National Quartet Convention Announces the NQC Music Awards Nominees

Louisville, KY – The National Quartet Convention has announced the 2012 nominees for the NQC Music Awards. In partnership with the Southern Gospel Music Guild, the NQC will present these awards on Friday afternoon during the Friday afternoon Showcase Spectacular in Freedom Hall in Louisville, KY, on September 14.

According to the NQC Executive Vice President, Clarke Beasley, the awards will be presented based on both fan popularity and professional excellence, with two divisions of awards that will be presented. The first division is the Fan Awarded categories where awards will be determined by fan voting.

The second division will be the Industry Awarded Categories, which will be determined by the music professionals that participate as exhibitors during the National Quartet Convention. No purchase was required for those that are participating in the voting. All that was required is that they were registered on the NQC e-mail list prior to July 1st.

Beasley also states that the Southern Gospel Music Guild is an important partner in this process, as the SGMG is responsible for determining the category criteria, as well as screen entries for eligibility. The SGMG professional membership also determines the recipient of the annual Les Beasley Award, given to a person or company that has made a significant impact in the field of Gospel Music.

Below is a complete list of the nominees for the 2012 NQC Music Awards.

FAN CATEGORIES
Bass Singer of the Year Nominees:
Bennett, Eric – Triumphant Qt
Chapman, Jeff – Kingdom Heirs
Duncan, Tim – Canton Junction
Dustin, Glenn – Legacy Five
Riley, Tim – Gold City

Baritone Singer of the Year Nominees:
Brady, Jim – Booth Brothers
Griffin, Rodney – Greater Vision
Inman, Scott – Triumphant Qt
Lowry, Mark – Gaither Vocal Band
Trammell, Mark – Mark Trammell Qt

Lead Singer of the Year Nominees:
Booth, Ronnie – Booth Brothers
English, Michael – Gaither Vocal Band
Habedank, Joseph – Perrys
Rice, Arthur – Kingdom Heirs
Wolfe, Gerald – Greater Vision

Tenor Singer of the Year Nominees:
Allman, Chris – Greater Vision
Booth, Michael – Booth Brothers
Free, Brian – Brian Free & Assurance
Haase, Ernie – Ernie Haase & Signature Sound
Phelps, David – Gaither Vocal Band

Soprano Singer of the Year Nominees:
Alvey, Lauren Talley – Talleys
Collingsworth, Brooklyn – Collingsworth Family
Hopper, Kim – Hoppers
Isaacs Yeary, Sonya – Isaacs
Peck Gooch, Karen – Karen Peck & New River

Alto Singer of the Year Nominees:
Easter, Sheri – Jeff & Sheri Easter
Hopper, Connie – Hoppers
Stuffle, Libbi – Perrys
Talley, Debra – Talleys
Whisnant, Susan – Whisnants

Soloist of the Year Award Nominees:
Bishop, Mark
Crabb, Jason
Greene, TaRanda
Parker, Ivan
Penrod, Guy

Male Group of the Year Nominees:
Booth Brothers
Gaither Vocal Band
Greater Vision
Kingdom Heirs
Triumphant Qt

Mixed Group of the Year Nominees:
Collingsworth Family
Hoppers
Isaacs
Karen Peck & New River
Perrys

Musician of the Year Nominees:
Collingsworth, Kim – Collingsworth Family
Mote, Gordon
Stice, Jeff – Triumphant Qt
Williams, Kevin – Gaither Vocal Band
Wolfe, Gerald – Greater Vision

Album of the Year Nominees:
Celebrate Me Home (Oak Tree) – Perrys
Let It Be Known – Booth Brothers
Part of the Family – Collingsworth Family
Songs From the Heart – Triumphant Quartet
The Only Way – Greater Vision

