53rd Annual Grammy Awards


The 53rd Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 13, 2011, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. They were broadcast on CBS with a rating of 26.6 million viewers. Barbra Streisand was honored as the MusiCares Person of the Year two nights prior to the telecast on February 11. Nominations were announced on December 1, 2010 and a total of 108 awards were presented. Most of the awards were presented during the pre-telecast, which took place at the Los Angeles Convention Center next to the Staples Center, where the main telecast took place. The eligibility period was October 1, 2009 to September 30, 2010.
For the third year, nominations were announced on prime-time television as part of "The GRAMMY Nominations Concert Live! – Countdown to Music's Biggest Night" a one-hour special broadcast live on CBS from Club Nokia at L.A. Live.
Arcade Fire won Album of the Year for The Suburbs becoming the first indie act to do so, and surprising many viewers and critics. Baba Yetu composed and arranged by Christopher Tin won Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s), the first Grammy given to a piece of music written for a video game. Esperanza Spalding was awarded Best New Artist. Lady Antebellum won five awards including Record of the Year and Song of the Year for "Need You Now". Other multiple winners include: David Frost, John Legend, Lady Gaga, Jay-Z, and Jeff Beck with three awards each. The Black Keys, Eminem, Herbie Hancock, Alicia Keys, The Roots, Usher, Christopher Tin and BeBe Winans won two awards each.
The television broadcast of the 53rd Grammy Awards marked the last awards show for the Grammy's executive producer, John Cossette, before his death on April 26, 2011.
At the request of manager and music impresario, Lisa Roy, the album was compiled and mastered by music producer, Stewart Cararas. All attendees of the 2011 Academy Awards received the CD in their gift bags.

Performers

Pre-telecast ceremony

Telecast ceremony

The following performed:
ArtistSong
Yolanda Adams
Christina Aguilera
Jennifer Hudson
Martina McBride
Florence Welch
Tribute to Aretha Franklin:
"(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman"
"Ain't No Way"
"Until You Come Back to Me (That's What I'm Gonna Do)"
"Think"
"Respect"
"Spirit in the Dark"
"Sisters Are Doin' It for Themselves"
Lady Gaga"Born This Way"
Miranda Lambert"The House That Built Me"
Muse"Uprising"
B.o.B
Bruno Mars
Janelle Monáe
"Nothin' on You"
"Grenade"
"Cold War"
Justin Bieber
Jaden Smith
"Baby"
"Never Say Never"
Usher
Justin Bieber
"OMG"
Mumford & Sons
The Avett Brothers
Bob Dylan
"The Cave"
"Head Full of Doubt/Road Full of Promise"
"Maggie's Farm"
Lady Antebellum"If You Don't Know Me By Now"
"American Honey"
"Need You Now"
Cee-Lo Green
Gwyneth Paltrow
Henson Company Puppets
"Forget You"
Katy Perry"Not Like the Movies"
"Teenage Dream"
Norah Jones
John Mayer
Keith Urban
Tribute to Dolly Parton
"Jolene"
Eminem
Adam Levine
Rihanna
Skylar Grey
Dr. Dre
"Love the Way You Lie (Part II)"
"I Need a Doctor"
Mick Jagger
Raphael Saadiq
Tribute to Solomon Burke
"Everybody Needs Somebody to Love"
Barbra Streisand"Evergreen"
Rihanna
Drake
"What's My Name?"
Arcade Fire"Month of May"
"Ready to Start"

Presenters

;Pre-telecast ceremony
;Telecast ceremony
The following presented:

Awards

General

;Record of the Year
;Album of the Year
;Song of the Year
;Best New Artist

Pop

;Best Female Pop Vocal Performance
;Best Male Pop Vocal Performance
;Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal
;Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals
;Best Pop Instrumental Performance
;Best Pop Instrumental Album
;Best Pop Vocal Album

Dance

;Best Dance Recording
;Best Electronic/Dance Album

Traditional pop

;Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album

Rock

;Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance
;Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal
;Best Hard Rock Performance
;Best Metal Performance
;Best Rock Instrumental Performance
;Best Rock Song
;Best Rock Album

Alternative

;Best Alternative Music Album

R&B

;Best Female R&B Vocal Performance
;Best Male R&B Vocal Performance
;Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals
;Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance
;Best Urban/Alternative Performance
;Best R&B Song
;Best R&B Album
;Best Contemporary R&B Album

Rap

;Best Rap Solo Performance
;Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group
;Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
;Best Rap Song
;Best Rap Album

Country

;Best Female Country Vocal Performance
;Best Male Country Vocal Performance
;Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals
;Best Country Collaboration with Vocals
;Best Country Instrumental Performance
;Best Country Song
;Best Country Album

