Dove Awards use Allen Arena to make their big return to Music City

By Bridgette Begle and Cory Woodroof Allen Arena traded basketballs for golden trophies Tuesday night as the best and brightest of Christian music gathered to celebrate this year’s Dove Award winners. The 44th annual show made its home at Lipscomb after spending two years at Fox Theater in Atlanta. Industry legends Amy Grant and Kirk Franklin were the evening’s emcees. Gospel Music Association CEO Jackie Patillo thanked Lipscomb for their guidance in hosting the event in its return to Music City, a longtime home of the awards. “We are at the Allen Arena because of the vision of the leadership here,” Patillo said. “President Randy Lowry has opened his doors to us and his heart.” Dr. Lowry told the estimated crowd of 2,800 of the importance of having fellow believers join the campus to celebrate an art that ties directly in with faith. “We have about 200,000 visitors a year on this campus, but there are no visitors that are more important to us than those who share the Christian story with us,” Lowry said. “A lot goes on in higher education, and a lot of it is so far from the story we believe in. “But at Lipscomb University, we are going to be Christian intentionally, we are going to be Christian courageously and we are going to be Christian graciously.” Lowry noted that arena donors Jim and Linda Allen were in attendance of the evening’s events. “They had a vision 15 years ago and dedicated a tremendous proportion of their resources to build this – not knowing you specifically, but having you in mind. Hoping that in this...

Lumination’s 2013 Dove Awards preview: Artist of the Year

At most music-related awards shows, Artist of the Year is generally one of the biggest awards given out. The Dove Awards are no exception. Each year, the Dove Awards committee nominates the five artists who they believe were the most successful in the past 12 months for Artist of the Year, and this year’s nominees are one of the strongest groups ever. Chris Tomlin: One of the most successful Christian artists of all time, Tomlin received his seventh Artist of the Year nomination. For someone who has been nominated for a staggering 32 Dove Awards, and six Grammys as well, nominations no longer come as a surprise. Tomlin, known for famous worship songs such as “How Great is Our God” and “Whom Shall I Fear,” will be vying for his third Best Artist Dove Award. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0x5aEvl6Zdk Francesca Battistelli: After the huge success of her previous two albums, My Paper Heart and Hundred More Years, Battistelli garnered her fourth nomination for Artist of the Year. Battistelli, who previously won the award in 2011, is known for such hits as “Free to Be Me” and “Strangely Dim.” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKSQjSdU8VA Lecrae: Lecrae has spent the last few years blowing up in the Christian nd mainstream music scenes. His 14 Dove Award nominations, including eight in the past two years, are evidence of that. Earlier this year, Lecrae won the Grammy Award for Best Gospel Album for his wildly successful album Gravity. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-p9BwiOGVj8 Tamela Mann: Thanks to the strength of her recent album Best Days and the lead single “Take Me to the King,” Mann received her first ever Artist of the Year nomination for...

Another group of performers join Dove lineup

Just when the preforming lineup couldn’t get any bigger for this year’s Dove Awards, it has. Needtobreathe was added to the mix for the awards set for Oct. 15 in Allen Arena.  The South Carolina-based band joins Big Daddy Weave, Kristian Stanfill, Michael W. Smith, TobyMac and other big-name Christian artists as performers in the 44th annual Dove Awards. Needtobreathe is a multiple-Dove Award winner, including a 2012 “Group of the Year” award and won two other awards last year for their song “Slumber” and for their album The Reckoning. Among the added artists, Andy Mineo, Dailey & Vincent, Ernie Haase & Signature Sound, The Isaacs, Karen Peck, KB and Trip Lee are scheduled to preform as well. Bone Hampton was also announced as a presenter. He joins Joyce Meyer, Lecrae, Mandisa, Pastor Rick Warren and others previously announced. The pre-show takes place 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. and can be streamed, along with the Dove Cares Red Carpet, at www.hearitfirst.com/live. The awards show will be televised on the UP network on Monday, Oct. 21 at 8 p.m. Tickets for the show are available at the Allen Arena box...

Amy Grant and Kirk Franklin set to co-host 2013 Dove Awards

Amy Grant and Kirk Franklin will co-host this year’s Dove Awards, set to be held at Lipscomb’s Allen Arena next month. Grant, a multiple Dove Award-winning artist, is no stranger to campus. She joins the Lipscomb community every holiday season for the annual Lighting of the Green concert. Grant released her seventeenth album, How Mercy Looks from Here, in May. Franklin is a renowned gospel artist and multiple Dove winner. He won the Grammy for Best Gospel Album in 2012 for Hello Fear, his eleventh album. Franklin also currently hosts the reality singing competition show Sunday’s Best. “There are not too many names more synonymous with Christian and Gospel music than our hosts Amy and Kirk,” GMA Executive Director Jackie Patillo said in a press release. “We are so grateful for their contributions to the Dove Awards throughout the years and we’re excited to have them as the co-pilots of what is turning out to be one of the most compelling nights of music ever on the Dove stage.” The first wave of presenters and performers were also announced. TobyMac, Tamela Mann, Michael W. Smith and Gaither Vocal Band will all be taking the stage to perform. Lecrae, Pastor Rick Warren, Jaci Velasquez, Dr. Bobby Jones and Isaac Carree are set to present awards. More talent will be announced soon. The awards will be handed out on Tuesday, Oct. 15, starting at 7:30 p.m. The show will air on the UP network on Monday, Oct. 21, at 8...

Students share excitement for Dove nominations

Lipscomb students and gospel music fans alike were tuned in during the first week of classes when the nominations for the Dove Awards were announced in the Hall of Fame room at Allen Arena.  Chris Tomlin and Matt Redman led the way in nominations with eight each. Tomlin will be going up against Francesca Battistelli, Lecrae, Tamela Mann and TobyMac for Artist of the Year. The nominations came as no surprise to Kelsey Turner, a junior business major from Smyrna. “When I looked at the nominations online, I wasn’t surprised with one nominee because I thought they all fit perfectly,” Turner said. Lumination Co-Managing Editor Brianne Welch personally knows Dove nominee Cliff Duren. “He was the assistant music director at my home church in Georgia and moved to Nashville to further his music career,” Welch said. Duren received a Choral Collection of the Year nod for Carry Your Name. “I am really happy for him.” Welch said. “I feel like I know somebody famous.” Some students were excited to see the nominees because they set the stage for the actual awards show, which is set to take place on Oct. 15 in Allen Arena. “I really like the lineup and am excited to see what each artist brings to the stage,” said Emily Townsend, a junior children’s ministry major from Chattanooga. “After the nominations, I realized that there is so much talent within the Christian genre,” Townsend said. “It’s a growing industry.” A couple of classes in the Communication department got the chance to cover the press conference for the nominations. The Practicum in Public Relations was one of those classes....