Taylor Swift reacts to winning the the best female country vocal performance award during Sunday's 52nd Annual Grammy Awards' pre-telecast show at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. (Robyn Beck/Getty Images) Canadians Neil Young, Michael J. Fox, Michael Bublé and American pop starlet Taylor Swift were among the early Grammy Award-winners in Los Angeles during Sunday's non-televised portion of the annual musical honours.

Young picked up one of the evening's first prizes, snagging the award for best boxed or special limited edition package for his elaborately designed box set The Archives, Vol. 1 1963-1972.

The Canadian music legend had also been honoured during the weekend's festivities as the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences' MusiCares person of the year.

Actor Fox won the best spoken word album Grammy for Always Looking Up, based on his book Always Looking Up: The Adventures of an Incurable Optimist — which explores his personal philosophy amid an ongoing struggle with Parkinson's disease and stories of other optimists who have triumphed over adversity.

Bublé was honoured with the award for traditional pop vocal album, for his album Michael Bublé Meets Madison Square Garden.

Canadian acts who failed to win included rap newcomer Drake, Montreal duo Beast, rock group Nickelback, hit producer David Foster, R&B singer Melanie Fiona and aboriginal singers Northern Cree.

99 categories

The fast-paced pre-telecast gala, hosted by Grammy-winning singers Kurt Elling and Tia Carrere, awarded trophies in 99 categories.

While a host of the winners weren't in attendance, one of the entire evening's top contenders was: country ingenue Taylor Swift.

The thrilled 20-year-old was beaming as she collected two trophies for her song White Horse as best female country vocal performance and best country song (which she shared with co-writer Liz Rose).

"This is my first Grammy, you guys! This is a Grammy!" she squealed as she took the stage for the first time.

"I live in awe of the people who I was nominated with in this category…Thank you to anyone who is a Grammy voter."

Swift, who is slated to perform with Stevie Nicks during the televised gala later on Sunday night, is also nominated in the highly coveted categories of record of the year, song of the year (both for the track You Belong With Me) and album of the year (for Fearless ).

Her stiffest competition is from rival top nominees Beyoncé, The Black Eyed Peas and Lady Gaga — all of whom also won early trophies but were not present to accept.

Beyoncé snagged four R&B Grammys: for Single Ladies - Put a Ring on it (best R&B song and best female R&B vocal performance), At Last (traditional R&B performance) and I am...Sacha Fierce (contemporary R&B album).

Gaga picked up a pair of trophies: best dance recording for Poker Face and best electronic/dance album for The Fame.

The Black Eyed Peas scored three Grammys, for their album The E.N.D. (pop vocal album) and their hit songs I Gotta Feeling (pop performance by a duo or group with vocals) and Boom Boom Pow (short-form music video).

Other pre-telecast highlights included:

• Engineered album, non-classical: Ellipse, by Imogen Heap, who arrived out of breath onstage from having just arrived moments before. The quirky artist turned up clutching a transparent parasol and bearing a sort-of electronic scarf featuring a scrolling Twitter feed.
• Jazz vocal album: Dedicated to You: Kurt Elling sings the music of Coltrane and Hartman, by gala co-host Kurt Elling. The singer noted that it was his first win after nine nominations.
• Remixed Recording: When Love Takes Over, by David Guetta with Kelly Rowland. French D.J. Guetta noted that he received "five nominations, so it means that finally DJ culture and dance music is growing in America... I'm not a real musician, trained. I cannot write music, but I started remixing music and that's how I started making music."
• Traditional folk album: High Wide & Handsome: The Charlie Poole Project, by Loudon Wainwright III, who ended his acceptance speech by thanking his late ex-wife Kate McGarrigle, "who taught me how to frail the banjo 40 years ago." Canadian folk icon McGarrigle, mother of singers Martha and Rufus Wainwright, will be honoured at a memorial in Montreal on Monday.
• Metal Performance: Dissident Aggressor, by Judas Priest. Singer Rob Halford noted that the win came after the five Grammy nominations. "Judas Priest has been making metal for over 35 years... Around the planet, we love what we do."

The Grammy Awards telecast will air live from Los Angeles, beginning Sunday at 8 p.m. ET.

Along with a host of medley performances showcasing prominent nominees, the televised show will feature a pair of special performances.

Céline Dion, Usher, Carrie Underwood, Jennifer Hudson and Smokey Robinson will take part in a 3-D tribute to Michael Jackson, while Mary J. Blige and Andrea Bocelli will honour the classic Simon and Garfunkel song Bridge Over Troubled Waters.