Los Angeles - Country band The Dixie Chicks, who riled many fans with their early criticism of the war in Iraq, were lauded by their fellow musicians Sunday as they won five Grammy Awards,
including the coveted song and record of the year prize for their defiant ballad Not Ready To Make Nice.
The female band dominated a night when the US music industry threw off its worries about plunging record sales to gather for its most prestigious awards show - the musical equivalent of the Oscars.
The opening of the show harked back to the heydays of rock as new- wave rockers The Police took the stage for only their second live public performance since they split in 1984.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we are The Police, and we are back!" frontman Sting shouted before launching into a rocking version of the band's first hit, Roxanne.
The band is expected to announce a 30th-anniversary reunion tour on Monday.
It looked like being a night for old timers as Stevie Wonder and Tony Bennet took the first prize in the televised part of the show, which screened only 11 of the 108 awards granted throughout the day.
But the show soon became contemporary as The Dixie Chicks won awards for best country performance by a band to put current politics in the spotlight. Introduced by pioneering protest singer Joan Baez,
who herself earned a lifetime achievement award Sunday, the Dixie Chicks won as much applause as The Police when they took the stage to perform the winning song.
Among the other winners at the Staples Centre in Los Angeles were the Red Hot Chili Peppers, including best rock song and best vocal performance for the hit single Dani California.
Leading contender Mary J Blige, with eight nominations, also won three with best R&B album for The Breakthrough, as well as R&B song and female R&B vocal performance for Be Without You.
Gnarls Barkley, also heavily favoured for its infectious hit Crazy, picked up two early awards including best alternative music album.
Rock icon Bob Dylan was another double winner as his new album Modern Times was named best contemporary folk-Americana album, and his song Someday Baby was named best solo rock vocal performance.
On Saturday, the Doors, the Grateful Dead, Joan Baez, Booker T and the MGs, Ornette Coleman, Maria Callas and Bob Wills were given Lifetime Achievement Awards.
Other winners included Christina Aguilera, Beyonce, Carrie Underwood, Justin Timberlake and Timbaland, The Black Eyed Peas, Tony Bennet and Stevie Wonder, Pharrell Williams, John Legend and Madonna.
The awards show comes as the music industry continues to suffer from a drastic drop in CD sales as fans turn to the internet for music.
Global CD sales are down 23 per cent since 2000 as an estimated 1 billion songs are downloaded for free from the internet every month, while major record companies are reporting steep drops in sales,
profits and share prices.
