SWIFT SUCCESS AT GRAMMYS
It was a big night for Taylor Swift at the Grammys — she took home three awards, including one for album of the year.
Vocal group Pentatonix won its second career golden gramophone during a Grammy Awards dominated by tributes to late, great artists, innovative rapper Kendrick Lamar and country-singer-turned- pop- star Taylor Swift.
Along with becoming the only woman to win album of the year twice, Swift helped Tulsa native Ryan Tedder score his second career Grammy as one of several producers on her smash fifth studio effort, “1989.”
Paying tribute
Pentatonix, which includes former University of Oklahoma student Kirstin Maldonado, won best arrangement instrumental, or a cappella, during Monday’s Grammys pre-telecast show for its voice-only adaptation of the holiday classic “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy,” from its smash seasonal album “That’s Christmas to Me.”
During the starstudded telecast, the group joined Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Stevie Wonder in singing an a capella homage to Earth, Wind and Fire founder Maurice White, who died Feb. 4.
It was just one of many tributes performed during the 58th Annual Grammy Awards: Lady Gaga and Niles Rodgers frenetically danced and played through 10 David Bowie tracks in honor of “Ziggy Stardust,” who died Jan. 10.
Chris Stapleton, Bonnie Raitt and Gary Clark Jr. gave the Grammys the blues in homage to B.B. King, who died last May.
Jackson Browne joined the members of the Eagles in a low-key rendition of “Take It Easy” in memory of the band’s co-founder Glenn Frey, who died Jan. 18.
Supergroup The Hollywood Vampires, which included Johnny Depp, Alice Cooper and Aerosmith’s Joe Perry, rocked Motorhead’s “Ace of Spades” with Guns N’ Roses alumni Duff McKagan and Matt Sorum in honor of Lemmy Kilmister, who died Dec. 28. Although Michael Jackson died in 2009, Miguel sang his ballad “She’s Out of My Life,” to mark the upcoming reissue of his Grammy-honored “Off the Wall” album.
All those tributes were in addition to the traditional in memoriam montage.
MusiCares Person of the Year Lionel Richie was alive and well and able to join the cross-genre lineup of Luke Bryan, John Legend, Demi Lovato, Tyrese Gibson and best new artist winner Meghan Trainor for the tribute in his honor.
Performing hits
Other Grammy performers included Checotah native Carrie Underwood with country music newcomer Sam Hunt; Adele; Justin Bieber with Diplo and Skrillex; Little Big Town; and Pitbull with Travis Barker, Robin Thicke and Perry. In a Grammy first, the cast of the Broadway musical “Hamilton” performed live from New York before winning best musical theater album.
Lamar, who came into the Grammys with a leading 11 nominations, gave one of the night’s most explosive performances with “The Blacker the Berry” and “Alright” won five Grammys.
Swift, who opened the telecast performing her latest hit “Out of the Woods,” beat Lamar, with whom she shared a win for best video for “Bad Blood,” in the album of the year contest on her way to earning three trophies on the night.
“To all the young women out there, there are going to be people along the way who will try to undercut your success or take credit for your accomplishments or your fame. But if you just focus on the work and you don’t let those people sidetrack you, someday when you get where you’re going … you’ll know that it’s you and the people who love you who put you there. And that will be the greatest feeling the world.”
First-time winners
First-time winners Alabama Shakes also garnered three Grammy Awards, Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars earned record of the year for “Uptown Funk,” and first-time winner Ed Sheeran and co-writer Amy Wadge snagged song of the year for “Thinking Out Loud.” Other firsttime winners were Justin Bieber and Stapleton.
Along with Pentatonix and Tedder, several artists with Oklahoma ties were nominated for Grammys going into Monday’s festivities — including Underwood, Ada native Blake Shelton, Tulsa native Charlie Wilson, Christian group Point of Grace (which includes Norman native Denise (Masters) Jones) and Elk City native Kelli O’Hara and the rest of the Broadway cast of “The King & I”— but they will have to wait another day for their winning Grammy moments.