Yes, yes, yes

'Rehab' works for Amy Winehouse, who took the night with a near sweep - until Herbie Hancock snagged best album in a last-minute shocker

In London, where she appeared via satellite, Amy Winehouse celebrates her record of the year win with her mother Janis Winehouse. The singer grabbed five awards. (Getty Images / Kevin Winter)

As she tries to clean up her personal life, Amy Winehouse certainly cleaned up at the 50th annual Grammy Awards last night.

The troubled British songbird has been battling substance abuse in a rehabilitation center in England and was forced to perform live via satellite from London after receiving a visa too late to make the ceremony at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

That didn't stop Winehouse from nearly sweeping the awards, winning five of the six trophies for which she was nominated, including three of the big four: song and record of the year for "Rehab" and best new artist. The beehived singer also won best female pop vocal and best pop vocal album for "Back to Black" in the pre-telecast.

Winehouse bested impressive competition in every category from several popular multiple nominees, including Kanye West, who led the night with eight nominations. He won four.

The only thing corking Winehouse's juggernaut was jazz pianist Herbie Hancock's "River: The Joni Letters," which was a surprise winner for album of the year.

"You know, it's been 43 years since the first and only time that a jazz artist got the album of the year award," a clearly pleased and shocked Hancock said, referring to "Getz/Gilberto," by Stan Getz and Joao Gilberto.

Hancock's triumph for his star-studded tribute to Joni Mitchell notwithstanding, this was Winehouse's night. At roughly 3:45 a.m. London-time, a thin but healthier-looking Winehouse took the stage at an intimate venue in front of a small audience to perform a medley of her songs "You Know I'm No Good" and "Rehab."

While there was something perverse about watching the fidgety vocalist perform her defiant hit about refusing to go to rehab while actually on leave from rehab, she gave her all to both numbers, inserting the name of her incarcerated husband, Blake Fielder-Civil, into the lyrics of "Rehab."

Shortly after her performance, Winehouse won record of the year, and the stunned look on her face upon hearing the news was poignant. As she hugged and thanked her band members and parents, she again mentioned her husband.

Even West, always a combustible awards show presence and the night's other big winner, acknowledged Winehouse's accomplishments, saying she and her producer, Mark Ronson, were as deserving of the album of the year trophy as he was. Ironically, neither won. Ronson, however, did win for producer of the year (non-classical) for his work with Winehouse, Lily Allen, and others last year.

West's own performance, part dance party spectacle and part emotional tribute to his recently deceased mother, was equally riveting. The Chicago-bred rhymer dominated the rap categories, picking up four trophies: best rap album for "Graduation," best rap solo performance for "Stronger," best rap song for "Good Life" featuring T-Pain, and best rap performance by a duo or group for "Southside," his collaboration with Common. This is the third time West has been nominated for album of the year and walked away with trophies in only the rap categories.

Teen phenom Rihanna was saved from a shutout for her ubiquitous hit single, "Umbrella," by winning best rap-sung collaboration.

With only 10 of the 110 miniature gramophones to hand out during the ceremony itself, the focus was on performances. The show was very nostalgic overall, often featured unusual pairings that celebrated the Grammys' half-century history. iOpening the broadcast from beyond the grave, Frank Sinatra performed a surprisingly swinging but creepy duet with Alicia Keys on "Learnin' the Blues."

Keys then won the first award of the evening for best R&B female vocal for her hit single "No One."

Tom Hanks introduced an elaborate performance segment that feted the Beatles, featuring the cast of the film "Across the Universe," as well acrobats and dancers from Cirque du Soleil's Beatles tribute show, "Love." Beatles producer George Martin and his son Giles picked up the award for best soundtrack for the latter.

With a musical introduction from Beyoncé, rock legend Tina Turner got down to a medley of her '80s comeback hits, "What's Love Got to Do With It?" and "Better Be Good to Me." The two divas then paired up for a "nice and rough" version of "Proud Mary."

Rihanna joined up with Minneapolis funkateers the Time - including Recording Academy chairman Jimmy Jam on keytar - for a mash-up of her "Umbrella" and their hit "Jungle Love," from the movie "Purple Rain." And in an even odder pairing, Kid Rock later joined 75-year-old cabaret singer Keely Smith for an awkward duet of "That Old Black Magic," with Dave Koz backing them on saxophone.

More sensible was the trio of rock 'n' roll legends Little Richard, John Fogerty, and Jerry Lee Lewis bashing out their hits. A grouping of gospel stars, including Trin-i-Tee 5:7, Aretha Franklin, and the Clark Sisters teamed up for a rousing devotional medley.

Hancock not only walked away with the night's big prize, but also scored best contemporary jazz album and drew a standing ovation for his live duet with classical pianist Lang Lang on Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue."

Besides Winehouse, West, and Hancock, several other artists walked away multiple winners from the pre-telecast ceremony, including best hard rock performance and best rock album winners Foo Fighters. On the show, the band performed "The Pretender" with a violinist who won an "Idol"-like online competition.

Justin Timberlake extended the life of his 2006 album, "FutureSex/LoveSounds," winning a pair of awards for best male pop vocal performance for "What Goes Around . . . Comes Around" and best dance recording for "Lovestoned/I Think She Knows."

And though he may have been snubbed in the major categories, Bruce Springsteen took three trophies in the rock categories, two connected to his album "Magic" and one for best rock instrumental for his contribution to an Ennio Morricone tribute album.

In this campaign season at least one political headline came out of the Grammys as Obama beat Clinton. That is, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama bested former president Bill Clinton in the best spoken-word album category with the recording of his book "The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream." In a shoutout during his show-closing acceptance speech, Hancock quoted one of Obama's campaign slogans: "Yes We Can."

Locally, the Boston Symphony Orchestra was recognized in association with Lorraine Hunt Lieberson's win for best classical vocal performance.

Correction: Because of reporting errors, a review of the Grammy awards in Monday's Living/Arts section mistakenly said the gospel group Mary Mary appeared on the show. The article also misspelled the name of the group Trin-I-Tee 5:7.

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