The Black Keys — those two blues- and garage-loving Ohioans best known for recording raw, stripped-down, "mid-fi" albums — picked up four Grammy awards last night.
The duo, Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney, earned Best Rock Album for El Camino (released in December 2011), plus Best Rock Song and Best Rock Performance for "Lonely Boy." Auerbach scored a bonus Grammy as Non-Classical Producer for the Black Keys' El Camino, plus his work on Dr. John's Locked Down album and two discs by Hacienda.
Album of the Year went to Mumford & Sons for Babel. Record of the Year went to Gotye (featuring Kimbra) for "Somebody That I Used To Know," while Song of the Year went to Fun. for "We Are Young."
In the world of hard rock and metal, Halestorm beat out heavyweights Anthrax, Lamb of God, Marilyn Manson, Iron Maiden and Megadeth to win Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance for "Love Bites (So Do I)."
It was a disappointing night for Jack White, who was nominated for Album of the Year, Rock Album of the Year (both for Blunderbuss) and Best Rock Song ("Freedom at 21") but lost in every category. His Third Man Records label mates, Alabama Shakes, also lost in three categories, including Best New Artist and Best Rock Performance.
Performance-wise, White performed with both his all-female and all-male bands. Black Keys tore through "Lonely Boy" with Dr. John; a tribute to the late Levon Helm of the Band featured Zac Brown, Elton John, Mavis Staples and Brittany Howard of Alabama Shakes, who performed "The Weight." Bruno Mars kicked off a Bob Marley tribute with his own song, "Locked Out of Heaven," before introducing Sting, who led the band into "Walking on the Moon." Rihanna, Ziggy Marley and Damian Marley finally joined them for Bob Marley's "Could You Be Loved."
For the show's finale, Tom Morello, LL Cool J and Chuck D performed "Whaddup."
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Other guitar-centric or noteworthy Grammy wins:
• Best Jazz Instrumental Album: Unity Band, Pat Metheny • Best Americana Album: Slipstream, Bonnie Raitt • Best Blues Album: Locked Down, Dr. John (produced by Dan Auerbach) • Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album: Kisses On The Bottom, Paul McCartney (featuring Eric Clapton) • Best Score Soundtrack For Visual Media: The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross • Best Bluegrass Album: Nobody Knows You, Steep Canyon Rangers • Best Reggae Album: Rebirth, Jimmy Cliff (featuring a cover of the Clash's "Guns of Brixton") • Best World Music Album: The Living Room Sessions Part 1, Ravi Shankar • Best Compilation Soundtrack For Visual Media: Midnight In Paris (featuring the stellar guitar work of Stephane Wrembel) • Best Historical Album: The Smile Sessions (Deluxe Box Set), The Beach Boys • Producer Of The Year, Non-Classical: Dan Auerbach (of the Black Keys)
Damian is Editor-in-Chief of Guitar World magazine. In past lives, he was GW’s managing editor and online managing editor. He's written liner notes for major-label releases, including Stevie Ray Vaughan's 'The Complete Epic Recordings Collection' (Sony Legacy) and has interviewed everyone from Yngwie Malmsteen to Kevin Bacon (with a few memorable Eric Clapton chats thrown into the mix). Damian, a former member of Brooklyn's The Gas House Gorillas, was the sole guitarist in Mister Neutron, a trio that toured the U.S. and released three albums. He now plays in two NYC-area bands.
