Heartland -- UPI Arts & Entertainment

NASHVILLE, Feb. 28 (UPI) -- It was a blue night for country music at the 44th Annual Grammy Awards. Bluegrass, that is.

In unprecedented fashion, bluegrass musicians stole the show and many of the awards when the Recording Academy handed out trophies Wednesday in Los Angeles.

The soundtrack from "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" won multiple awards, including album of the year. The music for the film beat out veteran band U2 and current favorites Alicia Keyes and OutKast and veteran Bob Dylan for the coveted award.

The "O Brother" soundtrack, the top-selling country album of 2001, also won for best compilation soundtrack and best country collaboration. T Bone Burnett won producer of the year, non-classical, for his work on the project.

In continuing with a bluegrass sweep, bluegrass diva Alison Krauss and her band, Union Station, took a Grammy for "The Lucky One" in the best country duo or group category. The single also won a country song of the year trophy for songwriter Robert Lee Castleman. (Krauss won a second Grammy for "New Favorite" for best bluegrass album.)

Ralph Stanley, who, as a septuagenarian, is enjoying the highlight of his musical career, won a Grammy for best male vocal performance for "O Death," also from the "O Brother" project. Stanley sang the song a capella on the show.

In a special medley segment that included Stanley, Krauss, joined by Gillian Welch and Emmy Lou Harris, sang "Didn't Leave Nobody But the Baby" before The Soggy Bottom Boys performed "I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow" from the film soundtrack.

Even the best country instrumental winner had a bluegrass slant. "Foggy Mountain Breakdown," which had been newly recorded by an all-star cast including Earl Scruggs, Vince Gill, Marty Stuart and others, took home the trophy.

In an effort to include mainstream country, Alan Jackson sang his No. 1 single, "Where Were You (When The World Stopped Turning)." The performance was a fitting tribute to the Sept. 11 tragedy while also giving a nod to one of country music's superstars.

A small number of country artists, which included Trisha Yearwood, Jamie O'Neal and the Dixie Chicks, popped up periodically as presenters.

The only non-bluegrass winner in the country awards was in the best country album category. "Timeless," a tribute to Hank Williams Sr. by various artists won the honor.

Without a doubt, bluegrass ruled.

During the past year, bluegrass music has exploded onto the commercial scene, thanks in large part to the success of the film "O Brother, Where Are Thou?" Sales to rival pop music, awards by the bucketful and the most talented musicians in the industry have been the norm for this heretofore ignored musical genre.

Dan Tyminski, the lead vocalist for "I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow," put it best when he said, upon accepting one of the awards, "This has been such a killer year for roots music and bluegrass music."