Casting Crowns, Mark Hall Wins Big at Doves
Casting Crowns and lead vocalist and songwriter Mark Hall collected seven trophies Wednesday at the 39th Annual Gospel Music Association (GMA) Dove Awards, including Song of the Year and Pop/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year for “East to West.”
Hall’s participation on the multi-artist worship project Glory Revealed brought him individual honors for Special Event Album of the Year as well as Inspirational Recorded Song of the Year for “By His Wounds,” the Associated Press (AP) reported.
Casting Crowns also had four nominations and won three: Group of the Year, Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year for The Altar and the Door and Pop/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year for “East to West.”
“I’m so thankful just to get to be part of the songs,” said Hall, who led all nominees with six nominations.
TobyMac won Artist of the Year and took home Doves for Rock/Contemporary Album of the Year for Portable Sounds and short-form video for “Boomin.”
“Are you kidding? This is crazy, man. I thought I was Mr. Pre-Televised awards,” joked TobyMac, who also won Artist of the Year in 1996 as a member of dc Talk, the AP reported. “God has been faithful time and again to surround me with people that sharpen me and that make me better.”
For the third consecutive time, Chris Tomlin won Male Vocalist of the Year and Natalie Grant was awarded Female Vocalist of the Year. Brandon Heath won New Artist of the Year, while Cindy Morgan nabbed the Songwriter of the Year award-her eighth Dove trophy.
The Contemporary Gospel Album of the Year award went to Israel & New Breed for A Deeper Level, while Ricky Skaggs and The Whites collected Bluegrass Album of the Year for Salt of the Earth.
The evening’s performers included American Idol alum Phil Stacey, Chris Sligh and Mandisa with Amy Grant in a musical tribute to Michael W. Smith, the AP reported. Switchfoot played “This Is Home,” a song from the soundtrack of The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, scheduled to open in theaters May 16.
Closing out GMA Music Week, the awards, held at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville, was broadcast live for the first time on XM Satellite radio and on the Gospel Music Channel.
