GMA Dove Awards Nominations for 2009

The 40th Annual GMA Dove Awards will be handed out at Nashville’s famed Grand Ole Opry House. Tickets to the 40th Annual GMA Dove Awards are on sale now at www.ticketmaster.com or by calling 615-242-0303.

While the awards are the purpose of the show, music performances will definitely share center stage at the Dove Awards, showcasing some of gospel music’s hottest and most diverse artists. In addition to the exclusive live broadcast, Gospel Music Channel will present back-to-back encore broadcasts that night and additional re-airings following. Gospel Music Channel’s rapid growth has made it the fastest growing network in television for the past two years and GMC is now available in more than 43 million homes in all major markets on the major cable systems as well as on DIRECTV on Channel 338.

The top artist nominee for Dove Awards is current three-time Male Vocalist of the Year Chris Tomlin, whose seven total nominations include Artist of the Year, Male Vocalist of the Year and

Song of the Year for “Amazing Grace (My Chains are Gone).” His latest CD Hello Love was nominated for Praise & Worship Album, while “Jesus Messiah” from that project earned a nomination for Worship Song of the Year. Tomlin was also included in the Special Event Album category for his participation on the Passion: God of This City compilation album and in the Contemporary Gospel Recorded Song category for gospel artist LaRue Howard’s recording of Tomlin’s “How Great Is Our God,” which was the 2006 Song of the Year recipient.

Two female artists have the next biggest impact, with Natalie Grant and newcomer Francesca Battistelli each receiving five nominations. Grant, the current three-time Female Vocalist of the Year recipient, receives another nomination in the category, along with a nod for Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year for Relentless, while the No. 1 radio hit from that record, “I Will Not Be Moved” was nominated for Song of the Year and Pop/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year. The Grant-penned “Breathe on Me” rounds out her five nominations in the Worship Song of the Year category.