56th Annual Grammy Awards 2014
56th Annual Grammy Awards 2014 TheGrammys/facebook

The 56th Grammy Awards telecast is set to air tonight at 8pm EST (1 am GMT) on the CBS Television Network.

The three-and-a-half-hour live broadcast will feature performances, music and the awards distribution gala in about 70 categories to honour outstanding achievements in music.

However, the first Grammy of 2014 will be handed out at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards Pre-Telecast ceremony at Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, just four hours before the telecast at 4pm EST (9pm GMT).

Watch Pre-Telecast of Grammy 2014 live

Even before the telecast of Grammy 2014 on CBS, the pre-telecast show can be watched online via live stream at Grammy Live.

The entire ceremony and build-up can also be watched live in real time, starting at 4pm EST. The red carpet show will begin at noon (5pm GMT) with the arrival of guests and celebrities.

The video of the Pre-Telecast will remain on the official website of Grammy Awards as video on demand for 30 days.

Grammy 2014 Pre-Telecast performances

The pre-telecast gala will have a limited number of performances, unlike the telecast show, which will feature a host of performances by music industry A-listers, including both Grammy winners from the past and the nominees for Grammy 2014.

The pre-telecast ceremony will be hosted by current nominee Cyndi Lauper and feature performances by current nominees Ben Harper and Charlie Musselwhite, Hiatus Kaiyote, La Santa Cecilia, Roomful Of Teeth, and Summer Horns (Dave Koz, Mindi Abair, Gerald Albright, and Richard Elliot) with the Larry Batiste Orchestra and special guest Verdine White.

The star-studded ceremony will also feature a variety of presenters including current nominees Roberto Fonseca, Sarah Jarosz, Jeff Lorber, Tig Notaro, Tye Tribbett, and Diane Warren, as well as five-time Grammy-winning producer Jimmy Jam.

The awards to be presented during the pre-telecast show include Producer of the Year Non-Classical, Best Metal Performance, Best Country Song, Best Rap Performance, Best Music Video, Best Blues Album, Best Jazz Vocal Album, Best Comedy Album, Best Choral Performance and Best Folk Album.