grammys

If you've ever sat through an entire Grammy Awards show, the idea of having a few less categories might not strike you as such a bad idea -- but for some of the artists affected by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences' recent decision to whittle down the number of awards, it's a potentially racist affront. A group of musicians -- including Paul Simon and jazz legend Herbie Hancock -

The 2011 Grammys may have been Gaga's show, but people actually won some awards, too. Biggest shocker (maybe?) was unknown songstress Esperanza Spalding making enemies with a nation of Justin Bieber fans by taking Best New Artist. And Lady Antebellum winning pretty much everything else. Here's a good chunk of the winners, and photos from many of the performances.

There are a lot of weird awards given out each year for the Grammys that don't get any airplay. Just think of all those chubby, goateed sound engineers clutching awards to their chests, wishing that the world would recognize their craft so they could thank mom on-air. Poor guys. Here are five obscure Grammy award categories and some recent honorees.