By NEKESA MUMBI MOODY, AP MUSIC WRITER
Mariah Carey was making up for lost Grammys Wednesday night, winning three trophies in the early going.
In the 16 years since Mariah Carey won the best new artist Grammy in 1990, she has more than lived up to the award's promise as one of the most successful recording artists in history. Yet despite a slew of blockbuster albums and megahit singles, her Grammy total never increased.
That finally changed Wednesday. She won three in the pre-telecast ceremony and had the opportunity to win four more, which means she could make history as the first female artist to win six or more in a single evening. (Norah Jones, Beyonce, Alicia Keys and Lauryn Hill each won five.)
On the red carpet (which was actually green), suavely suited rappers mingled with ripped-jeans rockers. Cheers went up from fans every time anyone, recognizable or not, walked by.
One of the early arrivals was India.Arie, nominated for a Grammy with Stevie Wonder for pop collaboration with vocals on Wonder's "A Time to Love."
"Whether we win tonight -- and it wouldbe nice if we did -- I was nominated for a Grammy with StevieWonder," India.Arie said. "That's an award in and of itself."
Carey won best contemporary R&Balbum for "The Emancipation of Mimi," best R&B song for "WeBelong Together" and best female R&B vocal performance for thesame tune. John Legend was also an early winner, beating outWonder, Keys, Fantasia and Earth, Wind & Fire to snag bestR&B album for his platinum debut, "Get Lifted." Neither Careyor Legend were on hand to receive their awards during the ceremony,which few celebrities attend.
Other winners included Damian Marley,the son of reggae legend Bob, who won best reggae album and besturban/alternative performance for "Welcome to Jamrock," hisbreakout album and hit of the same name.
"This is new ground for reggae," Marleysaid as he accepted his award.
Carey was clearly the leading favoriteheading into the music industry's most celebrated evening,nominated in the most prestigious categories, including record andsong of the year for her torch ballad "We Belong Together," theyear's most popular song, and for album of the year for "TheEmancipation of Mimi," 2005's best-selling album.
But Carey faced tough competition: Forrecord of the year, her fellow nominees included West's "GoldDigger," the Ray Charles-inspired hit about money-hungry gals; thepoignant "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" from Green Day; GwenStefani's undeniably catchy "Hollaback Girl"; and the funky "FeelGood Inc." from the cartoon-fronted band, the Gorillaz.
The album of the year category also hadstrong contenders. West, nominated last year for his groundbreakingrap debut "The College Dropout," was nominated for a second timefor "Late Registration"; U2 for "How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb";Stefani for her kitschy solo debut, "Love. Angel. Music. Baby.";and Paul McCartney for "Chaos and Creation in the Backyard."
