Chris Brown performs during the 54th annual Grammy Awards on Sunday, Feb. 12, 2012 in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles)
Chris Brown performs during the 54th annual Grammy Awards on Sunday, Feb. 12, 2012 in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles)
LL Cool J speaks onstage during the 54th annual Grammy Awards on Sunday, Feb. 12, 2012 in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles)
Adele accepts the award for best pop solo performance for "Someone Like You" during the 54th annual Grammy Awards on Sunday, Feb. 12, 2012 in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles)
A woman arriving for tonight's Grammy awards looks at a Grammy sidewalk plaque, honoring Whitney Houston's wins for Record of the Year and Album of the Year in 36th Grammy Awards, outside the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles, Feb. 12, 2012.?Houston died Saturday, Feb. 11, 2012, on the eve of the 54th Grammys, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, where she was preparing to attend a pre-Grammy party. She was 48. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)
Melanie Fiona accepts the award for traditional R&B performance at the 54th annual GRAMMY Awards pre-show on Sunday, Feb. 12, 2012 in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles)
LOS ANGELES (AP) ? The Grammys got underway Sunday as The Recording Academy grappled with the task of paying tribute to one of their fallen greats, Whitney Houston, while at the same time honoring the best in music, from the irreverent to the poignant.
It was a delicate balance. The show started off with Bruce Springsteen, complete with a string section, performing his new song "We Take Care of Our Own," a rousing song that references the troubles of the nation.
But soon after, a somber LL Cool J, the show's host, appeared in black, and told the audience: "There is no way around this. We've had a death in our family."
He then led the audience in prayer to "our fallen sister, Whitney Houston.
"Heavenly father, we thank you for sharing our sister Whitney with us," he said, as celebrities like Lady Gaga and Miranda Lambert bowed their heads in prayer. "Though she is gone too soon, we remain truly blessed to have been touched by her beautiful spirit."
He then introduced a clip of a glowing Houston singing one of her best-known songs, "I Will Always Love You." LL Cool said afterward: "Whitney, we will always love you."
In his performance of "Runaway Baby," Bruno Mars also mentioned the death: "Tonight we're celebrating. Tonight we're celebrating the beautiful Miss Whitney Houston."
Houston died on the eve of the Grammys at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, where she was preparing to attend a pre-Grammy party. Before the death of one of pop music's most important figures, the pre-Grammy buzz focused on whether Adele ? 2011's top-selling artist and set to make her first public performance on the show since having vocal cord surgery ? would be the queen of the Grammys. Although Kanye West led all nominees with seven and Bruno Mars and the Foo Fighters tied Adele with six nominations, she was favored to sweep all of her categories.
As show time neared, the focus remained on Houston's death. A tribute to Houston featuring Jennifer Hudson was to take place during the main ceremony.
Still, there was celebration of the night's winners. The Foo Fighters and Kanye West were among the night's early winners with four each, and Adele won the first award on the telecast, and her third for the evening: best pop solo performance for "Someone Like You."
Adele gave a brief speech which in part referenced the vocal ailment that forced her to cancel her tour and keep a low profile for much of last year, despite her blockbuster success.
"I can't believe I'm getting emotional already," she said. "And seeing as it's a vocal performance, I need to thank my doctors, I suppose, who brought my voice back."
The Grammys did their best to keep a tone that balanced the many moods of the night: The Foo Fighters performed in a tent outside the Staples Center, where the awards were being held, amid a throng of bouncing fans; but moments earlier, Alicia Keys and Bonnie Raitt paid tribute to Etta James, the legend who died last month.
The show marked the first time Rihanna and Brown have appeared at the same awards show since his attack on her three years ago ? also on the eve of the Grammys ? forced both to drop out of the show and led to an assault conviction for Brown. It almost derailed his career, but 2011 marked a huge comeback, and he was rewarded with a Grammy performance slot on Sunday night's CBS broadcast that focused more on his stunning dance moves than his singing (he appeared to lip-synch his entire performance).
Rihanna is also a nominee, up for album of the year. She is competing with Adele's "21," Mars' "Doo-Woops & Hooligans," the Foo Fighters' "Wasting Light" and Lady Gaga's "Born This Way."
Adele's "Rolling in the Deep" is nominated for record and song of the year. Both categories also include Bon Iver's "Holocene," Mumford & Sons "The Cave," and Mars' "Grenade." Katy Perry's "Firework" is up for record of the year but instead of that song, West's "All of the Lights" takes the remaining position in the song of the year category.
The ceremony also marks the first since a major overhaul of the categories last year: They were trimmed from 109 to 78.
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Online: http://www.grammys.com
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Nekesa Mumbi Moody is the AP's Music Editor. Follow her at http://www.twitter.com/nekesamumbi
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