August 2013 SGNScoops Magazine Available Now!

The summer issues continue to sizzle at SGNScoops Magazine! Gracing the cover this month- THE MARTINS! Our newest staff writer, Craig Harris captured the heart the the Martin’s ministry and also shares the latest happenings with the Martins in this month’s cover story.

The August edition also features Eighth Day, Three Bridges, Morgan Easter, Henry Slaughter, Willie Wynn and Christian Country artist, Isaac Cole. The Perrys share their hearts regarding Tracy Stuffle’s health situation and Rhonda Frye catches up with Ernie Haase on the road.

Other articles include spiritual enrichment, Southern Gospel memories and Christian fitness. Sandi Duncan Clark reviews music, Angela Griffin reveals what songs are topping the charts and Lynn Mills gives the scoop on the Gatlinburg Gathering!

Don’t miss the latest scoop on Creekside and the Diamond Awards in this issue as well. All of this neatly tucked and beautifully designed in our FREE online magazine. Catch it HERE! Please share!

Eighth Day's "Because of the Blood" Making Big Strides at Radio

Eighth Day’s “Because of the Blood” Making Big Strides at Radio

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – (September 3, 2012) – Popular Southern Gospel trio Eighth Day’s follow-up to their back-to-back #1 singles is making big strides at Southern Gospel radio this month.

The new single, “Because of the Blood,” made a huge jump this month on the Singing News Top 80 chart. The song bulleted from #43 to #17 on the upcoming October 2012 chart – becoming the group’s sixth career Top 20 hit.

In addition, the single has been sitting in the Top 10 of the AbsolutelyGospel.com Top 40 Weekly Chart for several weeks and is currently charting at #7 this week.

“We are so ecstatic to see how God has been using our music and specifically this song,” mentioned Scott Robinson of Eighth Day. “His faithfulness to our ministry over the last couple of years has been astounding. We are so thankful for his grace and favor in our ministry.”

“Because of the Blood” was written by Christie Capps and is the seventh single released from the group’s Absolutely Gospel Music Award nominated project Everything Holy. The group has scored an unprecedented six Top 20 singles off of the album including the #1 hits - “May I Never Get Over the Cross” and “Are You Ready.”

“Because of the Blood” is being promoted to radio by Tony & Kim Hudgins and Spin-N-Motion Promotions. The song can be found on the company’s May 2012 Compilation – cut #1.



Earlier this year, Eighth Day was honored to receive two nominations in the 2012 Absolutely Gospel Music Awards. The group received nominations for Song of the Year and Progressive Song of the Year for their first ever #1 hit from last year – “May I Never Get Over the Cross.”

Eighth Day’s #1 hit from last fall, “May I Never Get Over the Cross,” was named the 2nd most played song of the year according to AbsolutelyGospel.com. The song spent an impressive 4 weeks at #1 and was only surpassed in spins this year by one other song – Karen Peck & New River’s “On the Banks of the Promised Land.”



More information on Eighth Day can be found at http://www.eighthdaymusic.com. 



About Eighth Day
Eighth Day is a popular trio based out of Spartanburg, South Carolina. The group has quickly established itself as one of the top new talents in Gospel music today. Their fresh and progressive sound has been described as a little bit country, a touch of bluegrass, and a whole lot of Gospel!

Eighth Day Nominated for Two Absolutely Gospel Music Awards

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – (February 7, 2012) – Popular Southern Gospel trio Eighth Day were honored to received word last month that they have been nominated for two Absolutely Gospel Music Awards.

The group has received nominations for Song of the Year and Progressive Song of the Year for their first ever #1 hit from last year – “May I Never Get Over the Cross.”

“Words really can’t describe just how much of an honor this is for our ministry,” said Scott Robinson of Eighth Day. “We are such big fans of this awards program. We love AbsolutelyGospel.com and what they contribute to this industry. We are so excited to be a part of this year’s program.”

Eighth Day will be performing “May I Never Get Over the Cross” on the awards program as was announced last week.

“We performed on this program back in 2009 when we were nominated for Breakthrough Artist of the Year,” recalled Scott. “We had a blast at that program, and we know we’ll enjoy ourselves this year as well!”

