LOS ANGELES (RNN) - Adele single-handedly breathed new life into the record industry with the release of her sophomore album 21, and a collective "thank you" was showered upon her Sunday, as she became the Grammy's first "triple crown" victor in six years.
"This is a record inspired by something that is really normal, and everyone's been through it. It's just a rubbish relationship," a teary-eyed Adele said as her album was named the best of the year.
The recording artist won song and record of the year accolades for her No. 1 smash single "Rolling in the Deep." She also captured the evening's most prestigious honor - the album of the year award - for 21, making her the first artist since the Dixie Chicks in 2006 to win all three of Grammy's major awards in the same competition year.
[Click here to view a complete list of winners at the 2012 Grammy Awards.]
21 was the rare artistic triumph that was as commercially successful as it was critically acclaimed, reaching the tops of charts worldwide. At its core it is a collection of love songs - tunes that have touched the souls of the millions who continue to pick it up off of store shelves.
The singer was the night's big victor, winning six pieces of Grammy hardware in total. "Deep" also took an accolade for best short form music video and 21 for best pop vocal album. Adele's heartbreaking "Someone Like You" won for best pop vocal performance, beating out the likes of Bruno Mars and Pink.
Adele also sang live for the first time since undergoing surgery in November. An absolutely effortless vocal of "Deep" proved why the song was the best of the past year and erased all fears that the singer's voice might have been damaged when a polyp on her vocal chord hemorrhaged.
Still there was one woman who upstaged Adele's comeback performance: singer-actress Jennifer Hudson, who on an eve's notice was tapped to perform a musical remembrance to the iconic Whitney Houston.
After the Grammy's in memoriam segment played, a lone spotlight came up on Hudson, who opened Houston's signature song, "I Will Always Love You," a cappella. The vocal was so gut-wrenching that the collective grief of the entire recording industry could be felt among its spot-on phrasing.
In addition to Adele and Hudson, Sunday night's show featured an all-star line-up, including Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Katy Perry, Bruno Mars, Taylor Swift and Nicki Minaj. Alicia Keys and Bonnie Raitt paid tribute to the late Etta James.
For the telecast, the Beach Boys also successfully reunited for the first time in two decades alongside Grammy nominees Foster the People and Maroon 5.
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British singer Adele’s sophomore album '21' was showered Sunday with six Grammy awards. (Source: The Recording Academy/CBS/CNN)
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