AC/DC breaks Grammy drought

It took almost 40 years, but high voltage Australian rock band AC/DC has broken its Grammy Award hoodoo.

Formed by brothers Angus and Malcolm Young in 1973 in Sydney and named after the AC/DC tag they spied on the back of their sister's sewing machine, the band has sold 150 millions albums, embarked on countless sold-out world tours and survived the death of hard living frontman Bon Scott, but never won a Grammy Award.

That changed at the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards held in Los Angeles on Sunday when AC/DC beat Linkin Park, Metallica, Alice in Chains and Nickelback to claim the trophy for Best Hard Rock Performance for War Machine, a track off their latest album Black Ice.

Black Ice was also nominated for best rock album, but AC/DC was trumped by Green Day's 21st Century Breakdown.

AC/DC's Australian fans can celebrate the Grammy with their idols when the band begins its Australian tour on February 11 with concerts in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth.

It was also a big night for Keith Urban with the Queenslander winning the best male country vocal performance Grammy for Sweet Thing, a song inspired by wife Nicole Kidman who accompanied her husband to the ceremony.

The Grammy win was the third of Urban's career.

The country music star could not halt new sensation Taylor Swift at music's big night with the 20-year-old winning four Grammys, including defeating Urban for the Best Country Album for her chart-topper, Fearless.

Fearless also claimed the biggest award of the night, Album of the Year.

Swift is also preparing for an Australian concert tour.

"I actually leave right after the Grammys tonight and go to Australia," Swift said on the red carpet.

The Grammys lived up to the prediction of a duel between Swift, Beyonce Knowles and Lady GaGa, but rock band Kings of Leon stole one of the Grammy's top awards from the three divas, Record of the Year, with the hit Use Somebody.

"We're all a little drunk, but we're happy drunks," Kings of Leon lead singer Caleb Followill told the crowd inside LA's 20,000-seat Staples Center.

Beyonce needed a large limousine to take her record six Grammy haul home. The six wins, including Song of the Year, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for Halo and Best R&B Vocal Performance, was the highest for a woman at a single Grammy ceremony.

"This has been such an amazing night for me," Beyonce said.

Lady Gaga, who opened the Grammy telecast with a duet with Elton John, won two Grammys - Best Electric Dance Album for The Fame and Best Dance Recording for Poker Face and also lived up to her bizarre fashion reputation by wearing an outfit described by one critic as a "silver planetary-orbit-style dress" on the red carpet.

In an emotional moment, Michael Jackson's children, Paris and Prince Michael accepted a Lifetime Achievement Award for their late father.

"We're proud to be here to accept this award on behalf of our father, Michael Jackson," said Prince, fighting back tears.

Paris said: "Thank you, we love you Daddy".

Brisbane's Tim Davies, leader of the Tim Davies Big Band, missed out on a Grammy.

The 37-year-old scored his first Grammy nomination this year for Counting to Infinity, from his second album Dialmentia, in the Best Instrumental Composition category, but the Grammy was handed to Michael Giacchino.

- AAP