Los Angeles - Country band The Dixie Chicks, who riled many fans with their early criticism of the war in Iraq, won five Grammy Awards, including the coveted song, album and record of the year prizes for their defiant ballad Not Ready To Make Nice and the album Taking the Long Way Home.
The clean sweep Sunday night made the Texan trio, who have sold more than 30 million albums, the first all-female band to win the three top awards and the first artists to do so since Eric Clapton achieved the feat 14 years ago.
The opening of the biggest night in the music year harkened back to the heyday of rock as the new-wave band The Police took the stage for their second live public performance since they split in 1984.
'Ladies and gentlemen, we are The Police, and we're back!' frontman Sting shouted before launching into a rocking version of the band's first hit, Roxanne.
The band was expected to announce a 30th-anniversary reunion tour on Monday.
It looked like being a night for old timers as Stevie Wonder and Tony Bennett took the first prize in the televised part of the show, which screened only 11 of the 108 awards granted throughout the day.
But the show soon became contemporary as The Dixie Chicks won for best country performance by a band and put politics into the spotlight. Introduced by pioneering protest singer Joan Baez, who herself earned a lifetime achievement award Sunday, the Dixie Chicks won as much applause as The Police when they took the stage to perform their winning song.
'I think people are using their freedom of speech here tonight with all of these awards. We get the message,' singer Natalie Maines said after the band won its fifth Grammy, album of the year for 'Taking the Long Way Home.'
It was fitting for Maines to sum up the meaning of the band's amazing night and the changing political climate in the United States. She was the one who launched the controversy and exposed the band to vilification, boycotts and even death threats with her comments in London in October 2003: 'Just so you know, we're ashamed the president of the United States is from Texas.'
Among the other winners at the Staples Centre in Los Angeles were the Red Hot Chili Peppers who won three trophies, including for best rock song and best vocal performance for the hit single Dani California.
Leading contender Mary J Blige, with eight nominations, also won three with best rhythm and blues album for The Breakthrough, as well as best R&B song and female R&B vocal performance for Be Without You.
Gnarls Barkley, also heavily favoured for its infectious hit Crazy, picked up two early awards, including best alternative music album.
Rock icon Bob Dylan was another double winner as his new album Modern Times was named best contemporary folk-Americana album, and his song Someday Baby was named best solo rock vocal performance.
On Saturday, the Doors, the Grateful Dead, Joan Baez, Booker T and the MGs, Ornette Coleman, Maria Callas and Bob Wills were given Lifetime Achievement Awards.
Other winners included Christina Aguilera, Beyonce, Carrie Underwood, Justin Timberlake and Timbaland, The Black Eyed Peas, Tony Bennet and Stevie Wonder, Pharrell Williams, John Legend and Madonna.
The awards show was held as the music industry continues to suffer from a drastic drop in CD sales as fans turn to the internet for music.
Global CD sales have been down 23 per cent since 2000 as an estimated 1 billion songs are downloaded for free from the internet every month while major record companies are reporting steep drops in sales, profits and share prices.
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur 
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