The GRAMMYs Were Surprisingly Good This Year

The 58th annual GRAMMYs took place in Los Angeles, CA last night, with a number of top musicians being recognized by both awards and performances throughout the showcase. After a pre-televised ceremony that saw artists like Buddy Guy, Snarky Puppy, John Scofield, Belá Fleck and more win awards, the main event opened with a powerful performance from Taylor Swift, and feature music from a number of legendary recording artists.

Tributes seemed to be the theme of the night, as so many legendary musicians lost their lives throughout 2015 and early 2016. Among those honored in song were Maurice White, David Bowie, Lemmy Kilmister, BB King, and Glenn Frey.

Stevie Wonder & The Pentatonix – “That’s The Way Of The World” (Earth Wind & Fire/Maurice White Tribute)

Jackson Browne, Joe Walsh, Don Henley, Bernie Leadon, Timothy B. Schmit- “Take It Easy” (The Eagles/Glenn Frey Tribute)

Chris Stapleton, Gary Clark Jr., Bonnie Raitt – “The Thrill Is Gone” (BB King Tribute)

Alice Cooper, Johnny Depp, Joe Perry as The Hollywood Vampires – “Ace of Spades” (Lemmy Kilmister Tribute)

Lady Gaga ft. Nile Rodgers – “Space Oddity”, “Changes”, “Ziggy Stardust”, “Suffragette City”, “Rebel Rebel”, “Fashion”, “Fame”, “Let’s Dance”, and “Heroes” (David Bowie Tribute)

Of course, not all of the performances were tributes. Kendrick Lamar stole the show with a three-song medley that included “The Blacker The Berry,” “Alright,” and a new song debuted on air.

Kendrick Lamar – “The Blacker The Berry/Alright” and New Song

And the Alabama Shakes rocked it with their “Best Rock Performance” winning song, “Don’t Wanna Fight.”

The Alabama Shakes – “Don’t Wanna Fight”

While not every performance was live-music-friendly, overall there were quite a few enjoyable moments of music throughout the show. Lady Gaga’s tribute to Bowie was particularly heartfelt, considering her emotional attachment to the late artist. Meanwhile, Lamar’s medley was provocative and poetic, truly showcasing his abilities as an artist.

The full list of winners can be seen below:

Album of the Year

1989, Taylor Swift

Song of the Year

“Thinking Out Loud,” Ed Sheeran and Amy Wadge

Record of the Year

“Uptown Funk,” Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars

Best Rap Album

To Pimp a Butterfly, Kendrick Lamar

Best Country Album

Traveler, Chris Stapleton

Best Musical Theater Album

Hamilton

Best Rap Performance

“Alright,” Kendrick Lamar

Best Rap Song

“Alright,” Kendrick Lamar

Best Rap/Sung Collaboration

“These Walls,” Kendrick Lamar featuring Bilal, Anna Wise and Thundercat

Best Rock Performance

“Don’t Wanna Fight,” Alabama Shakes

Best Music Video

“Bad Blood,” Taylor Swift featuring Kendrick Lamar

Best New Artist

Meaghan Trainor

Producer of the Year, Non-Classical

Jeff Bhasker

Best Country Song

“Girl Crush,” Hillary Lindsey, Lori McKenna & Liz Rose (Little Big Town)

Best Country Solo Performance

“Traveller,” Chris Stapleton

Best Country Duo/Group Performance

“Girl Crush,” Little Big Town

Best Pop Vocal Album

Taylor Swift, 1989

Best Pop Solo Performance

“Thinking Out Loud,” Ed Sheeran

Best Rock Album

Drones, Muse

Best Alternative Album

Sound & Color, Alabama Shakes

Best Rock Performance

“Don’t Wanna Fight,” Alabama Shakes

Best Rock Song

“Don’t Wanna Fight,” Alabama Shakes

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance

“Uptown Funk,” Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars

Best Metal Performance

“Cirice,” Ghost

Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album

“The Silver Lining: The Songs of Jerome Kern,” Tony Bennett and Bill Charlap

Best Traditional R&B Performance

“Little Ghetto Boy,” Lalah Hathaway

Best Dance/Electronic Album

Skrillex and Diplo Present Jack Ü, Skrillex and Diplo

Best Dance Recording

“Where Are Ü Now,” Skrillex and Diplo with Justin Bieber

Remixed Recording, Non-Classical

“Uptown Funk (Dave Audé Remix),” Dave Audé (Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars)

Best Urban Contemporary Album

Beauty Behind the Madness, The Weeknd

Best Comedy Album

Live at Madison Square Garden, Louis C.K.

