Word Entertainment flies high at the 41st Annual Dove Awards scoring 15 Awards at Wednesday night's event. Held at the historic Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, evening standouts included NEEDTOBREATHE with three wins and first-time award winners Francesca Battistelli and Sidewalk Prophets. The GMA Dove Awards is set to air on the Gospel Music Channel this coming Sunday, April 25 at 8:00 PM ET. “We are really proud of the record and glad people seem to like it,” says Bear Rinehart from NEEDTOBREATHE. “Thanks to all of our fans for their support!” GROUP OF THE YEAR NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR CHRISTMAS ALBUM Source: CMSpin
Atlantic recording artist NEEDTOBREATHE carried the Word Label Group with three nods; Rock/Contemporary Album of the Year for their latest release The Outsiders, Rock/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year for the gospel-infused track “Lay ‘Em Down,” giving the group a back-to-back win in this category with their nod for “Washed By The Water” in 2009 and the coveted Group of the Year award.
Fervent Records’ Francesca Battistelli brought home two wins; Female Vocalist of the Year and Short Form Music Video of the Year for her chart-topping, record-breaking smash hit “Free To Be Me.” Battistelli also performed live her brand new single “Beautiful Beautiful.”
“I’m so incredibly honored and humbled by the support of the GMA, Christian radio and my amazing fans,” says Francesca. “I’m very blessed to do what I love to do every single day and can not even begin to express my gratitude. I thank God for these wonderful blessings.”
And the firsts keep coming in as Sidewalk Prophets were named the New Artist of the Year. This award came on the heels of their No. 1 hit, “The Words I Would Say,” from their top-selling debut album, These Simple Truths.
“This year has been an unbelievable journey for us and truly humbling,” remarks Sidewalk Prophets frontman Dave Frey. “Our heart lies in inspiring people and letting them know that they matter. Being given the gift of spreading this message through our music drives us and this award is beyond what we ever expected.”
The Breen Agency, another division of Word Entertainment handling artist touring and booking, garnered nominations for Inspirational Album (“Revelation Song”; Phillips, Craig & Dean) and Inspirational Recorded Song (“The Only Hope”; Bebo Norman and Jason Ingram).
Below is the complete list of awards for Word Entertainment:
FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
Francesca Battistelli
NEEDTOBREATHE
Sidewalk Prophets
PRODUCER OF THE YEAR
Jason Ingram, Rusty Varenkamp
RAP/HIP HOP RECORDED SONG
“Movin”; Ordinary Dreamers; Group 1 Crew; Group 1 Crew, Jeremy James, Byron Chambers, Christopher Stevens; Fervent Records
ROCK/CONTEMPORARY RECORDED SONG
“Lay ‘Em Down”; The Outsiders; NEEDTOBREATHE; Bear Rinehart, Bo Rinehart; Atlantic Records
INSPIRATIONAL RECORDED SONG
“The Only Hope”; Bebo Norman; Bebo Norman; Bebo Norman, Jason Ingram; BEC Recordings
ROCK/CONTEMPORARY ALBUM
The Outsiders; NEEDTOBREATHE; Rick Beato, NEEDTOBREATHE, Jim Scott, John Alagia; Atlantic Records
INSPIRATIONAL ALBUM
Fearless; Phillips, Craig & Dean; Bernie Herms; INO Records
COUNTRY ALBUM
The Reason; Diamond Rio; Michael D. Clute, Jimmy Olander; Word Records
CHILDREN’S MUSIC ALBUM
Veggie Tales: Here I Am To Worship; Featuring Natalie Grant & Aaron Shust; Steven V. Taylor; Big Idea
SPECIAL EVENT ALBUM
Glory Revealed II: The Word of God in Worship; Mac Powell, Shane Everett, Jonathan Shelton, Brian Littrell, Trevor Morgan, Mark Hall, Jason Crabb, Bear Rinehart, Matt Maher, Amy Grant, Ed Cash, Geoff Moore, Natalie Grant, Laura Story, Brandon Heath, Mike Donehey, Aaron Shust, Shawn Lewis, Sara Evans, Bethany Dicks Olds, Shane & Shane, Bethany Dillon, Kari Jobe; Mac Powell, David Nasser; Reunion
Christ Has Come; Big Daddy Weave; Jeremy Redmond; Fervent Records
SHORT FORM MUSIC VIDEO
“Free To Be Me”; Francesca Battistelli; Andy & John Erwin; Dan Atchison; Alabama Production Group; Fervent Records
MUSICAL
A Baby Changes Everything; Deborah Craig-Claar, David T. Clydesdale; Word Music
For more information on Word Entertainment log on to: http://www.wordlabelgroup.com