Queen received the “Best Reissue” award for the remastered reissues of their final five albums: “The Works,” “A Kind of Magic,” “The Miracle,” “Innuendo” and “Made in Heaven.”

Roger Waters’ received the Event of the Year award for his “The Wall Live Tour” which continues with another North American leg next year.

The Classic Album award went to The Who for “Quadrophenia,” a week in advance of the highly anticipated “Quadrophenia: The Director’s Cut” release.

Deep Purple received The Innovator Award for their contribution to music and Jeff Beck was presented with The Living Legend award by Queen drummer, Roger Taylor.

Here’s the full list of award winners:

• Event of the Year – Roger Waters’ “The Wall Live Tour”
• Breakthrough Act of the Year – Black Country Communion
• The Spirit of Prog – Jethro Tull
• The Innovator Award – Deep Purple
• Musicians’ Union Maestro Award – Steve Winwood
• Tommy Vance Inspiration award – Steve Marriott
• Classic Songwriter – Manic Street Preachers
• Outstanding Contribution – Bob Ezrin
• Metal Guru Award -The Scorpions
• Classic Album Award – The Who “Quadrophenia”
• VIP Award – Baron Wolman
• Best New Band – Vintage Trouble
• Album of the Year – Michael Monroe for “Sensory Overdrive”
• Re-issue of the Year – Queen for reissues of their final five albums
• Film/DVD Award – Lemmy for “Lemmy”
• Band of the Year – Foo Fighters
• The Living Legend Award – Jeff Beck.

The weekend will continue with an eclectic mix of artists, old and new. Foo Fighters will headline the main stage tomorrow night, following performances from Pulp, Iggy and the Stooges, Mike & The Mechanics, Seasick Steve, Hurts, Stornoway and Lissie. The Big Top Stage on Saturday will feature Tom Jones, The British Pink Floyd Show, Tinie Tempah, The Cult, Parade, Wild Beasts, The Vaccines, Semi Precious Weapons and The Like.

Kasabian are the main stage headliners on Sunday night. Also performing will be Liam Gallagher’s band Beady Eye, The Script, Plan B, Pixie Lott, Two Door Cinema Club, James Walsh, Stu Collins and Jeff Beck. The Big Top line-up on Sunday includes the Manic Street Preachers, Public Image Limited, Cast, Hadouken!, Nick Lowe, Brother, Various Cruelties and Springbok Nude Girls.

Sky Television is broadcasting highlights of the Festival over the weekend on Sky Arts 1/HD and also on Sky 3D.

Country group Lady Antebellum were the big winners, picking up five awards for “Need You Now”, including Record of the Year and Song of the Year. Album of the Year went to Arcade Fire for “The Suburbs” which had lost out to The Black Keys’ “Brothers” in the Best Alternative Music Album category.

Jay-Z was another big winner with three awards, including Best Rap Song and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for “Empire State of Mind.” Lady Gaga won Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for “Bad Romance” and Best Pop Vocal Album for “The Fame Monster.” Her “Bad Romance” video also won in the Best Short Form Music Video category, beating Johnny Cash’s “Ain’t No Grave/The Johnny Cash Project” from the album “American VI: Ain’t No Grave.” Lady Gaga quite bizarrelly arrived at the event inside a giant egg which was carried down the red carpet by several attendants. I’ll let you decide whether this was tedious and gimmicky or a great artistic statement.

Jeff Beck had received five nominations and won in the following three categories:

• Best Pop Instrumental Performance – “Nessun Dorma”
• Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals – “Imagine” from “The Imagine Project” (nominated with Herbie Hancock, Pink, India.Arie, Seal, Konono No 1 and Oumou Sangare)
• Best Rock Instrumental Performance – “Hammerhead” from “Emotion & Commotion.”

Paul McCartney won Best Solo Rock Vocal for a live version of “Helter Skelter” from his album “Good Evening New York City.” This was McCartney’s first solo Grammy in 39 years. The category was dominated by veteran artists, namely Eric Clapton for “Run Back to Your Side”, Neil Young for “Angry World” and Robert Plant for “Silver Rider.” Plant was also out of luck in the Best Americana Album category, with his critically-acclaimed “Band Of Joy” eclipsed by Mavis Staples’ “You Are Not Alone.” Young had more success, with his “Angry World” winning Best Rock Song. Neil Young had never before won a Grammy for a musical performance.

