“THE GRAMMY AWARDS,” Tuesday 8 p.m. (2)...

“THE GRAMMY AWARDS,” Tuesday 8 p.m. (2) (8)--It was just four weeks ago that ABC devoted a full three hours of prime time to saluting the record industry. Now CBS is doing the same thing with its coverage of the 27th annual Grammy Awards.

The occasion will afford viewers the opportunity to compare how the public’s favorites, as reflected in ABC’s American Music Awards, correspond to the industry’s taste, as voted by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.

It also may provide answers to other pressing questions, such as whether Prince will smile and turn chatty in an effort to rectify the negative stories and comments he engendered at the American Music Awards for his holier-than-thou attitude. And will John Denver try to break Lionel Richie’s record for how many times a host can say “outrageous” in one awards telecast?

One thing is for sure--Richie won’t walk away with the lion’s share of awards. He got six at the American Music Awards but the most he could win at the Grammys is four. Richie was one of seven artists to receive four nominations.

Prince, Cyndi Lauper and Tina Turner lead the field with five nominations each--including the prestigious category of best album. The candidates there are Turner’s “Private Dancer,” Lauper’s “She’s So Unusual,” Prince’s “Purple Rain” sound track, Richie’s “Can’t Slow Down” and Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the U.S.A.”

Turner and Lauper also are in the running for record of the year, with “What’s Love Got to Do With It?” and “Girls Just Want to Have Fun,” respectively. Other contenders are Springsteen’s “Dancing in the Dark,” Huey Lewis’ “The Heart of Rock ‘n’ Roll” and Chicago’s “Hard Habit to Break.”

Denver, back for the fourth year in a row, will host the ceremonies from the Shrine Auditorium in downtown Los Angeles.

And if that’s not enough music for you, you can tune in KCBS Channel 2 at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday for a special edition of “2 on the Town,” focusing on the record business during 1984. Melody Rogers is joined by Roy Firestone in a look at recent trends in pop music and interviews with such performers as Kenny Loggins, Huey Lewis and Deniece Williams.