Fans are getting a chance to vote for their favorites in several categories now through February 14, 2012. The Absolutely Gospel (SGN) Music Awards will be handed out at a live ceremony on Tuesday, April 10, 2012 at River of Life Church in Smyrna, TN. The event is tentatively scheduled to be streamed live like in 2010. More details on the Absolutely Gospel Music Awards will be announced at a later date.

Eighth Day started off the year with a bang. The group has seen an abundance of radio and media exposure due to the group’s #1 hit “May I Never Get Over the Cross” and current rising single “Are You Ready.”

Eighth Day’s #1 hit from last fall, “May I Never Get Over the Cross,” was named the 2nd most played song of the year according to AbsolutelyGospel.com. The song spent an impressive 4 weeks at #1 and was only surpassed in spins this year by one other song – Karen Peck & New River’s “On the Banks of the Promised Land.”

Eighth Day’s latest single, “Are You Ready.” recently made a huge surge at radio. The song jumped from #11 to #9 on the upcoming March 2012 Singing News Top 80 chart. The song also sits at #3 on the AbsolutelyGospel.com Top 40 Weekly Chart.

More information on Eighth Day can be found at http://www.eighthdaymusic.com.

About Eighth Day
Eighth Day is a popular trio based out of Spartanburg, South Carolina. The group has quickly established itself as one of the top new talents in Gospel music today. Their fresh and progressive sound has been described as a little bit country, a touch of bluegrass, and a whole lot of Gospel!

Hosts and First Performers Announced for 2012 Absolutely Gospel Music Awards

10th Anniversary of Awards Program Set For April 10, 2012

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – (January 30, 2012) – The administrators and staff of AbsolutelyGospel.com (formerly SoGospelNews.com) are proud to announce this year’s hosts and first list of performers for the 2012 Absolutely Gospel Music Awards Celebration.

The hosts for this year’s Awards Celebration of two of the industry’s most respected female voices and personalities. This year’s hosts are Karen Peck Gooch (Karen Peck & New River) and Sonya Isaacs Yeary (The Isaacs).

Karen Peck Gooch has been lauded as one of the greatest voices to ever take the stage in Southern Gospel music. She has been awarded the Favorite Soprano award in the Singing News Fan Awards 11 times. A veteran of the Absolutely Gospel Music Awards, Karen has won Female Vocalist of the Year twice (including last year), and with her group New River, has won an impressive 15 additional Absolutely Gospel Music Awards. Karen Peck & New River has scored over 10 #1 singles over the course of its 20-year history. Gooch recently made her big screen debut in the hit movie Joyful Noise with Queen Latifah and Dolly Parton.

No stranger to the Absolutely Gospel Music Awards hosting stage, Sonya Isaacs Yeary co-hosted the 2010 Awards Celebration. Sonya is known widely across multiple genres of music including Country, Southern Gospel, Bluegrass, and more. Sonya has been awarded two Female Vocalist of the Year, two Songwriter of the Year, and two Musician of the Year awards in this particular awards program. Most recently, the song “I’m Gonna Love You Through It” (which she co-wrote with her sister Becky and husband Jimmy) was recorded by country music giant Martina McBride and nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Country Solo Performance.

“I am very honored to be co-hosting the Absolutely Gospel Music Awards along with my friend, Sonya Isaacs Yeary,” said Karen Peck Gooch. “I’m looking forward to a special night of honoring the finest artists in Southern Gospel music and hearing the top current songs in the industry. It’s going to be a night to remember!”

Sonya Isaacs Yeary said, “I am so excited to be co-hosting the incredible AGM Awards with Karen Peck this year! She’s a hot tamale, what with bein’ in that new big movie and all! I hope she doesn’t try to hog the show! Only kidding, ‘friend’! We are going to have a blast! But seriously, two blondes? This could be dangerous! See y’all there!”

“We couldn’t be more elated with our hosts for this year’s Awards Celebration,” mentioned Deon Unthank, President of AbsolutelyGospel.com. “Sonya and Karen are two of the most respected names in this industry. We know that they are going to do a great job hosting this year.”

