Kanye, Winehouse early Grammy leaders

The troubled singer-songwriter was up for six awards, including album of the year for "Back to Black." She was due to perform via satellite from her native Britain, where she is being treated in a rehab center for substance abuse.

The 24-year-old star's personal life has fallen apart over the past year as her career blossomed. In the days leading up to the ceremony, suspense built over whether she would appear at the ceremony in any form.

She was rejected Thursday for a U.S. work visa, but Grammy producers arranged for her to perform via telecast. Soon afterward, the U.S. government reversed itself and approved Winehouse, but it was too late at that point to make the cross-continental trek.

The retro-soul singer's top-selling American debut is not only up for album of the year, but song and record of the year for her autobiographical, sassy hit "Rehab," about her refusal to undergo treatment. Though the album was a critical and commercial breakthrough.

In any other year, West would be the main story line. He, too, is up for album of the year for "Graduation," the best-selling debut of last year with almost one million copies sold in the first week alone. This is West's third album and the third time he has been nominated for album of the year.

While he has won a handful of Grammys, they have been in the rap categories, where the bulk of his nominations are this year as well. West has provided stirring awards-show performances, but has also been known to go on a tirade when he has not won what he thought he deserved, perhaps most notably at last year's MTV Video Music Awards.

Late last year, he suffered a traumatic loss when his mother and manager Donda West died after complications from plastic surgery. West, whose mother was often with him at awards ceremonies, was expected to perform a song in tribute to her on Sunday's broadcast.

Besides West and Winehouse, the other album of the year contenders were the Foo Fighters' "Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace," Vince Gill's "These Days," and Herbie Hancock's "River: The Joni Letters."

For record of the year, Winehouse's "Rehab" is competing against Beyonce's "Irreplaceable," Rihanna's "Umbrella," "The Pretender" by the Foo Fighters and Justin Timberlake's "What Goes Around ... Comes Around."