It was the second most-watched Grammys in history
Adele shows off her six Grammy Award trophies.LOS ANGELES (AP) — Sunday's Grammy Awards telecast made sweet music in the ratings, delivering for CBS its largest audience since 1984 and beating last year's viewership by 50 percent.
More than 39.9 million viewers flocked to the broadcast, making it the second most-watched Grammys in history, according to preliminary Nielsen Co. figures released Monday. That exceeds last year's Oscars broadcast, which was seen by 37.6 million viewers.
Helping stoke interest in this year's Grammys broadcast was recording sensation Adele, who emerged as the night's big winner with six trophies.
Her album, "21," was by far the year's best seller and one of its most critically acclaimed.
But the broadcast was an attention-getter not only for the awards dispensed but also for its role as a memorial to Whitney Houston, a six-time past winner.
The superstar singer died unexpectedly Saturday, just hours before she was supposed to appear at a pre-Grammy gala.
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