Feb. 12 (Bloomberg) --The Dixie Chicks overcame a boycott by country radio stations to win five Grammy awards and become the first artists to sweep the three top categories in 14 years.

The Texas-based trio won album of the year for ``Taking the Long Way,'' as well as record of the year and song of the year for the single ``Not Ready to Make Nice'' at the event last night at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

The Dixie Chicks capitalized on controversy after lead singer Natalie Maines criticized U.S. President George Bush for waging war in Iraq. Country radio stations refused to play their music and the group responded by filming a documentary about the fallout and addressing it in the lyrics of ``Not Ready.''

``Their music and commentary resonated with the membership and with the entire nation,'' said Neil Portnow, president of the show's host, the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences. ``The Dixie Chicks made a great album.''

The Red Hot Chili Peppers won four awards, including best rock song for ``Dani California'' and best rock album for ``Stadium Arcadium.'' Mary J. Blige, nominated for eight Grammys for her album ``The Breakthrough,'' won three awards. John Mayer's ``Continuum'' picked up best pop vocal album.

Eric Clapton last won for best album, song and record in a single year in 1993, with the album ``Unplugged'' and its single, ``Tears in Heaven.''

The awards, in their 49th year, were televised in the U.S. by CBS. Members of the academy vote for the nominations and winners.

`Ashamed' Texan

The Dixie Chicks generated controversy when Maines told a London concert crowd in March 2003 that she was ``ashamed'' U.S. President Bush was a fellow Texan. She apologized and later recanted. The group's documentary about the incident, ``Shut Up & Sing,'' was released Oct. 27 by Weinstein Co. and has made about $1.2 million at the domestic box office.

``I have started to get my faith back in mankind just over people's change to the war and the president,'' Maines, 32, told reporters after the event, referring to the loss of a Congressional majority by the president's Republican Party in elections three months ago. ``I am worried for the future of our country and the world.''

``The Long Way,'' released by Sony BMG Music Entertainment's Columbia label, also won best country album. The awards may boost sales for the Dixie Chicks, who have sold 1.9 million copies of the album and 542,000 digital tracks of the single ``Make Nice.''

``You might see a marginal uptick on the digital side,'' Paul-Jon McNealy, a Boston-based analyst with American Technology Research, said in an interview. ``People might go download singles off the album after the show.''

Blige, Aguilera

Blige won best female vocal R&B performance, ``The Breakthrough'' picked up best R&B album, and her single ``Be Without You,'' was best R&B song. She lost song of the year to the Dixie Chicks and was nominated for four other awards.

Blige, who performed at the awards, records for Universal Music Group's Geffen Records, owned by Paris-based Vivendi SA. ``The Breakthrough'' has sold 2.8 million units since its release in late 2005.

Justin Timberlake, recording on Sony BMG's Jive label, won for best dance recording. Ludacris won best rap album.

Christina Aguilera won the award for female pop vocal performance for ``Ain't No Other Man'' and Mayer won best male pop vocal performance for ``Waiting on the World to Change.'' Beyonce Knowles won best contemporary R&B album for ``B'Day.''

Police Reunion

The music industry, seeking to halt a slide in sales, stoked interest in this year's ceremony with a reunion performance of the Police, who opened the show with ``Roxanne.'' Album unit sales in the U.S. through Jan. 28 fell 15 percent from a year earlier, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Of the categories broadcast on television, Sony BMG won the most awards with five. Universal Music Group won four and Warner Music Group Corp. took one for the Chili Peppers' ``Stadium Arcadium,'' which has sold 1.8 million units in the U.S.

Bob Dylan's ``Modern Times'' won for contemporary folk album and solo rock vocal performance. Bruce Springsteen picked up two awards including traditional folk album. Carrie Underwood, a winner of the ``American Idol'' singing contest, was voted best new artist. She also won for best country song and female country vocal solo for ``Jesus Take the Wheel.''

The Atlanta-based duo Gnarls Barkley won best alternative music album for ``St. Elsewhere'' and for urban/alternative performance.

Last year, the Irish band U2 won five Grammy awards, including best album of the year and best rock album.

Universal led all music companies in U.S. album market share last year at 32 percent. Sony BMG was second at 27 percent. Warner Music, based in New York, was the only company with an increase, up 1 point to 18 percent. EMI Group Plc. was fourth in the U.S. with 10.2 percent. Sony BMG is a joint venture of Sony Corp. and Bertelsmann AG.

To contact the reporters on this story: Nadja Brandt in Los Angeles at nbrandt@bloomberg.net; Andy Fixmer in Los Angeles at afixmer@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: February 12, 2007 04:20 EST