40th Annual GMA Dove Awards
The GMA held its 40th Annual Dove Awards last night (4/23), at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville with singer/songwriter Brandon Heath and worship band Casting Crowns earning the most awards. Steven Curtis Chapman was honored as Artist of the Year and Tenth Avenue North received the Dove Award for New Artist which for the first time were voted on by both the gospel/Christian music industry and its fans. Televised live on the Gospel Music Channel, this year’s Dove Awards featured more than 75 artists, songwriters and producers receiving Dove trophies, including 38 out of the 43 award categories featuring different recipients. Among the nights major awards were:
Artist of the Year
Steven Curtis Chapman
New Artist of the Year
Tenth Avenue North
Songwriter of the Year
Steven Curtis Chapman
Song of the Year
“Give Me Your Eyes”; written by Brandon Heath and Jason Ingram
Male Vocalist of the Year
Brandon Heath
Female Vocalist of the Year
Natalie Grant
Group of the Year
Casting Crowns
Producer of the Year
Bernie Herms
Country Recorded Song
“I Wish”; from the album How You Live Deluxe Edition; recorded by Point of Grace; written by Cindy Morgan and Phil Madeira
Country Album
Around the Bend; recorded by Randy Travis; produced by Kyle Lehning
A complete list of all winners is available here.
The Bluebird Cafe’s “Bluebird On the Mountain” concert series is set to begin Saturday, May 16 at 7:00 PM with pop songstress Kim Carnes leading a a stellar lineup of singer/songwriters. The concerts are held in the beautiful country setting of Vanderbilt’s Dyer Observatory. Cost of admission is $399 per vehicle, with up to eight people per vehicle. Series passes and single concert tickets ($95.00) are available at Ticketmaster: www.ticketmaster.com/artist/964527. The full schedule of “Bluebird On the Mountain” concerts follows:
Members of Nashville music industry organization, SOLID (Society of Leaders in Development), rocked out for a good cause recently. SOLID’s 2nd Annual Karaoke/Rock Band Challenge, held March 25 at 12th & Porter, raised $500 dollars for Musicians On Call, a nonprofit organization that brings live and recorded music to the bedsides of patients in healthcare facilities. Following the karaoke challenge segment of the evening, Music Row businesses competed head to head for the title of Rock Band champion. The team from Flood, Bumstead, McCarthy and McCready (Justin Bullock, Jeff Jones, Ben Ewen & Adam Broman) won the title and received their own Wii Rock Band, compliments of CMT. “We wanted to add another aspect to this event and make it a little more relevant to our members,” said event coordinator Jon Romero. “By adding Rock Band we got more people to participate. For more information visit www.solidnashville.com.
Capitol artist Dierks Bentley is prepping this week for his first-ever Australian tour with superstar duo Brooks & Dunn beginning May 1 in Perth and continuing on to Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane through May 9. Bentley will flank both ends of his Australian tour with stops in Los Angeles to perform his current single, “Sideways,” on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on April 28 and The Bonnie Hunt Show on May 14, followed by a trip to New York for a performance on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.
Hollywood talent agency Paradigm, continuing its expansion into music, announced today (4/23) that it had bought Nashville-based Christian music booking firm Third Coast Artists Agency. The deal is the latest move by Beverly Hills-based Paradigm to increase its presence in the music sector through a series of low-key acquisitions. In the last five years, Paradigm has acquired Monterey Peninsula Artists and Little Big Man Booking, specialty talent boutiques with a niche in music. The move comes as a merger between rival talent agencies William Morris, which has a strong music department, and Endeavor moves closer. Co-founded in 1999 by Mike Snider and his wife, Lisa, Third Coast Artists Agency’s Christian music clients include MercyMe, Natalie Grant and Hawk Nelson. The firm’s 10 employees and 30 artists will move into Paradigm’s Nashville offices just off Music Row, which currently house a major part of Paradigm’s music business, alongside the agency’s offices in New York and Monterey. Financial terms were not disclosed. Music clients at Paradigm include Coldplay, the Black Eyed Peas and Toby Keith.
Returning to Joe’s Pub for the fifth year, the CMA Songwriters Series remains one of New York City’s most popular nights of music. Showcasing some of Nashville’s finest songwriters, the series is back for another show on Thursday, May 21. Host Bob DiPiero (“If You Ever Stop Loving Me,” “Blue Clear Sky,” “Take Me As I Am”); will welcome fellow hit writers including Dean Dillon (“The Chair,” “Unwound,” “Ocean Front Property”); Scotty Emerick (“I Love This Bar,” “Good As I Once Was,” “Beer For My Horses”); and Valory Music Company artist Jimmy Wayne (“Stay Gone,” “I Love You This Much,” “Paper Angels”).
At the Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum’s recent quarterly board meeting, cultural arts activist Steve Turner, founder of Butler’s Run LLC, was tapped for a second term as Chairman; and Hall of Fame member Vince Gill was re-elected to an eighth consecutive term as President. New trustees, elected for three-year terms, include Creative Artists Agency talent agent Rod Essig; Vector Management President Ken Levitan; and Flood, Bumstead, McCready & McCarthy President Mary Ann McCready. Trustees Keel Hunt (Secretary) and Turner were re-elected. New officers include Mark Bloom, Senior VP-investments, UBS Financial Services; and renowned record producer Tony Brown, Tony Brown Enterprises. Country Music Hall of Fame member Frances Preston was named trustee emeritus. Preston joins Trustees Emeriti Nelson Andrews, Jim Foglesong, Richard Frank, Emmylou Harris, Bruce Hinton, Kenneth Roberts, Chairman Emeritus E. W. “Bud” Wendell and Janice Wendell.
Plans continue to come together for the 2009 CMA Music Festival, and now comes the announcement that the CMA will add country stars Rascal Flatts, Darius Rucker, and Wynonna (with a special appearance by The Judds) to the performance lineup for the Nightly Concerts at LP Field.