Chapman leads way with seven Dove Award nominations
NASHVILLE (AP) — Gospel singer Steven Curtis Chapman said he can see the growth and success of the Christian music industry since his first Dove Award nomination two decades ago.
“As much as our industry can change, it’s still ultimately about the reality of the message communicated in the songs that we make,” he said.
Chapman led the Dove Award nominations with seven on Tuesday, although he wasn’t named in the best artist category he has won six times.
A slew of other Christian musicians received five or more nods for the awards handed out by the Gospel Music Association. The 35th Annual Dove Awards, gospel music’s version of the Grammys, will be held April 28 in Nashville.
Chapman’s major nominations included Male Vocalist of the Year for his record “All About Love” and song of the year for the title track off that album.
“I really didn’t know when I made the record if it would be acknowledged in this way by the GMA or Dove Awards and it was totally fine if it wasn’t,” Chapman said. “It was really an album about relationships and the importance of especially marriage and family.”
Joining Chapman for best male vocalist are Jeremy Camp, Bart Millard, David Phelps and Mark Schultz.
The nominees for Artist of the Year are MercyMe, Stacie Orrico, Switchfoot, Randy Travis and Michael W. Smith. All also have had success crossing over to other genres.
“The quality of the music coming out of the Christian market is way better than people thought it was, but now these alliances are really possible because of the cross ownership between major companies,” GMA President John W. Styll said.
Smith, who won a Grammy this week and has won 12 Dove Awards in the past two years including Artist of the Year in 2002 and 2003, received one other nomination for Special Event Album for his work with other artists on “Next Door Savior.” MercyMe was the only other act to repeat an Artist of the Year nomination from last year.
Styll said album sales were up 6 percent in the first weeks of 2004 after severely slumping last year.
“An uptick in sales is an encouraging sign and I don’t know what we can attribute it to. Maybe the message about illegal downloading is finally getting through to some folks,” he said.
dc Talk’s Toby McKeehan, who was nominated in two categories, said that artists need to lead the way in curbing the downloading debate.
“It’s important that we continue to find answers and that we continue to inform the public, sometimes a very young public that doesn’t even know it’s wrong,” he said.
Switchfoot received six nominations for their “Beautiful Letdown” release. The recording has been No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Christian Albums chart for the first five weeks of 2004. Band member Jonathan Foreman received five nominations and brother Tim Foreman earned four nominations individually for their songwriting.
Third Day also received six nominations for the “Offerings II: All I Have to Give” release.
MercyMe, Switchfoot and Third Day are up for Group of the Year as well as Jars of Clay and Newsboys.
CeCe Winans and Orrico will battle for Female Vocalist of the Year, and both received five nominations.
Winans’ “Throne Room” was the first for her new Pure Springs Gospel/INO/Epic label. Orrico, 17, became an MTV favorite this past year with her second album for the song “(There’s Gotta Be) More to Life.”
Other nominees for best female vocalist were Nichole Nordeman, Rebecca St. James and Joy Williams.
Awards will be given out in 44 categories for recordings released between Nov. 1, 2002, and Oct. 31, 2003. The GMA is a trade organization formed in 1964 to promote Christian music. Its 4,500 members nominate and vote for the Dove Awards winners.
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