NEW YORK Hillary Clinton won a Grammy last night gaining one of the US music industry's top awards for the audiotape version of It Takes A Village, her bestselling book about child raising. At a private ceremony before the start of a TV special to celebrate the main Grammy categories, Mrs Clinton, the favourite to sweep the spoken word category, declared: "I was very surprised that they give Grammys to tone deaf people like me."
The Beatles, who broke up 27 years ago, also emerged a winner, snaring a Grammmy for best pop duo or group with vocal for Free As a Bird, a previously unreleased song that appeared on their 1996 album Anthology.
Folk rock singer Tracy Chapman won the best rock song award for Give Me One Reason. The best rock album award went to Sheryl Crow for her album which simply bore her name.
The Tony Rich Project won the best R&B album award for Words. The Fugees, a rap group, won the best R&B duo or group performance with vocal for their Killing Me Softly with His Song.
The best contemporary blues album award went to newcomer Keb Mo for his Just Like You.
Banjo player Bela Fleck and the Flecktones won best pop instrumental performance for Sinister Minister.
Tony Bennett won the best traditional pop vocal performance award for his album Here's to the Ladies. Herbie Hancock, who made a rare foray into traditional jazz last year, won the best instrumental composition award for Manhattan.
Welsh bass baritone Bryn Terfel received the best classical vocal performance award for Opera Arias, which was performed by the orchestra of the Metropolitan Opera.