Best R&B Album

Black Messiah, D’Angelo and the Vanguard

Best R&B Song

“Really Love,” D’Angelo and Kendra Foster

Best R&B Performance

“Earned It (Fifty Shades of Grey),” The Weeknd

Best Blues Album

Born to Play Guitar, Buddy Guy

Best Folk Album

Béla Fleck And Abigail Washburn, Béla Fleck & Abigail Washburn

Best Reggae Album

Strictly Roots, Morgan Heritage

Best New Age Album

“Grace,” Paul Avgerinos

Best Surround Sound Album

“Amused to Death,” James Guthrie and Joel Plante (Roger Waters)

Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media

Birdman, Antonio Sanchez

Best Song Written for Visual Media

“Glory,” performed by Common & John Legend

Best Music Film

“Amy,” Amy Winehouse; Asif Kapadia, video director; James Gay-Rees, video producer

Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media

Glen Campbell: I’ll Be Me

Best Spoken Word Album

A Full Life: Reflections at Ninety, Jimmy Carter

Contemporary Instrumental Album

“Sylva,” Snarky Puppy and Metropole Orkest

Best Improvised Jazz Solo

“Cherokee,” Christian McBride

Best Jazz Vocal Album

“For One to Love,” Cécile McLorin Salvant

Best Jazz Instrumental Album

“Past Present,” John Scofield

Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album

“The Thompson Fields,” Maria Schneider Orchestra

Best Children’s Album

“Home,” Tim Kubart

Best World Music Album

“Sings,” Angelique Kidjo

Best Regional Roots Music Album

“Go Go Juice,” Jon Cleary

Best Bluegrass Album

“The Muscle Shoals Recordings,” The Steeldrivers

Best Americana Album

“Something More Than Free,” Jason Isbell

Best American Roots Song

“24 Frames,” Jason Isbell

Best American Roots Performance

“See That My Grave Is Kept Clean,” Mavis Staples

Best Latin Pop Album

“A Quien Quiera Escuchar (Deluxe Edition),” Ricky Martin

Best Tropical Latin Album

“Son De Panamá,” Rubén Blades with Roberto Delgado and Orchestra

Best Latin Rock, Urban or Alternative Album

TIE: “Hasta la Raíz,” Natalia Lafourcade and “Dale,” Pitbull

Best Regional Mexican Music Album

“Realidades, Deluxe Edition,” Los Tigres Del Norte

Best Roots Gospel Album

“Still Rockin’ My Soul,” the Fairfield Four

Best Contemporary Christian Album

“This Is Not a Test,” Tobymac

Best Gospel Album

“Covered: Alive in Asia [Live] (Deluxe),” Israel & Newbreed

Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song

“Holy Spirit,” Francesca Battistelli

Best Engineered Album, Classical

“Ask Your Mama,” Leslie Ann Jones, John Kilgore, Nora Kroll-Rosenbaum and Justin Merrill, engineers; Patricia Sullivan, mastering engineer (George Manahan and San Francisco Ballet Orchestra)

Best Producer, Classical

Judith Sherman

Best Orchestral Performance

“Shostakovich: Under Stalin’s Shadow – Symphony No. 10,” Andris Nelsons, conductor (Boston Symphony Orchestra)

Best Opera Recording

“Ravel: L’Enfant Et Les Sortilèges; Shéhérazade,” Seiji Ozawa, conductor; Isabel Leonard; Dominic Fyfe, producer (Saito Kinen Orchestra; SKF Matsumoto Chorus and SKF Matsumoto Children’s Chorus)

Best Choral Performance

“Beethoven: Missa Solemnis,” Bernard Haitink, conductor; Peter Dijkstra, chorus master (Anton Barachovsky, Genia Kühmeier, Elisabeth Kulman, Hanno Müller-Brachmann and Mark Padmore; Symphonieorchester Des Bayerischen Rundfunks; Chor Des Bayerischen Rundfunks)

Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance

“Brahms: The Piano Trios,” Tanja Tetzlaff, Christian Tetzlaff and Lars Vogt

Best Classical Instrumental Solo

“Dutilleux: Violin Concerto, L’Arbre Des Songes,” Augustin Hadelich; Ludovic Morlot, conductor (Seattle Symphony)

Best Classical Solo Vocal Album

“Joyce & Tony – Live From Wigmore Hall,” Joyce DiDonato; Antonio Pappano, accompanist

Best Classical Compendium

“Paulus: Three Places of Enlightenment; Veil of Tears & Grand Concerto,” Giancarlo Guerrero, conductor; Tim Handley, producer

Best Contemporary Classical Composition

“Paulus: Prayers & Remembrances,” Stephen Paulus, composer (Eric Holtan, True Concord Voices and Orchestra)