After 41 years in Nashville Dove Awards moving to Atlanta
Mary Mary at 2009 Dove Awards
After holding the Dove Awards in Nashville, TN for the past 41 years the Gospel Music Association has decided to move to Atlanta.
The decision to move the premiere Christian and Gospel music award ceremony to Atlanta has been received with shock and disappointment, according to an article in The Tennessean.
The Gospel Music Association has been experiencing some financial difficulty this past year having gone through a series of layoffs. They are now relying heavily on volunteers.
Ed Leonard, chairman of the board for the Nashville-based Gospel Music Association, called the move a chance to “shake things up” while continuing to “build community” for the awards show that had long showcased Nashville’s role as a gospel music capital. “Atlanta is a great place to go. There’s lots of gospel down there. There are a lot of churches down there. It’s another way to expose our music. And my hope is that we’ll be back.” said Leonard
The 2011 awards will be held April 20 at the Fox Theater in Atlanta. No mention is made of where the awards will be held in subsequent years.
Gospel Music News-Ruben Studdard, Kim Burrell, Rev. Thomas H. Brown
American Idol winner Ruben Studdard will be releasing his new Christmas song “Christmas In Your Arms” on December 8th. The song will be available for purchase on iTunes, but you can take a listen now over at Gospel Soundcheck.
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Rev. Thomas H. Brown is nearly 80 and has been reflecting on his successful gospel music career. He has worked with artists such as Mahalia Jackson, Billy Eckstine, Dionne Warwick and Quincy Jones. He says that he had offers to join mainstream music but never did because he saw so many of its stars ruined by cocaine and heroin. “It just never worked — I never had the feel for pop music,” he said. “Besides, I loved gospel music enough that I never wanted to be a star.” Delaware Online
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A concert featuring South Africa’s most popular gospel music artists will take place on December 5th, 2009 at the Oasis of Life Family Church in Daveyton, Ekurhuleni. An article by Patience Bambalele states that the event’s goal is to ease the unbearable situation faced by many poor communities. Gospel music artists such as Benjamin Dube, Hlengiwe Mhlaba and Nana Mhlongo will be performing.
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The Gospel Music Association’s calendar of events for 2010 is now available. Events for the upcoming year include GMA Dove Week, the 41st Annual GMA Dove Awards, and IMMERSE 2010.
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If you are in the New York area on December 11-12 be sure to catch gospel song artist Kim Burrell in A Gospel Christmas at Lincoln Center.
Gospel Music Mid-Week News
Did you get the new gospel music CD byRiZen yet? Well, if you are still undecided head over to BET and take a listen to the entire CD. I really liked it. I’m loving the energy of these sisters–to me this CD is a great mix of contemporary, traditional, high energy & laid back. It’s a go for me. You can also take a listen to the new CD from gospel artist Lisa Page Brooks. I haven’t had a chance to listen to that one yet, but I’m sure it’s fire too.
Check out the interview that Katie Couric had with Sapphire, the author of the book Push which inspired the new movie Precious. I don’t know if I’m ready to watch the movie. It seems as if it’s going to be good in a sad sort of way.
Michael Jackson’s “This Is It” movie premiere has opened to great reviews. Check out YBF and Radio Big Boy for premiere pictures. Over at Gospel Pundit you can see how some of your favorite gospel music artists felt about it.
Other News:
There was a rumor going around that the Gospel Music Association was about to close, but Gospel Soundcheck was able to confirm that the rumors were not true. I guess this is good news. I’m not really sure what they do, but I’m sure it’s useful.
Gospel music historian and artist Horace Boyer will be honored on Sunday, November 1st at Cathedral Church of St. Luke in Orlando, Florida. Horace Boyer pushed for gospel music in mainstream services. According to the Orlando Sentinel, he helped to transform music in the Episcopal Church.
ReportCogicAbuse is a new website whose goal is to draw attention to alleged clergy sexual abuse.
James Fortune & FIYA will be recording their new live CD/DVD in Houston on December 3rd. How could a sista be put on? I would love to come to the recording. Let me know!