New Age

;Best New Age Album

Jazz

;Best Contemporary Jazz Album
;Best Jazz Vocal Album
;Best Improvised Jazz Solo
;Best Jazz Instrumental Album, Individual or Group
;Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album
;Best Latin Jazz Album

Gospel

;Best Gospel Performance
;Best Gospel Song
  • "It's What I Do"
  • *Jerry Peters & Kirk Whalum, songwriters
  • "Beautiful Things"
  • *Lisa Gungor & Michael Gungor, songwriters
  • "Better Than a Hallelujah"
  • *Sarah Hart & Chapin Hartford, songwriters
  • "Our God"
  • *Jonas Myrin, Matt Redman, Jesse Reeves & Chris Tomlin, songwriters
  • "Return to Sender"
  • *Gordon Kennedy, songwriter
;Best Rock or Rap Gospel Album
;Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album
;Best Southern, Country, or Bluegrass Gospel Album
;Best Traditional Gospel Album
;Best Contemporary R&B Gospel Album

Latin

;Best Latin Pop Album
;Best Latin Rock, Alternative or Urban Album
;Best Tropical Latin Album
;Best Tejano Album
  • Recuerdos – Little Joe & la Familia
  • Sabes Bien – Juan P. Moreno
  • In the Pocket – Joe Posada
  • Homenaje a Mi Padre – Sunny Sauceda y Todo Eso
  • Cookin – Tortilla Factory
;Best Norteño Album
  • Classic – Intocable
  • Indispensable – Angel Fresnillo
  • Ni Hoy Ni MañanaGerardo Ortíz
  • Desde la Cantina Volumen 1 – Pesado
  • Intensamente – Principez de la Musica Norteña
;Best Banda Album

American roots music

;Best Americana Album
;Best Bluegrass Album
;Best Traditional Blues Album
;Best Contemporary Blues Album
;Best Traditional Folk Album
;Best Contemporary Folk Album
;Best Hawaiian Music Album
  • Huana Ke AlohaTia Carrere
  • Amy Hanaiali'i and Slack Key Masters of Hawaii – Amy Hanaiali'i And Slack Key Masters of Hawaii
  • PolaniDaniel Ho
  • The Legend – Ledward Kaapana
  • Maui on My Mind – Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar – Jeff Peterson
;Best Native American Music Album
  • 2010 Gathering of Nations Pow Wow: A Spirit's Dance – ; Derek Mathews, Dr. Lita Mathews & Melonie Mathews, producers
  • XI – Bear Creek
  • Temptations: Cree Round Dance SongsNorthern Cree
  • Woodnotes Wyld: Historic Flute Sounds from the Dr. Richard W. Payne Collection – Peter Phippen
;Best Zydeco or Cajun Music Album

[Reggae]

;Best Reggae Album

World music

;Best Traditional World Music Album
;Best Contemporary World Music Album

Children's

;Best Musical Album for Children
;Best Spoken Word Album for Children

Spoken Word

;Best Spoken Word Album

Comedy

;Best Comedy Album

Musical show

;Best Musical Show Album

Film, TV and other visual media

;Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media
;Best Score Soundtrack Album for Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media
;Best Song Written for Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media

Composing and arranging

;Best Instrumental Composition
;Best Instrumental Arrangement
;Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s)
  • "Baba Yetu"
  • *Christopher Tin, arranger
  • "Baby"
  • *Roger Treece, arranger
  • "Based on a Thousand True Stories"
  • *Vince Mendoza, arranger
  • "Don't Explain"
  • *Geoffrey Keezer, arranger
  • "Imagine"
  • *Herbie Hancock & Larry Klein, arrangers

Package

;Best Recording Package
  • Brothers – Michael Carney, art director
  • Eggs – Malene Mathiasson, Malthe Fischer, Kristoffer Rom, Nis Svoldgård & Aske Zidore, art directors
  • Hadestown – Brian Grunert, art director
  • What Will We BeDevendra Banhart & Jon Beasley, art directors
  • Yonkers NY – Andrew Taray, art director
;Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package

Album notes

;Best Album Notes

Historical

;Best Historical Album

Production, non-classical

;Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical
;Producer Of The Year, Non-Classical
;Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical

Production, surround sound

;Best Surround Sound Album
  • Britten's Orchestra
  • *Keith O. Johnson, surround mix engineer; Keith O. Johnson, surround mastering engineer; David Frost, surround producer
  • The Incident
  • *Steven Wilson, surround mix engineer; Darcy Proper, surround mastering engineer; Steven Wilson, surround producer
  • Parallax Eden
  • *David Miles Huber, surround mix engineer; David Miles Huber, surround mastering engineer; David Miles Huber, surround producer
  • Songs and Stories
  • *Don Murray, surround mix engineer; Sangwook Nam & Doug Sax, surround mastering engineers; John Burk, Noel Lee & Marcus Miller, surround producers
  • Trondheimsolistene – In Folk Style
  • *Morten Lindberg, surround mix engineer; Morten Lindberg, surround mastering engineer; Morten Lindberg, surround producer