Song of the Year Nominees:
Almost Home – Triumphant Quartet
Ask Me Why – Legacy Five
Blue Skies Coming – Perrys
I Believe – Brian Free & Assurance
I Know a Man Who Can – Greater Vision
I Want to Know – Mark Trammell Quartet
Please Forgive Me – Gaither Vocal Band
Saved By Grace – Triumphant Quartet
She Still Remembers Jesus Name – Booth Brothers
Tell Me Why – Kingdom Heirs
Who Am I – Jason Crabb

INDUSTRY CATEGORIES

Arranger/Producer of the Year Nominees:
Lari Goss
Wayne Haun
Ben Isaacs
Donna King
Steve Mauldin
Rick Sandidge
David Staton
Roger Talley

Concert Promoter of the Year Nominees:
Bill Bailey
Landon Beene
Ray Flynn
Bill Gaither
Brian Lester
Mike Wheeler

Radio Station of the Year Nominees:
WBOZ – Nashville
WCGW – Lexington
WJBZ – Knoxville
WTRM – Winchester, VA
WXRI – Winston Salem

SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR AWARD: The SGMG Awards and Criteria Committee will pull the Singing News radio charts for the eligibility time period and will assign each songwriter fifteen points for a number one song, ten points for a song in the top ten and five points for a song in the top 20. The total points for the eligibility period will be tabulated for each writer and the writer with the most points will be awarded Songwriter of the Year.

To obtain a complete schedule of events scheduled during the 2012 National Quartet Convention, visit www.nqconline.com.

SOUTHERN GOSPEL MUSIC GUILD ANNOUNCES PARTNERSHIP WITH NATIONAL QUARTET CONVENTION TO PRODUCE THE NQC MUSIC AWARDS

NASHVILLE, TN (February 16, 2012) – The Southern Gospel Music Guild has announced that they will be partnering with the National Quartet Convention to create a brand new awards presentation called the NQC Music Awards. These awards will be presented at the National Quartet Convention on Friday afternoon, September 14th during the Friday afternoon NQC Showcase Spectaculars in Freedom Hall.

“This awards presentation will be unique in several ways,” states Clarke Beasley, SGMG President and NQC Executive Vice President. “I believe we can expect a very large voting base to participate and much interest will be generated by the fact that awards will be given in both fan popularity and professional excellence divisions.”

There will be two divisions of awards that will be presented. The first division will be the Fan Awarded categories where awards will be determined by fan voting. To participate in the voting, all that is required is to sign up on the NQC e-mail list at www.nqconline.com. There is no purchase of anything required. The second division will be the Industry Awarded Categories, which will be determined by the music professionals that participate as exhibitors during the National Quartet Convention.

The Southern Gospel Music Guild will determine the category criteria as well as screen entries for eligibility. The SGMG professional membership will also determine the voting base for the industry categories and the recipient of the annual Les Beasley Award, given to a person or company that has made a significant impact in the field of Gospel Music.

To participate in the voting of the NQC Music Awards by signing up on the NQC e-mail list, just go to www.nqconline.com. A complete schedule of events set to take place during the 2012 National Quartet Convention may also be obtained there.

ABOUT SGMG
About the Southern Gospel Music Guild: In 1986, several Southern Gospel music leaders decided the industry needed an organization to foster the growth of the Southern Gospel music genre. Through the years, the Guild has grown to include every facet of the Southern Gospel music industry, encompassing artists (full-time and part-time), record companies, radio, promoters, publishers, distributors, talent management, media representatives, and booking agents. These professionals work together collectively to expand the economic base of the Southern Gospel Music industry.

ABOUT THE 2012 NATIONAL QUARTET CONVENTION
This year marks the 55th Annual National Quartet Convention. The Convention has made its home in the city of Louisville since 1994. Approximately 40,000 people will attend the 2012 event, which takes place September 9-15, with at least 40 states and a half dozen foreign countries represented. The Convention is Christian music's largest marketplace and largest annual event with more than 500 exhibitors and nearly 300 Southern Gospel recording artists in attendance. Seats for daily and evening performances may be purchased at the NQC office, online at www.nqconline.com or on site during the week of the Convention in the North Wing lobby at the Kentucky Expo Center.