Adele big winner at 2012 Grammy Awards

Adele won six Grammys and the Foo Fighters took home five at the 54th annual music awards show.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — With six awards, Adele has matched Beyonce for most Grammy wins in a night by a female act.

Adele's six wins Sunday night include album, record and song of the year. Beyonce set the record two years ago.

Adele was shaking as she won album of the year, almost in tears as she held the award.

Adele's "21" was 2011's best-selling album. It's sold more than six million units in the United States.

She yelled at the end of her speech: "Thank you so much!"

The Foo Fighters captured five Grammys at a Grammy ceremony that had the difficult task of celebrating music's best while mourning the loss of one of their greatest, Whitney Houston.

Houston's death on the eve of the awards forced a delicate balance between the exuberance of the show's winners and performances with the loss.

Adele, who owned the year's best-selling album with "21," 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 song also won her one of the night's most prestigious awards, song of the year. Another song from that album, "Someone Like You," earned her best pop solo performance.

"I can't believe I'm getting emotional already," she said after picking up the latter award. "And seeing as it's a vocal performance, I need to thank my doctors, I suppose, who brought my voice back."

Adele's CD "21" also won best pop vocal album. The night's other big winners, 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. 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," he said as the band accepted their best rock performance trophy for "Walk." ''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." LL Cool said afterward. 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."

Justin Vernon, whose band Bon Iver beat Nicki Minaj, The Band Perry, J. Cole and Skrillex for best new artist, accepted the award with admittedly mixed emotions.

"It's really hard to accept this award. Well, there's so much talent out here, like on this stage. There's a lot of talent that's not here tonight. It's also hard to accept because when I started to make songs I did it for the inherent reward of making songs, so I'm a little bit uncomfortable up here," he said. "But with that discomfort I do have a sense of gratitude. I want to say thank you to all the nominees, all the non-nominees that have never been here and never will be here."

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 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 groups 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 withThe Band Perry and Blake Shelton, singing his classic hit, "Rhinestone Cowboy."

Winners in selected major categories at Sunday's 54th Annual Grammy Awards:

Album of the Year: "21," Adele

Record of the Year: Adele

Song of the Year: "Rolling in the Deep," Adele Adkins & Paul Epworth

Pop Solo Performance: "Someone Like You," Adele

Pop Performance by a Duo or Group: "Body and Soul," Tony Bennett & Amy Winehouse

Pop Vocal Album: "21," Adele

Alternative Album: "Bon Iver," Bon Iver

Rock Song: "Walk," Foo Fighters

Rock Album: "Wasting Light," Foo Fighters

Rock Performance: "Walk," Foo Fighters

Hard Rock/Metal Performance: "White Limo," Foo Fighters

R&B Album: "F.A.M.E.," Chris Brown

R&B Song: "Fool For You," Cee Lo Green, Melanie Hallim & Jack Splash

R&B Performance: "Is This Love," Corrine Bailey Rae

Traditional R&B Vocal Performance: "Fool For You," Cee Lo Green & Melanie Fiona

Rap Album: "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy," Kanye West

Rap Performance: "Otis," Jay-Z and Kanye West

Rap Song: "All of the Lights," Jeff Bhasker, Stacy Ferguson, Malik Jones, Warren Trotter & Kanye West

Rap/Sung Collaboration: "All of the Lights," Kanye West, Rihanna, Kid Cudi & Fergie

Dance Recording: "Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites," Skrillex

Dance/Electronica Album: "Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites," Skrillex

Musical Theater Album: "The Book of Mormon," Robert Lopez, Trey Parker & Matt Stone

World Music Album: "Tassili," Tinariwen

Latin Pop Rock, Rock or Urban Album: "Drama y Luz," Mana

Tropical Latin Album: "Last Mambo," Cachao

Banda or Norteno Album: "Los Tigres Del Norte and Friends," Los Tigres Del Norte

Regional Mexican or Tejano Album: "Bicentenario," Pepe Aguilar

Country Solo Performance: "Mean," Taylor Swift

Country Album: "Own the Night," Lady Antebellum

Country Performance by a Duo or Group: "Barton Hollow," The Civil Wars

Country Song: "Mean," Taylor Swift

Jazz Vocal Album: "The Mosaic Project," Terri Lyne Carrington & various artists

Jazz Instrumental Album: "Forever," Corea, Clark & White

Improvised Jazz Solo: "500 Miles High," Chick Corea

Large Ensemble Jazz Album: "The Good Feeling," Christian McBride Big Band

Blues Album: "Revelator," Tedeschi Trucks Band

Folk Album: "Barton Hollow," The Civil Wars

Pop Instrumental Album: "The Road From Memphis," Booker T. Jones

Bluegrass Album: "Paper Airplane," Alison Krauss & Union Station

Americana Album: "Ramble at the Ryman," Levon Helm

Reggae Album: "Revelation Pt. 1: The Root of Life," Stephen Marley

Southern, Country, or Bluegrass Gospel Album:

New Age Album: "What's It All About," Pat Metheny

Children's Album: "All About Bullies... Big and Small," various artists

Producer of the Year, Non-Classical: Paul Epworth

Remixed Recording, Non-Classical: "Cinema (Skrillex remix)," Sonny Moore

Gospel Song: "Hello Fear," Kirk Franklin

Gospel/Contemporary Christian Performance: "Jesus," L'Andria Johnson

Gospel Album: "Hello Fear," Kirk Franklin

Choral Performance: "Light & Gold," Eric Whitacre

Classical Contemporary Composition: "Elmer Gantry," Robert Aldridge & Herschel Garfein

Producer of the Year, Classical: Judith Sherman

Orchestral Performance: "Brahms: Symphony No. 4," Gustavo Dudamel

Opera Recording: "Adams: Doctor Atomic," Alan Gilbert, conductor

Spoken Word Album: "If You Ask Me (And Of Course You Won't)," Betty White

Comedy Album: "Hilarious," Louis C.K.

Compilation Soundtrack Album For Visual Media: "Boardwalk Empire," various artists

Score Soundtrack Album For Visual Media: "The King's Speech," Alexandre Desplat

Song Written For Visual Media: "I See the Light," Alan Menken & Glenn Slater

Historical Album: "Band on the Run (Paul McCartney Archive Collection - Deluxe Edition)," Paul McCartney

Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalists: "Who Can I Turn To (When Nobody Needs Me)," Jorge Calandrelli