In addition, the first list of performers is now available. Performing on this year’s Awards Celebration are The Isaacs, Karen Peck & New River, The Perrys, Wilburn & Wilburn, Beyond the Ashes, Eighth Day, and Mark209. In addition, Jeff & Sheri Easter are spearheading a multi-artist tribute to a legend in the Gospel music industry (like the 2010 tribute to The Singing Cookes). More information will be announced at a later date about the specifics of that tribute. Additional performers are still being confirmed as well.

Karen Peck Gooch will also be performing “Mighty High” from the Joyful Noise soundtrack with an all-star choir made up of multiple nominees in this year’s Absolutely Gospel Music Awards.

More information on the 2012 Absolutely Gospel Music Awards Celebration will be forthcoming, including additional performers and sponsors. The date for this year’s Absolutely Gospel Music Awards Celebration is Tuesday, April 10, 2012. The event will again take place at the River of Life Church in Smyrna, Tennessee and is free to the public. The event is scheduled to be streamed live on the internet this year.

The awards program sees two records broken this year. The Isaacs broke the record for the most nominations by an artist in a single year – this year earning 12 nominations. In addition, producer/songwriter/Ernie Haase & Signature Sound pianist Wayne Haun earned a staggering 15 nominations – also breaking a record for the most nominations in a single year by an individual.

In addition, for the first time in the 10 years of the Absolutely Gospel Music Awards – a song that wasn’t released to radio (also known as an album cut) earned a nomination for Song of the Year – the Booth Brothers’ critically acclaimed song “What About Now.” In addition, last year’s Songwriter of the Year (Professional) winner Kenna West earned a nomination for the 2012 Pacesetter Award – the first time a professional songwriter has earned a nomination in that specific category.

Social networking paid off in a big way for artists in the Fan Favorite Artist of the Year category – the only category chosen strictly by the fans and readers of AbsolutelyGospel.com. Surprise nominations from acts like Sharron Kay King, The Ladd Family, and Mark209 saw a huge surge of votes due to their support from fans on social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter.

About AbsolutelyGospel.com
AbsolutelyGospel.com (formerly SoGospelNews.com) has grown from relative obscurity to the industry's leading internet publication for Southern Gospel news and information in only a few short years. The site includes a wide variety of features, consisting of artist interviews, a weekly chart, late-breaking news, and much more.

“Are You Ready” For Eighth Day’s Follow-Up to First Ever #1 Hit?

SPARTANBURG, S.C.  – Popular Southern Gospel trio Eighth Day are asking is Southern Gospel radio is “ready” for their brand new single.

The aptly titled single, “Are You Ready?,” is the follow-up to the group’s first ever #1 hit – “May I Never Get Over the Cross.”  This new single is a head-bobbing commercial-Country tinged tune written by Eighth Day’s own Monty Lane Allen.

Scott Robinson of Eighth Day said, “Radio has already been so kind to our group. We continue to be humbled by their acceptance of us and our music. The response to ‘Are You Ready?’ has already been tremendous!”

Eighth Day has already seen strong early support for the song. “Are You Ready?” will rank #30 on the upcoming January 2012 edition of the Singing News Top 80 Chart, it and made a big jump from #24 to #19 on this week’s AbsoluteyGospel.com Top 40 Weekly Chart.

The song is being promoted to radio by Spin-N-Motion Promotions.

Eighth Day earned a career high earlier this year as the group’s last sing – “May I Never Get Over the Cross” – reached the #1 position on the Singing News Top 80 chart – the industry’s most watched and respected radio report.

The ministry-oriented single had been making waves at radio since it’s release several months ago. In addition to hit #1 on the Singing News Top 80, the song earned a career first last month as the smash-hit single reached the #1 spot on the AbsolutelyGospel.com Top 40 Weekly Chart – the Southern Gospel industry’s most watched weekly radio report. The song went #1 for the week of May 2, 2011 and continued to hold the #1 spot for three more weeks. The four week run at #1 has been bested by only one other song this year (The Dunaways’ “When There’s No Hope, There Is Grace”) and remains Eighth Day’s most successful song to date.

