Winehouse, West lead Grammys race

While rap star Kanye West leads the race with eight nominations, retro-soul singer Amy Winehouse follows him with six.

Amy Winehouse, the talented British retro-soul singer whose year has been stymied by a litany of legal and substance abuse problems, has earned six Grammy nominations including nods for Album of the Year and Newcomer of the Year.

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Famous for her beehive hairdo and extravagant tattoos, Winehouse Thursday also earned Song of the Year and Record of the Year nominations for her hit Rehab in which she sings "No! No! No!" to people advising her to undergo treatment.Her Grammy achievement was superseded only by rap star Kanye West, who earned eight nominations, including Album of the Year for "Graduation", his third album and one of the best-selling titles of the year.

Like Winehouse, West has also experienced severe turbulence in his private life with his mother dying Nov 10 following elective plastic surgery.

Winehouse has made headlines after a series of personal calamities, including a drug seizure, an arrest, the cancellation of her tour and jailing of her husband.

Other top nominees included the Foo Fighters, Jay-Z, Rihanna, Paul McCartney, T-Pain and Timbaland.

The Album of the Year category, considered the most prestigious of the Grammy Awards, represented a salute to the diversity of contemporary US music.

The nominations ranged from the rap of West's "Graduation" to the jazz of pianist Herbie Hancock's tribute to Joni Mitchell, "River: The Joni Letters".

The nomination for "Back to Black" recognised the soul influences of Amy Winehouse; while country star Vince Gill was honoured with a nomination for his four disc masterwork, "These Days"; and veteran alt-rockers Foo Fighters, earned a nod for their seventh studio release "Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace".

The Best New Artist nominees included Feist, Ledisi, Paramore and Taylor Swift.

Other Record of Year candidates included Beyonce's "Irreplaceable", the Foo Fighter's "The Pretender", Rihanna's "Umbrella" and "What Goes Around Comes Around" by Justin Timberlake.

The Grammy Awards honour artistic achievements and the overall excellence of those in the recording industry. Winners are chosen by members of the Recording Academy.

The 50th Annual Grammy Awards will be presented during a star-studded ceremony at Los Angeles' Staples Centre February 10.