rock Performance for 'Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own' and Best Rock Song for 'City Of Blinding Lights'. Meanwhile producer Steve Lillywhite was named Producer Of The Year, primarily for his work on the U2 album.
The pre-ceremony favourites, Mariah Carey and Kanye West, each took home three awards. Carey, coming to the Grammys after a real return to form in the last eighteen months, took the awards for Best Contemporary R&B Album for 'The Emancipation of Mimi', and Best R&B Song and Best R&B Vocal Performance for single 'We Belong Together'. West took Best Rap Song for 'Diamonds From Sierra Leone', Best Solo Rap Performance for 'Gold Digger' and Best Rap Album for 'Late Registration'. West, of course, is used to doing well at awards events. Putting on a tone of mock surprise, he told the Grammy audience "I had no idea, I had no idea," before pulling out a sheet of paper with the words 'Thank You List' written in large letters.
Other winners in key categories included John Legend, who was named Best New Artist, and who won Best Male R&B Vocal Performance for 'Ordinary People', Green Day took the Record Of The Year prize for 'Boulevard of Broken Dreams', The White Stripes won Best Alternative Album for 'Get Behind Me Satan', while The Chemical Brothers took the awards for Best Dance Recording and Best Electronic/Dance Album.
As expected, the Grammy proceedings kicked off with a Madonna / Gorillaz duet. Well, I say duet, it was more 'Madonna-walks-on-stage-in-the-last-ten-seconds-of-a-repeat-run -of-Gorillaz'-MTV-Awards-set-and-sings-Hung-Up', but it was fun ten seconds. You can watch it for yourself at http://grammy.yahoo.com
Also as expected, funk legend Sly Stone made a very rare performance at the awards show, performing a few verses of 'I Want to Take You Higher' with The Family Stone in a tribute section to his music.
The winners (and there's feckin hundreds of them) are here:
http://www.grammy.com/Grammy_Awards/ Annual_Show/48_nominees.aspx