Adele has made her long-awaited comeback as she took six gongs to become the biggest winner at the Grammy Awards - and dedicated one of the prizes to the doctors who saved her voice.

On a night overshadowed by the death of Whitney Houston, 23-year-old Londoner Adele picked up all the prizes for which she was nominated on the strength of her steamroller success for album 21, and declared: "Girl did good."

And she wowed the Los Angeles audience with her first live performance since undergoing vocal-cord surgery last November. Without the surgery she risked losing her voice forever.

"It's been a life-changing year," she said.

She landed album of the year for 21 - which has set numerous UK chart records - and was also presented with the accolades of record and song of the year for the global hit Rolling In The Deep.

Adele matched Beyonce's 2011 record for most Grammy wins in a night by a female act, as some of music's biggest stars paid tribute to Houston, who was found dead in a bathtub on the eve of the ceremony.

Picking up album of the year, a sobbing Adele said: "Oh my God... thank you so much. Thank you. First of all, I want to say mum - girl did good. This record is inspired by something that is really normal and everyone's been through it, which is a rubbish relationship."

The singer, who hails from Tottenham, north London, was forced to undergo laser throat surgery after being diagnosed with a vocal cord haemorrhage. The condition forced her to cancel a string of UK concerts at the end of last year and she has kept a low profile since going under the knife.

British singer/songwriter Corinne Bailey Rae also picked up a Grammy for best R&B performance for Is This Love, while Amy Winehouse, who was found dead last year following a battle with drugs, scooped a posthumous award for best pop duo/group performance.

The 27-year-old's parents Mitch and Janis jointly accepted the Grammy for her collaboration with Tony Bennett on the track Body And Soul. "We shouldn't be here. Our darling daughter should be here. These are the cards that we're dealt," said Mr Winehouse after he was called on stage by Bennett.