Red Hot Chili Peppers win three Grammys

LOS ANGELES, Feb 12 (Reuters) California rock band the Red Hot Chili Peppers won three Grammy Awards during an early ceremony today and hoped to add to their collection when the main televised event began.

The flamboyant quartet headed into today's ceremony with six nominations in all, second only to R&B singer Mary J Blige, who received eight nods.

During the non-televised event, when 97 of the 108 categories were announced in haste with most of the winners absent, Blige picked up one award but lost two races.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers, who had won just two Grammys to date, were honoured for best rock song and best vocal performance, both for the hit single ''Dani California.'' Their CD, ''Stadium Arcadium,'' which will compete for the coveted album of the year award during the main ceremony, also won for the boxed/limited-edition package Grammy. The band lost the short-form video race to indie rockers OK Go.

Blige won for best R&B song for ''Be Without You.'' She shared the award with fellow songwriters Johnta Austin, Bryan-Michael Cox and Jason Perry. She lost the R&B group performance and traditional R&B vocal performance races.

Other key nominees also took early prizes, including country trio the Dixie Chicks, who won the group-country performance Grammy for ''Not Ready to Make Nice,'' a response to the backlash over singer Natalie Maines' criticism of President George W Bush. The victory brought the group's career Grammy tally to nine. They will also compete for album, song and record of the year, as well as best country album.

Two other acts competing for album of the year, the soul-pop duo Gnarls Barkley and pop vocalist Justin Timberlake, each took home two early Grammys.

Gnarls Barkley, consisting of hip-hop singer Cee-Lo Green and producer Danger Mouse, won the urban/alternative performance Grammy for their international chart-topper ''Crazy.'' Their album ''St Elsewhere'' also took home the alternative music album Grammy.

Timberlake (and producer Timbaland) won the dance recording Grammy for ''Sexy Back.'' The former member of boy band 'N Sync also was an unusual winner in the rap category for ''My Love.'' FIRST GRAMMYS FOR LANG, THOMAS Other artists honored in musical genres for which they are not well known included blues guitarist Jonny Lang. He won the first Grammy of his career, in the gospel section, for his album ''Turn Around.'' Lang said backstage that he did not consider his album to be as gospel-based as the others in the rock/rap album category.

''I'm a little confused about the whole process,'' he said, predicting that he would make more gospel albums.

Other first-time winners included New Orleans soul queen Irma Thomas, as her Hurricane Katrina-inspired release ''After the Rain'' was named best contemporary blues album.

''Thank you, God, and thank you, New Orleans,'' she tearfully said. ''Forty-nine years you believed in me, and it's finally paid off.'' Other double winners included rocker Bruce Springsteen, gospel star Kirk Franklin, late jazz soloist Michael Brecker, jazz pianist Chick Corea, film composer John Williams, and classical conductor Michael Tilson Thomas.

Also in the classical category, Elaine Martone was named producer of the year. She noted that her husband, Robert Woods, already has 12 Grammys to his credit.

None of the winners in the seven Latin categories turned up to collect their prizes. Among the winners were Mexican rock band Mana for Latin rock album (''Amar es Combatir'').

REUTERS DKS BST0700