'Smooth' Grammy Sweep
Some people called it the 42nd Annual Grammy Awards ceremony, but CBS News Early Show Entertainment Reporter Mark McEwen is calling it the coronation of Carlos Santana.
Santana, 52, took home eight golden statues, and when he took center stage with Rob Thomas, the song Smooth became the soundtrack for this year's Grammys. Santana tied Michael Jackson's 1983 record of most Grammys on a single night.
And how did it feel to win that big?
"I feel an enormous oneness with angels," said Santana. "I feel the energies of angels motivating not only Mr. Clive Davis, but my wife and everyone that participated in this CD, motivating us to create a masterpiece of joy."
| A Dramatic Comeback Learn how Carlos Santana's personal growth helped spawn the new album. |
Song of the Year winner Thomas was still in a daze when he spoke to McEwen after accepting his trophy.
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| Rob Thomas |
Another nominee whose career began in the 1960s, Cher, won her first Grammy for dance recording. She enjoyed her biggest commercial success last year with the hit single Believe.
In a mild upset, Christina Aguilera beat out her fellow teen queen and former Mousketeer, Britney Spears, for the Grammy as best new artist. Even she was surprised.
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| Christina Aguilera |
She told McEwen she was excited nough to be nominated and to attend the ceremonies. "But to win's a different story," she added. "To feel that thing in your hand. Sarah McLachlan passed it down to me. I was, just, 'Am I living this right now?' It was incredible."
Feuding soul divas TLC picked up two Grammys -- for best rhythm 'n' blues performance by a group for their frank put-down of men, "No Scrubs," and best R&B album for Fanmail. "No Scrubs" was also named best R&B song.
Sting sprang an upset in the male pop vocal category with a victory for "Brand New Day,'' beating out younger, Latin-influenced singers Marc Anthony and Ricky Martin.
"I felt the talent I was up against was extraordinary," said Sting, who also won for pop album. "I have 14 Grammys now and a very large mantlepiece."
Country's leading ladies, the Dixie Chicks and Shania Twain, won two Grammys apiece. George Jones, who had a near-fatal traffic wreck last year, won male country vocal for "Choices.''
"We all feel really lucky," Dixie Chicks lead singer Natalie Maines said backstage. "The second album on a major label and to have both of them acknowledged by the Grammys is unbelievable."
Tony Bennett, a familiar winner in the traditional pop vocal performance category, was honored with his ninth Grammy for his tribute to Duke Ellington.
| Santana Raps on Music The Early Show's Mark McEwen discussed Supernatural and its hit song "Smooth" with Carlos Santana. |
Santana, whose only previous Grammy win came in 1988, joined Eric Clapton and Bonnie Raitt as artists who were largely ignored for years by voters and then made major Grammy hauls. Clapton won six awards in 1992 and Raitt got three in 1989.
Santana's success in 1999 came amid a teen-age explosion in pop music. Backstreet Boys, 'N Sync and Spears had three of the year's four best-selling albums.
Diana Krall, the jazz singer-pianist who garners nearly as much attention for her striking blond appearance, won for jazz vocal performance for "When I Look in Your Eyes.''
Harry Belafonte, Woody Guthrie, John Lee Hooker, Mitch Miller and Willie Nelson received Lifetime Achievement Awards from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.
Clive Davis, who launched the careers of Santana, Whitney Houston and Bruce Springsteen and is president and founder of Arista Records, and Phil Spector, whose famed "wall of sound'' defined rock music of the 1960s, were presented with Trustees Awards.
Whitney Houston not only performed during the telecast, but she also won a Grmmy for Female R&B Vocal Performance. She admitted to McEwen that she still gets nervous before each performance.
"I do," she said, "because I want things to go right. I'm a perfectionist, when comes to things like that. That means from the monitors to the dance steps, to the little intricate things. I'm like that."
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| David Duchovny, Jennifer Lopez and the DRESS |
"That dress was a knockout," said presenter Michael Clarke Duncan, who is up for an Oscar next month for his role in The Green Mile. "You can't help but to look."