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EMI Music takes home 14 Grammy Awards

EMI Music's family took home 14 trophies at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards, with Sunday evening's broadcast punctuated with performances and appearances from EMI legends and stars ranging from The Beatles, Frank Sinatra, Tina Turner, Keely Smith and Dave Koz to country star Dierks Bentley, techno duo Daft Punk and rock group The Band; representing a span of decades and genres.

Karen Clark-Sheard and her group, The Clark Sisters from EMI Gospel earned three awards and celebrated with an inspiring tribute performance to Aretha Franklin. The female quartet tied with Ms. Franklin in the Best Gospel Performance category for Blessed & Highly Favored, a track from Live – One Last Time. The album also earned the group a Grammy for Best Traditional Gospel Album. Karen Clark-Sheard also won for writing this year's Best Gospel Song for Blessed & Highly Favored.

The Beatles' LOVE won two Grammys in the categories of Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for Motion Picture, Television or other Visual Medium and Best Surround Sound Album. Ringo Starr joined LOVE's producers, Sir George Martin, The Beatles' legendary producer, and his son, music producer Giles Martin, to accept the award for Best Compilation Soundtrack during the live telecast from Los Angeles. Cast members from The Beatles LOVE by Cirque du Soleil at The Mirage in Las Vegas paid tribute to the Beatles with a special live performance to A Day in the Life and in the Grammy finale with Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise), both from the LOVE album.

From start to finish, EMI Music artists' performances were evident throughout this golden anniversary show. Thanks to the power of special effects, the night opened with a virtual duet of Learnin' The Blues by legendary Capitol Records artist Frank Sinatra and songstress Alicia Keys and went on to feature a surprise performance by Capitol Records' Tina Turner, who was later joined by Beyoncé for an electrifying version of Proud Mary. EMI's electronic duo Daft Punk (Virgin Records) backed Kanye West in a techno-hop rendition of "Stronger, " resplendent with pyrotechnics and Daft Punk's digital, glo-in-the-dark DJ magic. Grammy-nominated Dave Koz joined Keely Smith and Kid Rock for a rendition of That Old Black Magic. Capitol Nashville's Dierks Bently, nominated for 4 Grammys this year, teamed with the legendary Carole King to honor Earl Scruggs as a Grammy Lifetime Achievement recipient and to introduce a performance from Best New Artist nominee Feist. Actor Tom Hanks paid tribute to Lifetime Achievment Grammy Award winners The Band.

Other EMI artists who added Grammy accolades this year included Beastie Boys, whose Capitol release The Mix-Up took home the trophy for Best Pop Instrumental Album. The Chemical Brothers' album We Are The Night, (Astralwerks) took the award for Best Electronic/Dance Album, earning the duo its fourth career Grammy. Multi-platinum artist Keith Urban won his second Grammy for Best Male Country Vocal Performance with Stupid Boy, a track from his album, Love, Pain & the whole crazy thing.

Albums from Blue Note Label Group artists were distinguished with three Grammys. Jazz composer and Blue Note recording artist Terence Blanchard took home a Grammy for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album for A Tale of God's Will (A Requiem For Katrina). Tchad Blake, Cameron Craig, Emery Dobyns & Jimmy Hogart - the engineering team behind Blue Note artist Suzanne Vega's Beauty & Crime - earned Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical. And EMI Classics' Sir Simon Rattle, along with chorus Master Simon Halsey, earned a Grammy for Best Choral Performance for Brahms: "Ein Deutsches Requiem" (Thomas Quasthoff & Dorothea Röschmann; Rundfunkchor Berlin; Berliner Philharmoniker).

Two artists from EMI's Latin region earned trophies. Following his sweep of the Latin Grammys this year, EMI Televisa's Juan Luis Guerra earned a Best Tropical Latin Album Grammy for La Llave De Mi Corazón, which has become one of the year's most decorated works. Guerra's label mate Pepe Aguilar won the Best Mexican/Mexican/American Album for 100% Mexicano.

EMI Music Publishing's songwriters Amy Winehouse and Kanye West were also the night's biggest winners. Other EMI Music Publishing winners included Alicia Keys, Brad Paisley, producer Mark Ronson and Cab Calloway, who won a Lifetime Achievement Grammy.

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A full list of EMI Music Winners:

Category 10
Best Pop Instrumental Album
(For albums containing 51% or more playing time of INSTRUMENTAL tracks.)
The Mix-Up
Beastie Boys, [Capitol Records]

Category 13
Best Electronic/Dance Album
(For vocal or instrumental albums. Albums only.)
We Are The Night
The Chemical Brothers, [Astralwerks]

Category 37
Best Male Country Vocal Performance
(For a solo vocal performance. Singles or Tracks only.)
Stupid Boy
Keith Urban
Track from: Love, Pain & the whole crazy thing, [Capitol Records Nashville]

Category 49
Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album
(For large jazz ensembles, including big band sounds. Albums must contain 51% or more INSTRUMENTAL tracks.)
A Tale Of God's Will (A Requiem For Katrina)
Terence Blanchard, [Blue Note]

Category 51
Best Gospel Performance
(For solo, duo, group as collaborative performances. Singles or tracks with vocal containing Gospel lyrics. All genres of Gospel music are eligible.)
(Tie)
Blessed & Highly Favored
The Clark Sisters
Track from: Live - One Last Time, [EMI Gospel]

Category 52
Best Gospel Song
(A Songwriter(s) Award. For Song Eligibility Guidelines see Category #3. (Artist names appear in parentheses.) Singles or Tracks only.)
Blessed & Highly Favored
Karen Clark-Sheard, songwriter (The Clark Sisters)
Track from: Live - One Last Time, [EMI Gospel; Publisher: K. Sheard's Melody]

Category 56
Best Traditional Gospel Album
(For albums containing 51% or more playing time of VOCAL tracks.)
Live - One Last Time
The Clark Sisters, [EMI Gospel]

Category 61
Best Tropical Latin Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)
La Llave De Mi Corazón
Juan Luis Guerra, [EMI Televisa]

Category 62
Best Mexican/Mexican-American Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)
100% Mexicano
Pepe Aguilar, [EMI Televisa]

Category 82
Best Compilation Soundtrack Album For Motion Picture, Television Or Other Visual Media
(Award to the Artist(s) and/or Producer(s) of a majority of the tracks on the album, or to the individual(s) actively responsible for the concept and musical direction and for the selection of artists, songs and producers, as applicable.)
Love
(The Beatles)
George Martin & Giles Martin, producers, [Apple Records/Capitol Records]

Category 92
Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical
(An Engineer's Award. (Artists names appear in parentheses.)
Beauty & Crime
Tchad Blake, Cameron Craig, Emery Dobyns & Jimmy Hogarth, engineers (Suzanne Vega), [Blue Note]

Category 95
Best Surround Sound Album
(For vocal or instrumental albums. Albums only.)
Love
Paul Hicks, surround mix engineer; Tim Young, surround mastering engineer; George Martin & Giles Martin, surround producers (The Beatles), [Apple/Capitol Records]

Category 101
Best Choral Performance
(Award to the Choral Conductor, and to the Orchestra Conductor if an Orchestra is on the recording, and to the Choral Director or Chorus Master if applicable.)
Brahms: Ein Deutsches Requiem
Simon Rattle, conductor; Simon Halsey, chorus master (Thomas Quasthoff & Dorothea Röschmann; Rundfunkchor Berlin; Berliner Philharmoniker), [EMI Classics]

Lifetime Achievement Awards
The Band [Capitol Records]
Cab Calloway [EMI Music Publishing]



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