Blige takes tearful Grammy spotlight

Mary J. Blige accepts the award for best female R&B vocal performance for 'Be Without You' at the 49th Annual Grammy Awards on Sunday, Feb. 11, 2007, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

LOS ANGELES - The Grammys took on an old-school feel Sunday night as Mary J. Blige and the Red Hot Chili Peppers each won three trophies.

Blige, the overall nominations leader with eight, won best R&B album for "The Breakthrough," her double-platinum triumph, plus best female R&B performance and R&B song for "Be Without You."

A tearful Blige said her album "has not only shown that I am a musician and an artist and a writer, it also shows I am growing into a better human being."

"Tonight we celebrate the better human being because for so many years, I've been talked about negatively," said Blige, who during her 15-year career has often discussed her past substance and self-esteem problems. "But this time I've been talked about positively by so many people."

The Chili Peppers' double album, "Stadium Arcadium," was a triple winner, including best rock song and rock performance by a duo or group for "Dani California."

The show kicked off with a retro feel as the Police, who are reuniting for a tour, gave a much-anticipated performance. Soon afterward, Tony Bennett and Stevie Wonder, who dueted on a remake of Wonder's "For Once In My Life," beat out two of the year's biggest songs, Nelly Furtado and Timbaland's "Promiscuous" and Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy," for best pop vocal collaboration.

Among the double winners were John Mayer, T.I. and comeback darlings the Dixie Chicks, who won the coveted song of the year honors for their angry tome "Not Ready to Make Nice." It was written in the aftermath of the country music backlash over lead singer Natalie Maines' 2003 criticism of President Bush.

"For the first time in my life I'm speechless," laughed Maines on the podium.

Carrie Underwood won best female country vocal performance for "Jesus Take the Wheel."

"This is my first Grammy! Hopefully the first of a few more," said Underwood, the 2005 "American Idol" champ, who also singled out "Idol" creator Simon Fuller in her acceptance speech. (Last year, another "Idol" champ, Kelly Clarkson, was scolded for not paying tribute to her "Idol" roots.)

The Dixie Chicks were up for album of the year along with Justin Timberlake for his futuristic club disc "FutureSex/LoveSounds"; Mayer's "Continuum"; the Chili Peppers' "Stadium Arcadium"; and "St. Elsewhere" from the "Crazy" duo Gnarls Barkley.

The Recording Academy, now in its 49th year, was hoping to inject more excitement into the show with its contest, "My Grammy Moment," in which three women were contending for the chance to sing onstage with Timberlake during his performance; the winner was to be determined by viewers and revealed during the show.