Plot Synopsis

The Recording Academy, founded in 1957, celebrates music, honors achievements in the recording arts, and supports the music community. The Grammy Awards are peer-presented awards that honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without regard to album sales or chart position. Since 1959, the Recording Academy has recognized the Album of the Year, whose winners include: Henry Mancini, Barbra Streisand, Frank Sinatra, The Beatles, Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, U2, Eric Clapton, Lauryn Hill, Outkast, and many others. THE GRAMMY AWARDS were first televised on NBC's SUNDAY SHOWCASE on Sunday, November 29, 1959 at 8pm ET in a one-hour taped event, featuring host Meredith Willson and performances by Bobby Darin ("Mack the Knife"), Duke Ellington ("Anatomy of a Murder"), Jimmy Driftwood ("Battle of New Orleans"), and more. Off the air for three years (but only two ceremonies because of a schedule change for the Grammys), THE GRAMMY AWARDS planned its television return with a taped broadcast for Sunday, November 24, 1963, only to be delayed for two weeks after President John F. Kennedy was assassinated two days before the scheduled premiere date. The 5th annual event finally aired on NBC on Sunday, December 8, 1963, as part of its BEST ON RECORD program, to a smaller-than-expected viewership. In 1964, the 6th annual GRAMMY AWARDS were not televised, but returned to TV in 1965 with a taped event that NBC once again presented as a BEST ON RECORD show. NBC continued to air a tape-delayed special of THE GRAMMY AWARDS each year through 1970, using its BEST ON RECORD show as a platform for the awards program and musical performances. In 1971, THE GRAMMY AWARDS were presented live for the first time, with ABC broadcasting a 90-minute special on Tuesday, March 16, 1971 at 8:30pm ET. After one more live event on ABC, THE GRAMMY AWARDS switched to CBS in 1973, where it has been telecast live every year since.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The 66th Annual GRAMMY AWARDS, hosted for the fourth consecutive year by Trevor Noah, was broadcast live from Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on CBS on Sunday, February 4, 2024 from 8-11:30pm ET/5-8:30pm PT. The following performers were scheduled to be on stage: Billie Eilish, Billy Joel, Burna Boy, Dua Lipa, Joni Mitchell, Luke Combs, Olivia Rodrigo, SZA, Travis Scott, and U2. Presenters include: Christina Aguilera, Samara Joy, Lenny Kravitz, Maluma, Lionel Richie, Mark Ronson, Meryl Streep, Taylor Tomlinson, and Oprah Winfrey.

This year's "In Memoriam" segment pays tribute to just some of those from the creative community that we have lost this year. The segment features performances by Stevie Wonder in tribute to Tony Bennett; Jon Batiste honoring Clarence Avant; Annie Lennox for Sinead O'Connor; and Fantasia Barrino remembering Tina Turner.