Top gospel group is Casting Crowns
It was a big night for repeats at the 38th annual GMA Dove Awards.
A number of last year's Dove Award winners were also this year's winners in some of the Gospel Music Association's biggest categories.
Singer/songwriter Chris Tomlin was not only the most-honored winner Wednesday night, taking home a top six trophies, but he also repeated victories in two top categories, Artist of the Year and Male Vocalist of the Year.
The band Casting Crowns repeated for Group of the Year, and Natalie Grant repeated for Female Vocalist of the Year.
"Thank you for encouraging us in this way," Casting Crowns front man Mark Hall said after accepting the group award. "We started leading worship with a youth group, and the cool thing is Wednesday night we'll still be with that youth group."
Newcomer Aaron Shust was also a multiple winner, taking home three Doves for Songwriter of the Year, New Artist of the Year and Song of the Year. Contemporary Christian music producer Ed Cash took home Producer of the Year honors.
Show was packed
The 38th annual awards show was hosted by Natalie Grant, former Backstreet Boy Brian Littrell and Donnie McClurkin, who poked fun at the fact that the singers were on hand mainly to host — not sing. Littrell started singing the words off his cue cards, and McClurkin followed, while Grant joked that if she wanted to hang out with two juveniles, she'd have stayed at home with her 9-week-old twins.
Wednesday night's show was packed with live performances ranging from classic gospel to rock to hip hop with performances by The Crabb Family, Take 6, Steven Curtis Chapman and Tomlin. As Gospel Music Association president John Styll told the crowd before the taping, "You'll hear every kind of music that can have the gospel associated with it."
The list of award winners was just as diverse, with Doves going to country legends Alan Jackson and The Oak Ridge Boys, Amy Grant, gospel great Bill Gaither and even Bob the Tomato and Larry the Cucumber from VeggieTales.
Opening the show was a powerful performance by TobyMac, Kirk Franklin and American Idol standout Mandisa. The trio performed TobyMac's song Lose My Soul with the help of a choir that filled the aisles. Franklin drew applause when he appeared on stage wearing a Virginia Tech sweatshirt and baseball cap. Of course, no TobyMac, Kirk Franklin pairing would be complete without baggy jeans, wallet chains, dancing, rapping and back flips and this was no exception.
Larry the Cucumber flirts with Mullen
In addition to the live performances in the Grand Ole Opry House on Wednesday night, several rock bands, including Red, DecembeRadio and Leeland, were shown performing from Rocketown in Nashville.
One highlight that won't be seen on a later television broadcast of the show was Larry the Cucumber from Veggie Tales flirting with co-presenter Nicole C. Mullen. As Larry danced and smiled at Mullen, the crowd, waiting for the commercial break to end, laughed at the exchange.
Dual winner Shust performed an acoustic version of his award-winning song My Savior, My God and encouraged the crowd to sing along as he stepped back from the mike and let the voices from the crowd fill the room.
In addition to Tomlin's two award repeats from 2006, this year he also took home awards for "Holy Is The Lord," a song he co-wrote with Louie Giglio, as well as for the Special Event Album of the Year, Passion: Everything Glorious. Tomlin's most current CD release, See the Morning earned him two more awards, for Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year and Praise & Worship Album of the Year.
The show was taped for broadcast and will air on more than 120 stations across the country. Following broadcast syndication, The Gospel Music Channel will have a cable premiere.
Awards were handed out in 43 categories voted on by members of the Nashville-based Gospel Music Association; though all of the 15 live performances will be part of the broadcast, only seven of those awards will be.
The awards are scheduled to air on WTVF CBS on May 12 at 12 p.m.; WLLP on May 20 and June 10 at 7 p.m.; and on NewsChannel 5 on May 19 at 7 p.m.
More Articles