JUST IN!!!

Here are the winners in the gospel categories at this year’s 53rd Annual GRAMMY Awards!!!

Winners highlighted below in blue.

Best Gospel Performance

“He Wants It All” by Forever Jones | Get Ready
“You Hold My World” by Israel Houghton | Love God. Love People.
“Nobody Greater” by VaShawn Mitchell | Triumphant
“He’s Been Just That Good” by Kirk Whalum & Lalah Hathaway | The Gospel According To Jazz Chapter III
“Grace” by BeBe & CeCe Winans | Still

Best Gospel Song

“Beautiful Things” by Lisa Gungor & Michael Gungor, songwriters (Gungor) | Beautiful Things
“Better Than A Hallelujah” by Sarah Hart & Chapin Hartford, songwriters (Amy Grant) | Somewhere Down The Road
“It’s What I Do” by Jerry Peters & Kirk Whalum, songwriters (Kirk Whalum & Lalah Hathaway) | The Gospel According To Jazz Chapter III
“Our God” by Jonas Myrin, Matt Redman, Jesse Reeves & Chris Tomlin, songwriters (Chris Tomlin) | Passion: Awakening
“Return To Sender” by Gordon Kennedy, songwriter (Ricky Skaggs) | Mosaic

Best Rock or Rap Gospel Album

Church Music | David Crowder Band
For Those Who Wait | Fireflight
Beautiful Things | Gungor
Rehab | Lecrae
Hello Hurricane | Switchfoot

Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album

Beauty Will Rise | Steven Curtis Chapman
Love God. Love People. | Israel Houghton
Pieces Of A Real Heart | Sanctus Real
Mosaic | Ricky Skaggs
Tonight | TobyMac

Southern/Country/Bluegrass Gospel

Times Like These | Austins Bridge
The Reason | Diamond Rio
Expecting Good Things | Jeff & Sheri Easter
Journey | Ty Herndon
Live At Oak Tree: Karen Peck & New River | Karen Peck & New River

Traditional Gospel Album

The Experience | Vanessa Bell Armstrong
A City Called Heaven | Shirley Caesar
Downtown Church | Patty Griffin
Here I Am | Marvin Sapp
All In One | Karen Clark Sheard

Contemporary R&B Gospel Album

Get Ready | Forever Jones
Love Unstoppable | Fred Hammond
Triumphant | VaShawn Mitchell
Aaron Sledge | Aaron Sledge
Still | BeBe & CeCe Winans

The nominees for the 53rd Annual GRAMMY Awards were announced tonight during a live telecast on CBS.

In the gospel categories, the nominees are–

Best Gospel Performance
“He Wants It All” by Forever Jones | Get Ready
“You Hold My World” by Israel Houghton | Love God. Love People.
“Nobody Greater” by VaShawn Mitchell | Triumphant
“He’s Been Just That Good” by Kirk Whalum & Lalah Hathaway | The Gospel According To Jazz Chapter III
“Grace” by BeBe & CeCe Winans | Still

Best Gospel Song

“Beautiful Things” by Lisa Gungor & Michael Gungor, songwriters (Gungor) | Beautiful Things
“Better Than A Hallelujah” by Sarah Hart & Chapin Hartford, songwriters (Amy Grant) | Somewhere Down The Road
“It’s What I Do” by Jerry Peters & Kirk Whalum, songwriters (Kirk Whalum & Lalah Hathaway) | The Gospel According To Jazz Chapter III
“Our God” by Jonas Myrin, Matt Redman, Jesse Reeves & Chris Tomlin, songwriters (Chris Tomlin) | Passion: Awakening
“Return To Sender” by Gordon Kennedy, songwriter (Ricky Skaggs) | Mosaic

Best Rock or Rap Gospel Album

Church Music | David Crowder Band
For Those Who Wait | Fireflight
Beautiful Things | Gungor
Rehab | Lecrae
Hello Hurricane | Switchfoot

Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album

Beauty Will Rise | Steven Curtis Chapman
Love God. Love People. | Israel Houghton
Pieces Of A Real Heart | Sanctus Real
Mosaic | Ricky Skaggs
Tonight | TobyMac