Production, classical

;Best Engineered Album, Classical
  • Daugherty: Metropolis Symphony; Deus Ex Machina
  • *Mark Donahue, John Hill & Dirk Sobotka, engineers
  • Have You Ever Been...?
  • *Robert Friedrich, engineer
  • Mackey, Steven: Dreamhouse
  • *David Frost, Tom Lazarus, Steven Mackey & Dirk Sobotka, engineers
  • Porter, Quincy: Complete Viola Works
  • *Leslie Ann Jones, Kory Kruckenberg & David Sabee, engineers
  • Vocabularies
  • *Steve Miller, Allen Sides & Roger Treece, engineers
;Producer Of The Year, Classical
  • Blanton Alspaugh
  • * Corigliano: Violin Concerto 'The Red Violin'
  • * Daugherty: Metropolis Symphony; Deus Ex Machina
  • * Rachmaninov: Symphony No. 2
  • * Tower Of The Eight Winds – Music For Violin & Piano By Judith Shatin
  • * Tyberg: Symphony No. 3; Piano Trio
  • * Wind Serenades
  • David Frost
  • * Britten's Orchestra
  • * Chambers, Evan: The Old Burying Ground
  • * Dorman, Avner: Concertos For Mandolin, Piccolo, Piano And Concerto Grosso
  • * The 5 Browns In Hollywood
  • * Mackey, Steven: Dreamhouse
  • * Meeting Of The Spirits
  • * Two Roads To Exile
  • Tim Handley
  • * Adams: Nixon In China
  • * Debussy: Le Martyre De Saint Sébastien
  • * Dohnányi: Variations On A Nursery Song
  • * Harris: Symphonies Nos. 5 & 6
  • * Hubay: Violin Concertos Nos. 1 And 2
  • * Messiaen: Poèmes pour Mi
  • * Piazzolla: Sinfonía Buenos Aires
  • * Ries: Works For Flute And Piano
  • * Roussel: Symphony No. 1
  • * Shchedrin: Concertos For Orchestra Nos. 4 & 5
  • * Stamitz: Flute Concertos
  • * Strauss, R: Josephs-Legende; Rosenkavalier; Die Frau Ohne Schatten
  • Marina A. Ledin, Victor Ledin
  • * Brubeck: Songs Of Praise
  • * Cascade Of Roses
  • * Gnattali: Solo & Chamber Works For Guitar
  • * If I Were A Bird
  • * Kletzki: Piano Concerto
  • * Porter, Quincy: Complete Viola Works
  • * Rubinstein: Piano Music
  • * Rubinstein: Piano Music
  • * 20th Century Harp Sonatas
  • James Mallinson
  • * Mahler: Symphony No. 2
  • * Prokofiev: Romeo And Juliet
  • * Shchedrin: The Enchanted Wanderer
  • * Strauss, R: Ein Heldenleben; Webern: Im Sommerwind
  • * Strauss, R: Eine Alpensinfonie
  • * Tchaikovsky: Rococo Variations; Prokofiev: Sinfonia Concertante
  • * Wagner: Parsifal

