SoapBox
Steven Curtis Chapman and the Missing Gospel Artists at the Dove Awards
The Dove Awards were handed out last month in Nashville for the 40th Annual GMA Dove Awards with singer/songwriter Brandon Heath and worship band Casting Crowns earning the most awards. Steven Curtis Chapman was honored as Artist of the Year and Tenth Avenue North received the Dove Award for New Artist which for the first time was voted on by both the Gospel/Christian music industry and its fans. Televised live on the Gospel Music Channel and held at the Grand Ole Opry House, this year’s Dove Award spread the love around like never before, with more than 75 artists, songwriters and producers receiving Dove trophies, including 38 out of the 43 award categories featuring different recipients. “The list of Dove Award recipients is very culturally and musically diverse, yet together they reveal the unique ability for gospel and Christian music to reach across cultural, religious and generational divides to encourage and inspire with the good news of the Gospel,” said John W. Styll, president of the Gospel Music Association (GMA) and executive producer of the Dove Awards.
As a photographer, two of my yearly highlights are the Dove and Stellar Awards recordings. Both guarantee a huge turnout of recording artists which goes well when pitching the idea to media editors looking to secure photos in various mediums. Being in the press room with photographers from around the nation/world, while you wait the procession of these artists to secure shots/images against officials backdrops plus the added artists, actors and celebrities together. This is why the press shows up, this is how photographers make a living, and is what our reader want to see.
On this debut issue of “The Soapbox”, can someone enlighten me on what happened at this years Dove Awards? Why didn’t the press room get the memo? What memo? The one that stated that 95% of the gospel artists, actors, or celebrities hosting, performing, or presenting were boycotting the press room. There must have been a silent boycott to explain why only a handful of them even came through.
According to our cameras, only The Dixie Hummingbirds, Mary Mary, Paul Porter of the Chrisitianaires, Larnelle Harris, comedian Sinbad and his Meredith Adkins, passed through. Can someone else explain it? We’re all ears! None of the photographers who waited up to 45 minutes once the recording was over could. No one in charge of the press room could. None of the editors we reported back to could. None of our readers and the fans who read our newspapers or buy the CDs could. Or better yet, maybe someone in the missing 95% can? I wonder if this would have happened at the Grammies!
In the next issue of “The Soapbox”, we’ll discuss why has the “first 3 minutes of the first 3 songs” photographers shooting rule at concerts has crossed over into the Gospel Music arena? Especially when professionals don’t use flash. Things that make you go hmmmm. Food for thought. Feedback welcomed. Other photographers concerns wanted too.
Email Dr. D. at damrd@aol.com. All comments & inquiries are welcome email Love.Express@verizon.net
