Sony Music recording artist Adele took home five trophies and delivered some of the evening’s most compelling performances. (Photo courtesy CBS)

The 59th Grammy Awards were pretty much all about Adele, who took home five top honors for “Hello” and the album 25. But David Bowie and his Blackstar album managed some serious time in the awards spotlight, amassing four statuettes, including Best Rock Performance for Blackstar.

During  his lifetime Bowie only won one Grammy, Best Video Short Form, in 1985, for Blue Jean in 1985.

Adele opened the Sunday night Grammy show, live from LA’s Staples Center, with a powerful rendition of her hit “Hello,” which would go on to win Record of the Year and Song of the Year.  Later in the evening, during a tribute to George Michael, she abruptly stopped singing “Fastlove,” harumphed about having to start over “to get it right,” then teared up at the end when the audience offered warm applause.

But it was Bruno Mars who gets the Grammy showman of the night award for his tribute to Prince. The segment opened with a sizzling Morris Day and the Time rendition of “Jungle Love,” and “The Bird,” songs Prince co-wrote and produced for The Time. Mars surprised with his guitar chops, brandishing the same custom Cloud model Prince was known to use, he tore up the stage for “Let’s Go Crazy.” Some reviewers groused “he’s no Prince.” But he did the Purple one credit.

Bruno Mars plays Prince. (Photo: Christopher Polk/Getty Images for NARAS)

John Williams collected his 23rd Grammy trophy for Star Wars The Force Awakens. He has had 67 nominations. Williams was not on hand to accept the honor at the non-televised portion of the Grammy show. Williams, who just turned 85, is busy at work on Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi, directed by Rian Johnson.

Justin Timberlake got the gold for his Troll tune, “Can’t Stop the Music,” which won Best Song for a Motion Picture. Timberlake wrote the hit with Max Martin and Shellback, with whom he shared the award.

Robert Glasper picked up the Best Compilation Soundtrack For Visual Media for his work on the Miles Ahead, the Miles Davis biopic starring and directed by Don Cheadle. Although Beyonce conceded to Adele in all the major categories, she didn’t go home empty-handed, winning Best Music Video for “Formation.”

Ron Howard’s rockumentary The Beatles: Eight Days A Week The Touring Years beat Beyonce’s less conventional “visual album” in the Best Music Movie category.

Suicide Squad, which had more visual media Grammy nominations, with five, got shut out.

MUSIC FOR VISUAL MEDIA

Best Compilation Soundtrack For Visual Media:

Winner: Miles Ahead — Miles Davis & Various Artists)
Amy — (Various Artists)
Straight Outta Compton — (Various Artists)
Suicide Squad (Collector’s Edition) — (Various Artists)
Vinyl: The Essentials Season 1 — (Various Artists)

Best Score Soundtrack For Visual Media:

Winner: Star Wars: The Force Awakens — John Williams, composer
Bridge of Spies — Thomas Newman, composer
Quentin Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight — Ennio Morricone, composer
The Revenant — Alva Noto & Ryuichi Sakamoto, composers
Stranger Things Volume 1 — Kyle Dixon & Michael Stein, composers
Stranger Things Volume 2 — Kyle Dixon & Michael Stein, composers

Best Song Written For Visual Media:

Winner: “Can’t Stop The Feeling!” — Max Martin, Shellback & Justin Timberlake, songwriters (Justin Timberlake, Anna Kendrick, Gwen Stefani, James Corden, Zooey Deschanel, Walt Dohrn, Ron Funches, Caroline Hjelt, Aino Jawo, Christopher Mintz-Plasse & Kunal Nayyar), Track from: Trolls
“Heathens” — Tyler Joseph, songwriter (Twenty One Pilots), Track from: Suicide Squad
“Just Like Fire” — Oscar Holter, Max Martin, P!nk & Shellback, songwriters (P!nk), Track from: Alice Through The Looking Glass
“Purple Lamborghini” — Shamann Cooke, Sonny Moore & William Roberts, songwriters (Skrillex & Rick Ross), Track from: Suicide Squad
“Try Everything” — Mikkel S. Eriksen, Sia Furler & Tor Erik Hermansen, songwriters (Shakira), Track from: Zootopia
“The Veil” — Peter Gabriel, songwriter (Peter Gabriel), Track from: Snowden

MUSIC VIDEO/FILM

Best Music Video:

Winner: “Formation” — Beyoncé
“River” — Leon Bridges
“Up & Up” — Coldplay
“Gosh” — Jamie XX
“Upside Down & Inside Out” — OK Go

Best Music Film:

Winner: The Beatles: Eight Days A Week The Touring Years — (The Beatles)
I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead — Steve Aoki
Lemonade — Beyoncé
The Music Of Strangers — Yo-Yo Ma & The Silk Road Ensemble
American Saturday Night: Live From The Grand Ole Opry — (Various Artists)