Classical

Best Classical Album
  • Bruckner: Symphonies Nos. 3 & 4 – Mariss Jansons, conductor; Everett Porter, producer; Everett Porter, mastering engineer
  • Daugherty: Metropolis Symphony; Deus Ex MachinaGiancarlo Guerrero, conductor; Blanton Alspaugh, producer; Mark Donahue, John Hill & Dirk Sobotka, engineers/mixers
  • Mackey, Steven: Dreamhouse – Gil Rose, conductor; Rinde Eckert; Catch Electric Guitar Quartet; David Frost, producer; David Frost, Tom Lazarus, Steven Mackey & Dirk Sobotka, engineers/mixers; Silas Brown, mastering engineer
  • Sacrificium – Giovanni Antonini, conductor; Cecilia Bartoli; Arend Prohmann, producer; Philip Siney, engineer/mixer
  • Verdi: RequiemRiccardo Muti, conductor; Duain Wolfe, chorus master; Christopher Alder, producer; David Frost, Tom Lazarus & Christopher Willis, engineers/mixers
Best Orchestral Performance
  • Bruckner: "Symphonies Nos. 3 & 4" – Mariss Jansons, conductor
  • Daugherty: Metropolis Symphony; "Deus Ex Machina" – Giancarlo Guerrero, conductor
  • Mackey, Steven: "Dreamhouse" – Gil Rose, conductor; Rinde Eckert
  • Salieri: "Overtures & Stage Music" – Thomas Fey, conductor
  • Stravinsky: Pulcinella; Symphony in Three Movements; "Four Études" – Pierre Boulez, conductor
Best Opera Recording
  • Berg: "Lulu"
  • *Antonio Pappano, conductor; Agneta Eichenholz, Jennifer Larmore, Klaus Florian Vogt & Michael Volle; David Groves, producer
  • Hasse: "Marc' Antonio E Cleopatra"
  • *Matthew Dirst, conductor; Jamie Barton & Ava Pine; Keith Weber, producer
  • Saariaho: "L'Amour de Loin"
  • *Kent Nagano, conductor; Daniel Belcher, Ekaterina Lekhina & Marie-Ange Todorovitch; Martin Sauer, producer
  • Shchedrin: "The Enchanted Wanderer"
  • *Valery Gergiev, conductor; Evgeny Akimov, Sergei Aleksashkin & Kristina Kapustinskaya; James Mallinson, producer
  • Sullivan: "Ivanhoe"
  • *David Lloyd-Jones, conductor; Neal Davies, Geraldine McGreevy, James Rutherford, Toby Spence & Janice Watson; Brian Pidgeon, producer
Best Choral Performance
Best Instrumental Soloist Performance
  • Daugherty: "Deus Ex Machina" – Giancarlo Guerrero, conductor; Terrence Wilson
  • Dorman, Avner: "Mandolin Concerto" – Andrew Cyr, conductor; Avi Avital
  • Kletzki: "Piano Concerto in D Minor, Op. 22" – Thomas Sanderling, conductor; Joseph Banowetz
  • Mozart: "Piano Concertos Nos. 23 & 24" – Mitsuko Uchida
  • Porter, Quincy: "Concerto for Viola & Orchestra" – John McLaughlin Williams, conductor; Eliesha Nelson
Best Instrumental Soloist Performance
  • Messiaen: "Liver du Saint-Sacrement" - Paul Jacobs
  • Chopin: "The Nocturnes" – Nelson Freire
  • Hamelin: "Études" – Marc-André Hamelin
  • Paganini: "24 Caprices" – Julia Fischer
  • "20th Century Harp Sonatas" – Sarah Schuster Ericsson
Best Chamber Music Performance
Best Small Ensemble Performance
  • "Ceremony and Devotion – Music for the Tudors" – Harry Christophers, conductor; The Sixteen
  • "Dinastia Borja" – Jordi Savall, conductor; Hespèrion XXI & La Capella Reial De Catalunya
  • "Trondheimsolistene – In Folk Style" – Øyvind Gimse & Geir Inge Lotsberg, conductors
  • "Victoria: Lamentations Of Jeremiah" – Peter Phillips, conductor; The Tallis Scholars
  • Whitacre, Eric: "Choral Music" – Noel Edison, conductor; Elora Festival Singers
Best Classical Vocal Performance
Best Classical Contemporary Composition
Best Classical Crossover Album

Music video

;Best Short Form Music Video
;Best Long Form Music Video

Special Merit Awards

[MusiCares Person of the Year]

President's Merit Award

Lifetime Achievement Award">Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award">Lifetime Achievement Award

Trustees Award">Grammy Trustees Award">Trustees Award

[Technical Grammy Award]

Artists with multiple nominations and awards

The following artists received multiple nominations:
The following artists received multiple awards:

In Memoriam

James Moody, John D. Kendall, Billy Taylor, Herb Ellis, Lena Horne, Margaret Whiting, Charlie Louvin, Hank Cochran, Carl Smith, Bobby Charles, Bobby Hebb, Gladys Horton, Teena Marie, General Johnson, Gregory Isaacs, Sugar Minott, Harvey Fuqua, Garry Shider, Dick Griffey, Gerry Rafferty, George David Weiss, Wally Traugott, Jim Williamson, Bill Porter, Richie Hayward, Ben Keith, Captain Beefheart, Malcolm McLaren, Herman Leonard, Irwin Silber, Jim Marshall, Jerry Bock, Allyn Ferguson, John Barry, Peter Lopez, Caresse Henry, Bill Aucoin, Hal Uplinger, Ron Baird, Ronni Chasen, Mitch Miller, Roberto Cantoral, Olga Guillot, Enrique Morente, Joan Sutherland, Helen Boatwright, Margaret Price, Earl Wild, Raphael Hillyer, Ronnie James Dio, Doug Fieger, Don Kirshner, Esteban "Steve" Jordan, Tony "Ham" Guerrero, Eddie Fisher, Jimmy Dean, Alex Chilton, Walter Hawkins, Albertina Walker and Solomon Burke.