THE 58TH ANNUAL GRAMMY AWARDS

On CBS, Monday,

8 p.m.-11:30 p.m.

The producers of the 58th annual Grammy awards have been presented with a situation akin to walking a tightrope. The primary directive of the show is to celebrate the recent past through the trophies handed out to the year’s top recordings, nominated in 83 categories. Most of those are presented during a pre-telecast ceremony, making way for a parade of performances by today’s hottest artists, ratings-wise. But with a seemingly larger than ever group of iconic musicians — many of them past Grammy winners and nominees — having passed away in 2015 and the particularly cruel early weeks of 2016, the show must also pay homage.

Can Grammy’s producers make “music’s biggest night’’ feel like a party, and not a 3½-hour “In Memoriam’’ segment?

Judging by the lineup of au courant nominees — by Grammy standards, anyway — and performers in the major categories, as well as the number of tributes already publicly revealed, they intend to try. We will see how well they walk the line on Monday at 8 p.m. when the show airs live — for the first time nationwide — on CBS, from the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

One approach they’ve employed is to have current artists giving props to the departed. The show is set to devote a good chunk of real estate to a lengthy solo tribute to David Bowie by Lady Gaga, an increasingly popular choice for such engagements (see story on Page N6), which will include a medley of his songs. Blues-rock standard bearer Gary Clark, Jr. and buzzed-about country singer-songwriter Chris Stapleton — who boasts four nominations, including album of the year — will team with veteran Bonnie Raitt to celebrate B.B. King.

Elsewhere, vintage artists will honor their own. The Eagles’ Don Henley, Joe Walsh, Timothy B. Schmit, and Bernie Leadon will join with friend and collaborator Jackson Browne to remember Glenn Frey. And one would hope that when the Hollywood Vampires — the collective that includes Alice Cooper, Johnny Depp, and Aerosmith’s Joe Perry — are aided by Velvet Revolver bassist Duff McKagan and drummer Matt Sorum, they’ll tip their hats to Velvet Revolver/Stone Temple Pilots frontman Scott Weiland and fellow hard rocker Lemmy Kilmister of Motorhead.

It remains to be seen what will be done for other recently departed artists like Maurice White of Earth, Wind & Fire (who were already set to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award before White died), Natalie Cole, and Allen Toussaint, among many others across the genres. But it seems likely that among the contemporary performers, salutes will be made.

Obviously, though, Grammy can’t live in the past entirely. Blockbuster acts who stand to walk off with some hardware will be taking the stage, including rapper Kendrick Lamar, the night’s top contender with 11 nominations, thanks to the commercial and critical acclaim of his album “To Pimp a Butterfly.’’ Were Lamar to win album of the year, it would only be the third time in history the Grammy went to a hip-hop artist.

In addition to Stapleton, Lamar’s other album of the year rivals — hybrid hip-hop singer-songwriter the Weeknd, garage-soul outfit Alabama Shakes, and pop dominator Taylor Swift (all up for multiple awards) — will have a turn in the spotlight, Swift in a plum opening spot that attests to her increased clout.

On the whole, it’s one of the most up-to-date album of the year fields in years, one that doesn’t feature a resurgent legacy figure as in years past. Additional contemporary hitmakers due to perform include Justin Bieber with EDM stars Skrillex and Diplo, jointly nominated in the best dance recording category; best R&B album and performance contender Andra Day; British singer-songwriter and best new artist nominee James Bay; pop thrush Tori Kelly, also up for best new artist; and country stars Carrie Underwood and Sam Hunt, who each have nominations as well.

Country had a particularly good showing in the all-genre categories, including Stapleton’s album of the year nod as well as a song of the year nomination for Stoughton native Lori McKenna, who co-wrote “Girl Crush’’ for Little Big Town — which helped to propel that group to two nods in the country categories.

Although “25,’’ the recent album from British songbird Adele, arrived after Grammy’s eligibility period (Oct. 1, 2014-Sept. 30 2015), she’ll be appearing during the telecast. Clearly, producers are counting on the recently returned powerhouse to boost ratings two years in a row, since she undoubtedly will garner nods next year.

In a nifty bit of convergence, the cast of the red hot Broadway show “Hamilton’’ — itself a work that examines history with a modern twist — will appear live via satellite.

The Grammys — like all awards shows, really — can be a slog, but they’re also the most likely of the bunch to produce real, exciting moments of discovery, collaboration, and connection through music. If the producers walk that tightrope with elan, mindful of those possibilities, and the performers bring their A game — and, less easily predicted, the voters expand their boundaries — this year’s show could be everything it should be: moving, groundbreaking, and a genuine tribute to the legacies of those artists who have moved on to that great gig in the sky.

THE 58TH ANNUAL GRAMMY AWARDS

On CBS,

8 p.m.-11:30 p.m.

By Sarah Rodman Globe staff

GRAMMYS, Page N7

Sarah Rodman can be reached at srodman@globe.com.