Artist of the Year Nominees are Casting Crowns, tobyMac, Mary Mary, Jars of Clay, Francesca Battistelli, Skillet and Jason Crabb.
Group of the Year Nominees Include Skillet, Casting Crowns, Gaither Vocal Band, Jars of Clay, Hezekiah Walker & The Love Fellowship Crusade Choir, NEEDTOBREATHE, and Tenth Avenue North.
Kari Jobe, Crystal Aikin, Bluetree, Jonny Diaz, Revive, Sidewalk Prophets and Brian Courtney Wilson Recognized in New Artist of the Year Category
Jars of Clay, Skillet, Matt Maher and Jason Crabb, lead the diverse and gifted artists nominated for gospel/Christian music’s highest honor – the Dove Award, with six nominations each. Bernie Herms leads in total nominations of eight, including Producer of the Year. Producers and songwriters Jason Ingram and Wayne Haun follow with seven nominations each.
Of the 43 categories, nominees in 23 categories of the Dove Awards were announced at a press conference today in Nashville for the 41st Annual GMA Dove Awards. The event was held at Belmont University’s Curb Café and was hosted by an outstanding list of Dove and GRAMMY nominees and winners including Francesca Battistelli, Jeremy Camp, Jason Crabb, Brandon Heath, Kari Jobe, Michael W. Smith, Ben Tankard and Lisa Kimmey-Winans. The GMA Dove Awards, gospel music’s biggest night of the year, will feature artists from every style of gospel/Christian music coming together for a night of music and celebration. The 41st Annual GMA Dove Awards will be held on Wednesday, April 21, 2010 at Nashville’s famed Grand Ole Opry House and televised nationwide on gmc (http://www.gmclife.com/), Sunday, April 25, 2010 from 8 p.m. - 10 p.m. EST. While the awards are the urpose of the show, music performances will definitely share center stage at the GMA Dove Awards, showcasing some of gospel music’s hottest and most diverse artists.
Dove Awards will be handed out in 43 categories. Dove Awards nominations go to recordings released during the eligibility year November 1, 2008 through October 31, 2009 and voted on by the members of the GMA. The complete nominations list is available at both http://www.gospelmusic.org/ and http://www.doveawards.com/.
Tickets to the 41st Annual GMA Dove Awards are currently on sale through the Grand Ole Opry Call Center, 1-800-SEE-OPRY/1-800-733-6779, via the web at http://www.opry.com/ or may be purchased in-person at The Opry Box Office located at the Opry House at 2804 Opryland Drive and the Ryman Auditorium Box Office at 116 5th Ave North, in downtown Nashville. Ticket prices range from $25 - $200.
About GMA:
Founded in 1964, the Gospel Music Association serves as the face and voice for the Christian/Gospel music community and is dedicated to exposing, promoting and celebrating the Gospel through music of all styles including Pop, Rock, Praise & Worship, Urban Gospel, R&B, Hip Hop, Southern Gospel, Bluegrass, Country and more. The GMA community consists of more than 2,200 members including agents, artists, church leaders, managers, promoters, radio personnel, record company executives, retailers, songwriters and other industry visionaries. The GMA produces the GMA Dove Awards, GMA Dove Week and IMMERSE. For more on supporting the GMA or becoming a member, please visit http://www.gospelmusic.org/ or contact the GMA directly at 615.277.1376.
(from CMSpin.com)