Southern/Country/Bluegrass Gospel

Times Like These | Austins Bridge
The Reason | Diamond Rio
Expecting Good Things | Jeff & Sheri Easter
Journey | Ty Herndon
Live At Oak Tree: Karen Peck & New River | Karen Peck & New River

Traditional Gospel Album

The Experience | Vanessa Bell Armstrong
A City Called Heaven | Shirley Caesar
Downtown Church | Patty Griffin
Here I Am | Marvin Sapp
All In One | Karen Clark Sheard

Contemporary R&B Gospel Album

Get Ready | Forever Jones
Love Unstoppable | Fred Hammond
Triumphant | VaShawn Mitchell
Aaron Sledge | Aaron Sledge
Still | BeBe & CeCe Winans

What do you think of the nominees???

Heads-up, folks!  I’ve got another great way for you to donate to the Haiti relief efforts while getting some great music in the process… it’s a compilation album called Healing 4 Haiti, distributed by Integrity Music., available DIGITALLY this coming Tuesday, February 23, 2010, with a full retail release in March.

The 21-track project features great music from Israel Houghton, Michael W. Smith, Canton Jones, Kari Jobe, Amy Grant, Lecrae, Carlos Whitaker and more.  It also features the newly recorded collaborative track, “Come Together Now,” featuring various artists.

All proceeds will be donated to the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association/Samaritan’s Purse for their work on the ground in Haiti.  Plus, the artists are donating their royalties from sales of this album to the same charity.  That’s BIG and awesome.

One of the most widely discussed events of the Stellar Awards weekend was not really planned at all; rather, it came suddenly, in response to the earthquake in Haiti.  Kirk Franklin successfully brought together the gospel and Christian music communities to record a new song that he wrote, the proceeds from which will be donated directly to the relief efforts in Haiti.

Though Franklin wrote and produced the track, entitled “Song For Pain,” he’s not getting a cut, nor are any of the dozens of artists and musicians who participated.  And I mean DOZENS.  Some of the artists and musicians who rolled through the session include Mary Mary, Natalie Grant, Donnie McClurkin, J Moss, CeCe Winans, Kierra Sheard, Dorinda Clark-Cole, Marvin Winans, Micah Stampley, Karen Clark Sheard, Smokie Norful, Shirley Caesar, Amy Grant, BeBe Winans, Brian Courtney Wilson, Stephen Hurd, Nicole C. Mullen, and MORE.  Every penny is going to Haiti.

Over the course of several recording sessions throughout the weekend, Kirk (who also co-hosted and performed at the Stellar Awards, and had to attend rehearsals and run-thru’s for the same) spent every moment of his “spare time” in Nashville’s Quad Studios, generally until around 6am.  I don’t think he got any sleep all weekend.

Let’s continue to pray for Haiti, that the offering of our music community would be used greatly to take Christ and His healing power to that nation.  And, let’s pray for our own artists and musicians, especially Kirk Franklin, who selflessly gave of their time and energy for this cause.

AAAAND, when the single hits the internet stores this week, BUY IT.  I’ll be sure to let you know when and where.  Deal?

The Gospel Music Association’s wildly successful GMA Week has been set for April 18th through 21st in Nashville, TN.  The week will culminate, as always, with the 41st Annual Dove Awards.

Anybody planning to attend?  I’m soooooo gonna try to be there, especially if the quality of the awards show is ANYWHERE close to where it was this year… just sheer excellence.

In related news, the GMA held a mega fundraiser on Monday night here in Nashville, dubbed the “Concert Of The Decade,” in an attempt to save the non-profit organization from recent financial woes.  Tickets to attend were $1,000 apiece (yes… three zeros) and the benefit featured performances by Kirk Franklin, Natalie Grant, Amy Grant, Casting Crowns, Michael W. Smith and many more.  Did anyone watch it online… or attend in person???

The event is said to have sold 350 tix for a total of $350,000, but the venue’s capacity was about 800 seats… Hopefully, this will be a helpful start.  The GMA is an asset to the Christian music community.