Best Historical Album went to “The Beatles (The Original Studio Recordings)” mono set, which did well to beat out the excellent Buddy Holly box set “Not Fade Away: The Complete Studio Recordings and More.“

Buddy Guy won the Grammy for Best Contemporary Blues Album for “Living Proof” in a category that included the late Solomon Burke. Burke was not forgotten during the ceremony though. Mick Jagger paid tribute to the soul legend by singing his classic “Everybody Needs Somebody to Love.” The Rolling Stones had covered the song in 1965 on their second UK album “The Rolling Stones No. 2.”

Michael Jackson received a Best Male Pop Vocal Performance nomination for “This Is It” but lost out to Bruno Mars for “Just The Way You Are.”

The Doors documentary, “When You’re Strange”, picked up the award for Best Long Form Music Video. The competition had included the popular “Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage.”

Folk legend Pete Seeger, aged 91, won Best Musical Album For Children for “Tomorrow’s Children.” He was not the most senior of the winners though as Pinetop Perkins, aged 97, won the Best Traditional Blues Album award for “Joined At The Hip.”

There were also lifetime achievement awards for Dolly Parton, Julie Andrews, Roy Haynes, the Juilliard String Quartet, the Kingston Trio, the Ramones and George Beverly Shea. Julie Andrews also won the Best Spoken Word Album For Children award for “Julie Andrews’ Collection Of Poems, Songs, And Lullabies.”

As usual, there was an eclectic mix of performances during the Grammys ceremony, with all five Album of the Year and Best New Artist nominees performing, including Arcade Fire, Eminem (with Dr Dre), Lady Antebellum, Lady Gaga, Kate Perry, Esperanza Spalding, Justin Bieber (with Usher and Jaden Smith), Drake, Florence + the Machine, and Mumford & Sons. The latter category was won by jazz artists Esperanza Spalding, not the hugely popular Bieber.

Yolanda Adams, Christina Aguilera, Jennifer Hudson, Martina McBride and Florence Welch sang a special tribute to Aretha Franklin – described as a “get well card” by the producer – which closed with a high-powered singalong on “Sisters Are Doing It For Themselves.” A more subtle performance was delivered by Norah Jones, Keith Urban and John Mayer who sang “Jolene” in tribute to Dolly Parton.

There were also appearances from Bob Dylan, who played harmonica with Best New Artist nominee Mumford & Sons, and from Barbra Streisand, who sang her 1976 classic “Evergreen.” Streisand was this year’s recipient of the MusiCares Person of the Year award, which recognised her accomplishments as an artist and humanitarian.

Click here to view the complete list of Grammy Award winners.

Ahead of Beck in this year’s nominations are Eminem with 10; Bruno Mars with seven; and Jay-Z, Lady Antebellum, and Lady Gaga each with six.

Jeff Beck is nominated for:

• Best Rock Album for “Emotion & Commotion”
• Best Pop Instrumental Performance for “Nessun Dorma” from “Emotion & Commotion”
• Best Rock Instrumental Performance for “Hammerhead” from “Emotion & Commotion”
• Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals for “Imagine” from “The Imagine Project” (nominated with Herbie Hancock, Pink, India.Arie, Seal, Konono No 1 and Oumou Sangare)
• Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals for “I Put a Spell On You” from “Emotion & Commotion” (nominated with Joss Stone).

Nominations for Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance are dominated by older artists, including:

• Eric Clapton for “Run Back To Your Side” from “Clapton”
• Paul McCartney for “Helter Skelter” from “Good Evening New York City”
• Neil Young for “Angry World” from “Le Noise.” “Angry Noise” is also nominated for Best Rock Song
• Robert Plant for “Silver Rider” from “Band of Joy.” Plant’s “Band of Joy” is also nominated for Best Americana Album, with competition from Willie Nelson, Rosanne Cash, Los Lobos and Mavis Staples.

