Steely Dan upstages Eminem for top album

"Just because we've been around so long, they had to give us something, I guess," Steely Dan's Walter Becker said backstage.

U2 also won three awards, including the prestigious song and record of the year for "Beautiful Day."

"It's a very unique emotion I'm feeling right now. I think it's called humility," said U2's Bono, who added that fellow nominee Macy Gray and others should share the band's award. "I'm completely not used to it."

Hill won three awards, including best country album. Her "Breathe" won best country vocal performance and her duet with her husband, Tim McGraw, won best country collaboration with vocals.

"Wow! ... Oh, I cannot believe this," Hill said. "I would like to thank my mom and dad for allowing me to go to my first concert when I was 8 years old to Elvis Presley."

D'Angelo and Destiny's Child won two Grammys apiece.

D'Angelo's "Voodoo" won best R&B album and his song, "Untitled (How Does It Feel)" won best male R&B vocal performance. Destiny's Child "Say My Name" won best R&B song and best R&B performance by a group.

Steely Dan also won best pop album for "Two Against Nature," their first disc in 19 years, as well as best pop vocal performance by a group for "Cousin Dupree." (The group's album "Two Against Nature," also received a nonperformance award, for best engineered album in the non-classical category.)

Eminem -- the target of 100 protesters outside the awards show -- was honored for best solo rap performance, best rap album and best rap performance by a duo or group for his collaboration with his mentor and producer, Dr. Dre.

"I want to thank everybody who could look past the controversy and see the album for what it was -- and for what it wasn't," he said.

Eminem's nomination for album of the year for "The Marshall Mathers LP" drew the most controversy. The album, which has sold nearly 8 million copies, denigrates homosexuals, describes the murder of his wife and has a rape fantasy involving Eminem's mother.

Elton John came under intense criticism from gay activists for agreeing to perform with the 28-year-old rapper during the Grammy show.

Their duet, on Eminem's song "Stan," included three expletives while others were cut.

John, who had said earlier he didn't take Eminem's anti-gay lyrics seriously, embraced his fellow performer after the song, which was the final performance of Wednesday's three-hour telecast and led up to the album of the year award.

The controversy, and the evening's diverse group of nominees, promised to drive up viewership for the annual awards show.

Madonna lost out on the best female pop vocal Grammy; the award went to Gray for "I Try." In fact, Madonna was shut out of the three categories she was nominated in, along with boy band 'N Sync, who had last year's best-selling album, "No Strings Attached."

There were 100 Grammy categories this year. Unlike last year, when Santana walked away with a record-tying eight awards, no artist dominated.

Dr. Dre, and the R&B trio Destiny's Child led all nominations with five each. Dr. Dre picked up one award, for best producer.

Two of the fired members of Destiny's Child could have appeared on stage with the now-trio when they picked up their two Grammys, but did not. Lead singer Beyonce Knowles briefly alluded to the group's lineup drama when she thanked replacement Michelle Williams "for blessing Destiny's Child."

Jennifer Lopez, who provided the Grammys' most memorable moment last year with her navel-plunging Versace dress, was not present, but the spirit of her dress was there with Toni Braxton's eye-popping silver Richard Tyler frock. Program host Jon Stewart joked that Braxton was wearing his lost scarf.

Over the past several years, the Grammys -- criticized for ignoring artists in their time -- have tried to bring the nominations in tune with critical tastes. Eminem's album won mostly raves from critics.

"The bottom line is that this is the ultimate test of Grammy hipness," said Tom O'Neil, author of the book "The Grammys."

The academy and many musicians who defended Eminem 's nominations cited his right to free expression.

The strongest campaign against him was organized by the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, which protested against him outside the Staples Center, site of the Grammy awards. Other protesters included members of the National Organization for Women.<