Ho and his slack-key hui garner another Grammy

Maybe it's the beer-stained jacket he didn't clean after he won his second Grammy in 2007. Maybe it's the "lucky penny" he found when he won his first Grammy in 2006. Whatever the case, Daniel Ho and his Daniel Ho Creations ohana celebrated a threepeat yesterday as "Treasures of Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar" won the Grammy for best Hawaiian music album.

No Grammy for Bette Radford High School graduate Bette Midler did not win a Grammy for her Christmas album, "Cool Yule," which included a version of "Mele Kalikimaka." The winner in the Traditional Pop Vocals category was Michael Bublé for "Call Me Irresponsible."

"It's no less exciting that the previous two times," Ho said in a quick telephone call from Los Angeles moments after accepting the award. "I had butterflies and everything, I was so nervous. ... It's amazing."

A slack-key compilation has won in all four years since the Hawaiian music category was introduced in 2005, with Ho's Los Angeles-based record label taking the last three awards for its recordings of public concerts on Maui.

Ho and his producer partners Paul Konwiser, Wayne Wong and George Kahumoku Jr. collected their Grammy in an un-televised pre-show portion of the awards ceremony that was streamed live on www.grammy.com.

Kahumoku noted that although the words "slack key" are part of the title of the winning album, it also includes performances on ukulele, steel guitar and vocals.

Asked about his attire at the ceremony, Ho confirmed that he was wearing the same shirt and jacket as last year (he'd cleaned the trousers but left last year's beer stains on the jacket), with his "lucky penny" in his pocket.

His album was selected over Keola Beamer's "Ka Hikina O Ka Kau," Tia Carrere's "Hawaiiana," Cyril Pahinui's "He'eia" and Raiatea Helm's "Hawaiian Blossom."

Pahinui still has a part of this year's Grammy win, as one of the performers on "Treasures." He said afterward that he was excited to be part of the winning compilation for the third time.

Threepeat or not, Ho won't be slowing down.

He has a solo CD, "Sunny Spaces," which he describes as "acoustic pop stuff," due this spring. He also will be promoting slack key internationally with tours in Japan and Germany, and recording a new song for a film soundtrack.

"There's a movie coming out in April about Hawaii, 'Forgetting Sarah Marshall.' and I'm singing 'Nothing Compares 2 U' over the end credits -- in Hawaiian!"

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Winners’ List

Winners in top categories at yesterday's Grammy Awards. A full list is available at www.grammy.com

Record of the Year:
"Rehab," Amy Winehouse

Album of the Year:
"River: The Joni Letters," Herbie Hancock

Song of the Year:
"Rehab," Amy Winehouse (Amy Winehouse)

New Artist:
Amy Winehouse

Pop Vocal Album:
"Back to Black," Amy Winehouse

Female Pop Vocal Performance:
"Rehab," Amy Winehouse

Male Pop Vocal Performance:
"What Goes Around...Comes Around," Justin Timberlake

Pop Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals:
"Makes Me Wonder," Maroon 5

Pop Collaboration With Vocals:
"Gone Gone Gone (Done Moved On)," Robert Plant & Alison Krauss

Pop Instrumental Album:
"The Mix-Up," Beastie Boys

Pop Instrumental Performance:
"One Week Last Summer," Joni Mitchell

Traditional Pop Vocal Album:
"Call Me Irresponsible," Michael Bublé

Rock Album:
"Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace," Foo Fighters

Alternative Music Album:
"Icky Thump," The White Stripes

Rock Song:
"Radio Nowhere," Bruce Springsteen, songwriter (Bruce Springsteen)

Solo Rock Vocal Performance:
"Radio Nowhere," Bruce Springsteen

Rock Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals:
"Icky Thump," The White Stripes

Hard Rock Performance:
"The Pretender," Foo Fighters

Metal Performance:
"Final Six," Slayer

Rap Solo Performance:
"Stronger," Kanye West

Rap Performance by a Duo or Group:
"Southside," Common, featuring Kanye West

Rap/Sung Collaboration:
"Umbrella," Rihanna featuring Jay-Z

Rap Song:
"Good Life," Aldrin Davis, Mike Dean, Faheem Najm & Kanye West, songwriters (J. Ingram & Q. Jones, songwriters) (Kanye West featuring T-Pain)

Country Song:
"Before He Cheats," Josh Kear & Chris Tompkins, songwriters (Carrie Underwood)

Country Album:
"These Days," Vince Gill

Female Country Vocal Performance:
"Before He Cheats," Carrie Underwood

Male Country Vocal Performance:
"Stupid Boy," Keith Urban

Country Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals:
"How Long," Eagles

Country Collaboration With Vocals:
"Lost Highway," Willie Nelson & Ray Price

R&B Album:
"Funk This," Chaka Khan

R&B Song:
"No One," Dirty Harry, Kerry Brothers & Alicia Keys, songwriters (Alicia Keys)

Contemporary R&B Album:
"Because of You," Ne-Yo

Female R&B Vocal Performance:
"No One," Alicia Keys

Male R&B Vocal Performance:
"Future Baby Mama," Prince

R&B Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals:
"Disrespectful," Chaka Khan, featuring Mary J. Blige

Traditional R&B Vocal Performance:
"In My Songs," Gerald Levert

Urban/Alternative Performance:
"Daydreamin'," Lupe Fiasco, featuring Jill Scott

Dance Recording:
"LoveStoned / I Think She Knows," Justin Timberlake, Nate (Danja) Hills, Timbaland & Justin Timberlake, producers; Jimmy Douglass & Timbaland, mixers

Electronic/Dance Album:
"We Are the Night," The Chemical Brothers

Traditional Blues Album:
"Last of the Great Mississippi Delta Bluesmen: Live In Dallas," Henry James Townsend, Joe Willie "Pinetop" Perkins, Robert Lockwood Jr. & David "Honeyboy" Edwards

Contemporary Blues Album:
"The Road to Escondido," JJ Cale & Eric Clapton.

Contemporary Jazz Album:
"River: The Joni Letters," Herbie Hancock

Jazz Vocal Album:
"Avant Gershwin," Patti Austin

Jazz Instrumental Solo:
"Anagram," Michael Brecker, soloist

Jazz Instrumental Album, Individual or Group:
"Pilgrimage," Michael Brecker

Large Jazz Ensemble Album:
"A Tale of God's Will (A Requiem for Katrina)," Terence Blanchard

Traditional Folk Album:
"Dirt Farmer," Levon Helm

Contemporary Folk/Americana Album:
"Washington Square Serenade," Steve Earle

Hawaiian Music Album:
"Treasures of Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar," Various Artists, Daniel Ho, George Kahumoku Jr., Paul Konwiser & Wayne Wong, producers

Reggae:
"Mind Control," Stephen Marley

Contemporary World Music Album:
"Djin Djin," Angelique Kidjo

Compilation Soundtrack Album for Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media:
"Love" (The Beatles), George Martin & Giles Martin, producers (Apple Records/Capitol Records)

Soundtrack Album for Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media:
"Ratatouille," Michael Giacchino, composer

Song Written for Movie, Television or Other Visual Media:
"Love You I Do (From Dreamgirls)," Siedah Garrett & Henry Krieger, songwriters (Jennifer Hudson)

Spoken Word:
"The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream," Barack Obama

Classical Album:
"Tower: Made in America," Leonard Slatkin, conductor; Tim Handley, producer; Tim Handley, engineer/mixer (Nashville Symphony)

Classical Vocal Performance:
"Lorraine Hunt Lieberson Sings Peter Lieberson: Neruda Songs," Lorraine Hunt Lieberson (James Levine; Boston Symphony Orchestra)