There are also nominations for:

• Michael Jackson – Best Pop Vocal for “This Is It”
• Robby Krieger (former member of The Doors) – Best Pop Instrumental Album for “Singularity”
• Rod Stewart – Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album for “Fly Me To The Moon. The Great American Songbook: Volume V”
• Solomon Burke – Best Contemporary Blues Album for “Nothing’s Impossible”
• Buddy Guy – Best Contemporary Blues Album for “Living Proof.”

The excellent Buddy Holly box set, “Not Fade Away: The Complete Studio Recordings and More“, is nominated for Best Historical Album. Those expecting to see the new Springsteen, Lennon, Dylan, Elvis or Hendrix sets competing in this category will have to wait until next year’s nominations as they missed the deadline for inclusion.

Nominees for the Best Long Form Music Video include “When You’re Strange” and “Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage.”

Johnny Cash’s “Ain’t No Grave/The Johnny Cash Project” from the album “American VI: Ain’t No Grave” will fight it out for Best Short Form Music Video with Lady Gaga; Cee Lo Green; Gorillaz, Mos Def & Bobby Womack; and Eminem & Rihanna.

The Album of the Year, Record of the Year and Song of the Year nominations are as follows:

Album of the Year

• “Recovery” – Eminem
• “Need You Now” – Lady Antebellum
• “The Fame Monster” – Lady Gaga
• “Teenage Dream” – Katy Perry
• “The Suburbs” – Arcade Fire.

Record of the Year

• “Love the Way You Lie” – Eminem & Rihanna
• “Nothin’ on You” – B.o.B & Bruno Mars
• “Empire State of Mind” – Jay-Z & Alicia Keys
• “Need You Now” – Lady Antebellum
• “F**k You” – Cee Lo Green.

Song of the Year

A full list of nominees in the 109 (yes 109!) categories is available on the Grammy Awards website.

The 53rd Grammy Awards airs live from L.A.’s Staples Center on Sunday, February 13, 2011 at 8 pm on CBS.

“Emotion and Commotion” is Jeff Beck’s first album in seven years and his highest chart placing since “Blow by Blow” in 1975.

The album opens with Benjamin Britten’s “Corpus Christi Carol”, which was famously recorded by Jeff Buckley. Beck’s guitar blends seamlessly with the orchestration, with very pleasing results.

An eclectic mix of songs follows, from the jazzy “Hammerheard, to the Hollywood standard “Over the Rainbow,” to Screamin’ Jay Hawkins’ classic “I Put a Spell on You,” featuring a strong vocal by Joss Stone. Stone also delivers on “There’s No Other Me.”

Here’s Jeff Beck and Joss Stone performing the two songs at London’s O2 in February.

Another worthy collaboration is with singer Imogen May on “Lilac Wine,” which bizarrely, but effectively, segues into an instrumental version of Puccini’s “Nessun Dorma” (forever associated with the World Cup in the UK.)

“Emotion and Commotion” closes on a high note with the orchestral piece “Elegy For Dunkirk,” which features vocals from Olivia Safe, who also appears on the track “Serene.” “Elegy for Dunkirk” was composed by Dario Marianelli for the film “Atonement.”

“Emotion and Commotion” was co-produced by Steve Lipson and Trevor Horn.

“Emotion and Commotion” tracklist

1. Corpus Christi Carol
2. Hammerhead
3. Never Alone
4. Over The Rainbow
5. I Put A Spell On You – Beck, Jeff & Joss Stone
6. Serene
7. Lilac Wine – Beck, Jeff & Imelda May
8. Nessun Dorma
9. There’s No Other Me – Beck, Jeff & Joss Stone
10. Elegy For Dunkirk – Beck, Jeff & Olivia Safe

Jeff Beck is a superb guitarist and at 65 years of age continues to produce interesting and varied work. Some fans might find the orchestration a little heavy in places, but generally the album is a very strong effort and a worthwhile addition to your collection.

