Whether fans of Contemporary Christian Music preferred their uplifting songs with Country-tinged, banjo-peppered melodies, gravitated toward the kick-drum driven sounds of pulsating rock, appreciated a slow contemplative melody heightened with classical violin, or craved endlessly danceable, perfectly crafted pop, Sunday evening’s (June 1) second annual K-LOVE Fan Awards had plenty to offer. Held at Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry House, Christian music’s only fan-voted awards show proved a fine conclusion to a weekend filled with performances, autograph sessions, a songwriter spotlight performance, a 5K Run For Hope, and more.

Mandisa was the fan-voted queen of the evening, picking up both Female Artist of the Year, and Song of the Year for “Overcomer.” The K-LOVE Fan Award-winning song was inspired by Mandisa’s friend who is battling breast cancer. “An overcomer is not someone who has arrived, but someone who has Jesus and chooses to fight every day,” she told the audience.
CCM fans were fervent in campaigning for their favorite artists–more than 2 million votes were cast for the awards. Chris Tomlin earned Male Artist of the Year honors, while Newsboys took home the Group/Duo award.
Matthew West and actress/Dancing With The Stars finalist Candace Cameron Bure co-hosted the evening. West was quick to offer plenty of references to Cameron Bure’s best-known role as Full House‘s D.J. Tanner. At one point, he brought out Matt Maher and a member of Tenth Avenue North for a unique collaboration of the popular ’80s/’90s television show’s theme song.
MercyMe‘s charged performance of their infectious single “Shake,” complete with dancers and a confetti-filled ending, jump-started the evening, instantly put the crowd in the mood to celebrate.
The awards offered more than 20 performances from Tenth Avenue North, Matt Maher, Chris Tomlin, Steven Curtis Chapman, Switchfoot, Natalie Grant, Building 429, Jamie Grace, Crowder, Francesca Battistelli, Casting Crowns (who earned the most coveted honor of Artist of the Year later in the evening), Kutless, Colton Dixon, Rend Collective, Jeremy Camp, and more.
Best Live Show nominees For King and Country‘s performance of “Fix My Eyes,” complete with a booming percussion, a light show that made the stage seem aglitter with neon stars, and a nonstop energy level, proved why they were deservedly nominated for the honor. “We are so passionate about music and sharing the message of Jesus, that this energy and creativity comes so naturally,” said the band prior to the show.
If an award was given out for Best Live Vocal Performance During An Awards Show, it just might have gone to Plumb, who stunned the audience with her powerful soprano on “Need You Now.”
Several collaborations made the lengthy performance lineup fit into a four-hour showtime. Ricky Skaggs joined co-host West for a jangly bluegrass rendition of West’s hit, “Hello, My Name Is…,” while Phil Wickham made his return to performing after having vocal surgery, for a collaboration with Big Daddy Weave on “Yours Will Be (Land of Glory).” Sidewalk Prophets’ David Frey was joined by Jamie Grace, Matt Maher, Francesca Battistelli, and Jeremy Camp for “Hope Can Change Everything.”
TobyMac was moved by his Best Live Show win. “Switchfoot is my favorite band to see live,” he said, honoring his fellow nominees. He also gave credit to his band. “We are a band of brothers who travel, who go deep into God’s word, and who try to love well. If I won this, it is because of my band.”
The members of Casting Crowns were quick to thank K-LOVE and the fans for their Artist of the Year honor. “Everything you do, know that you are doing it for a reason,” said Casting Crowns lead singer Mark Hall.
The evening closed out with hands raised throughout the room as Hillsong United performed their Worship Song of the Year-winning song “Oceans (Where Feet May Fail).”
2nd Annual K-LOVE Fan Award Winners:
Male Artist of the Year: Chris Tomlin
Female Artist of the Year: Mandisa
Artist of the Year: Casting Crowns
Song of the Year: “Overcomer,” Mandisa
Best Live Show: TobyMac
Group/Duo of the Year: Newsboys
Worship Song of the Year: “Oceans (Where Feet May Fail),” Hillsong United
First Christian Artist To Be On A 7UP Can: Jamie Grace
Film and Television Impact Award: God’s Not Dead
Sports Impact: Thomas Davis
Book Impact: You’ll Get Through This, by Max Lucado
Photos by Getty Images
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RollingStoneCountry.com debuted yesterday (June 1), and is the iconic magazine’s first franchise dedicated to a single genre. Senior Editor Beville Dunkerley is heading the publication’s first Nashville outpost from offices on 16th Ave. S. Also on board is Senior Editor Joseph Hudak.
To coincide with the website launch, the June 19 issue of Rolling Stone magazine will be its first all-Country edition. The cover will be revealed tomorrow, Tues., June 3 on Good Morning America. As of now, no plans have been announced for a regularly scheduled print magazine devoted to Country.
“For the week of our launch, we’ve crafted an editorial calendar that shows the breadth of our coverage,” said Dunkerley. “We have three huge interviews: one with a heritage act, one with a current chart-topper and one with a brand new act that’s causing a lot of buzz. Whether people love [artists like] Emmylou Harris or Taylor Swift or Sturgill Simpson, we have a little something for everybody.”
Given Country music’s ties to the roots of rock ‘n’ roll, RollingStone.com Director Gus Wenner said that delving into the Country world isn’t a huge leap for the publication co-founded by his father Jann Wenner in 1967. “Everyone here in this building has a deep understanding of music history, and a deep love for rock ‘n’ roll,” said Gus Wenner on a recent call from his office in New York. “Country and bluegrass formed rock ‘n’ roll and all the artists that we have covered so heavily throughout the years, whether it’s Bruce Springsteen or Bob Dylan, have been greatly influenced by Country music.”

Driven by a deep appreciation for genre stalwarts George Jones, Tom T. Hall, Merle Haggard and Dolly Parton, Gus Wenner and his team began discussing the possibility of a Country franchise last year. “It is a genre where there are so many fascinating things going on that we started talking about covering more Country on the website and people began to get on board and come up with editorial ideas. So I went down to Nashville to get a sense of the culture, musicians and the music industry.”
His exploratory trips to Music City solidified his plans to start RS Country. “I idolized Nashville a little, after years of listening to Nashville Skyline, and watching the show, and hearing so many great things about it,” he said. “But when I went down there it went above and beyond [my expectations]. Being in a place where the craft of songwriting is appreciated so much really left an impression on me. To be around so many people who had such a deep love for music and people who say what they think—I was blown away and impressed. I felt like that was the green light to put resources, and everything we have, behind this.” (Rolling Stone publisher Chris McLoughlin told Ad Age that $1 million was being spent on the site’s launch.)
According to Dunkerley, who previously started the Country news site The Boot, RS Country will cover plenty of “music nerd stuff.” The site will have about eight news posts per day, including song and video premieres, executive profiles, songwriter spotlights, unique video content, and day-in-the-life pieces, covering everything from mainstream Country stars to their neighbors in the Americana and bluegrass worlds. Freelance writers will contribute to the site’s content, as Dunkerley and Hudak are the only full-time local staffers.
Rolling Stone Country is likely to follow in the footsteps of its parent publication and stir up a little controversy from time to time. “We’re going to tackle controversial topics,” said Dunkerley. “We’re not going to glorify music that we don’t respect, and a lot of bad music is on the top of the charts. That’s not to say that we’re going to ignore it, but we’re not going to glorify it. We’ll try not to offend too many people, but oftentimes it is the more controversial articles that end up being water cooler fodder and leads to more eyeballs on the site.”
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Did you know? The logos of MusicRow magazine and Rolling Stone magazine were both created by the late graphic designer Bill Johnson.

Rising Country music trio Sweetwater Rain recently presented ACM Lifting Lives® with a generous $10,000 donation – the second $10,000 donation the band has given to the charitable arm of the Academy of Country Music in the past year. ACM Lifting Lives President, Lori Badgett, accepted the gift on behalf of the charity.

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The 31st Annual International Country Music Conference was held at Belmont University on May 22 through 24. Hosted by Belmont Professor of Music Business Don Cusic and Tennessee Technological University Professor James Akenson, the conference featured a special panel on the late CMT Editorial Director Chet Flippo.