This will be the third Crossroads Guitar Festival. The previous events were in 2004 and 2007. As in previous years, all profits will benefit The Crossroads Centre in Antigua, which is a treatment and education facility founded by Clapton for chemically dependent persons.

The stars confirmed for this year’s Crossroads Guitar Festival are:

• Albert Lee
• Allman Brothers Band
• BB King
• Bert Jansch
• Buddy Guy
• David Hidalgo and Cesar Rosas of Los Lobos
• Doyle Bramhall II
• Earl Klugh
• Eric Clapton
• Gary Clark Jr.
• Hubert Sumlin
• James Burton
• Jeff Beck
• Jimmie Vaughan
• Joe Bonamassa
• John Mayer
• Jonny Lang
• Keb Mo
• Pino Daniele
• Robert Cray
• Robert Randolph
• Sheryl Crow
• Sonny Landreth
• Stefan Grossman
• Steve Winwood
• Vince Gill
• ZZ Top.

Click here to order your tickets

The 2004 and 2007 Crossroads Guitar Festivals on DVD

The first two Crossroads Guitar Festivals have been commemorated on best selling DVDs.

The inaugural Crossroads Guitar Festival was held in June 2004 at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas. The three-day event featured artists such as BB King, Buddy Guy, Santana, ZZ Top, James Taylor, Vince Gill and James Mayer. The two-DVD set features 36 tracks. Click here to buy the 2004 Crossroads Guitar Festival DVD

The 2007 Crossroads Guitar Festival was held at Toyota Park, Chicago. Performers included Johnny Winter, Jeff Beck, John McLaughlin, Sheryl Crow, John Mayer, Buddy Guy, Willie Nelson, Steve Winwood and Robert Cray. The two-DVD set features 38 tracks. Click here to buy the 2007 Crossroads Guitar Festival DVD

In addition to the gigs with Clapton, Jeff Beck has announced details of a worldwide tour beginning in Seoul, South Korea on March 20 and ending in New Orleans, USA on May 1. Beck will be showcasing songs from his latest studio album, Emotion & Commotion. Beck recorded Emotion & Commotion late last year at Sarm Studios in London with award-winning producers Steve Lipson and Trevor Horn. It is due for release in April.

New touring band

A brand new touring band will join Jeff Beck on stage for all these engagements. The band comprises:

• Michael Walden on drums – Walden featured on Beck’s 1976 album, Wired, and has also collaborated with Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin and Tom Jones
• Rhonda Smith on bass – Smith has played bass for Beyonce, Justin Timberlake and Prince
• Jason Rebello on keyboards – Rebello has performed with Sting and Chaka Khan, and also previously with Jeff Beck.

Tour dates

Here’s the full tour details:

Jeff Beck Tour Dates (with Eric Clapton)

February

13 London O2 Arena
14 London O2 Arena
18 New York City Madison Square Garden
19 New York City Madison Square Garden
21 Toronto Air Canada Center
22 Montreal Bell Centre

Jeff Beck’s Emotion & Commotion Tour (First Leg of U.S. Tour)

April

16 San Francisco Nob Hill Masonic Centre
17 Los Angeles Nokia Theatre LA Live
18 Temecula Pechanga Resort & Casino
19 San Diego 4th & B
24 Houston Verizon Wireless Theatre
25 Dallas Nokia Theatre at Grand Prairie
27 Tulsa Brady Theatre
28 Kansas City Starlight Theatre
29 St. Louis Fox Theatre
30 Memphis Beale Street Music Festival

May

1 New Orleans Jazz Festival (Gentilly Stage)

More US dates are expected to be added.

Click here for Jeff Beck ticket information

2009 recap

The 2010 World tour follows a successful 2009 for Jeff Beck, during which he played a sold out World tour, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for the second time, and released the platinum-selling “Performing This Week… Live At Ronnie Scott’s.” Preview the tracks below, including “Day in the Life” for which Beck received a Grammy nomination.

Another highlight of 2009 for Jeff Beck was his appearance at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 25th Anniversary Concert at Madison Square Garden. Here’s his excellent performance of The Beatles’ “Day in the Life” from that show.