“Are You Ready?” is the group’s sixth single from their SGN Music Award nominated project Everything Holy. All singles from that album have reached the Top 40 on both the Singing News Top 80 and AbsolutelyGospel.com Top 40 Weekly Chart.

Eighth Day was honored with news that they were named as one of the 20 most played artists of 2010. According to AbsolutelyGospel.com (formerly SoGospelNews.com), Eighth Day ranked #14 on the Top 20 Most Played Artists of 2010 list – in between mainstays and hit makers The Isaacs and The Bowling Family. The list was compiled by the AbsolutelyGospel.com Top 40 Weekly Chart year-end figures.

More information on Eighth Day can be found at http://www.eighthdaymusic.com. 

Eighth Day Lands First #1 on Singing News Top 80

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – (August 1, 2011) – Popular Southern Gospel trio Eighth Day earned a career high this week as news hit of the group’s latest single reaching the #1 position on the Singing News Top 80 chart – the industry’s most watched and respected radio report.

The song, “May I Never Get Over the Cross,” will reach the #1 position on the upcoming September 2011 issue of the chart.

“This is a total God-thing,” mentioned Eighth Day’s Scott Robinson. “We are in awe of the response that this song has received since we released it to radio. The truth of the lyrics has been resonating with people all over the world. We are so grateful that God put this song in our hands. We are moved by the song, and we are so excited to hear that so many other people have been moved by the song as well.”

This ministry-oriented single has been making waves at radio since it’s release several months ago. In addition to cracking the top 5 on the Singing News Top 80, earned a career first last month as the smash-hit single reached the #1 spot on the AbsolutelyGospel.com Top 40 Weekly Chart – the Southern Gospel industry’s most watched weekly radio report. The song went #1 for the week of May 2, 2011 and continued to hold the #1 spot for three more weeks. The four week run at #1 has been bested by only one other song this year (The Dunaways’ “When There’s No Hope, There Is Grace”) and remains Eighth Day’s most successful song to date.

“May I Never Get Over the Cross” was released to radio earlier this year through Spin-N-Motion Promotions. It is the group’s fifth single from their SGN Music Award nominated project Everything Holy. All five singles from that album have reached the Top 40 on both the Singing News Top 80 and AbsolutelyGospel.com Top 40 Weekly Chart. The song was penned by Robert Arthur and Monty Lane Allen.

Eighth Day was recently honored with news that they were named as one of the 20 most played artists of 2010. According to AbsolutelyGospel.com (formerly SoGospelNews.com), Eighth Day ranked #14 on the Top 20 Most Played Artists of 2010 list – in between mainstays and hit makers The Isaacs and The Bowling Family. The list was compiled by the AbsolutelyGospel.com Top 40 Weekly Chart year-end figures.

More information on Eighth Day can be found at http://www.eighthdaymusic.com.

About Eighth Day
Eighth Day is a popular trio based out of Spartanburg, South Carolina. The group has quickly established itself as one of the top new talents in Gospel music today. Their fresh and progressive sound has been described as a little bit country, a touch of bluegrass, and a whole lot of Gospel!

Eighth Day Reaches #1 on Music Chart

Eighth Day’s “May I Never Get Over the Cross” Reaches #1 Spot on AbsolutelyGospel.com Top 40 Weekly Chart
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – (June 16, 2011) – Popular Southern Gospel trio Eighth Day earned a career first last month as their smash-hit single “May I Never Get Over the Cross” reached the #1 spot on the AbsolutelyGospel.com Top 40 Weekly Chart – the Southern Gospel industry’s most watched weekly radio report.
The song went #1 for the week of May 2, 2011 and continued to hold the #1 spot for three more weeks. The four week run at #1 has been bested by only one other song this year (The Dunaways’ “When There’s No Hope, There Is Grace”) and remains Eighth Day’s most successful song to date.
“We are so excited about this song reaching the #1 spot at AbsolutelyGospel.com,” mentioned Eighth Day’s Scott Robinson. “We believe in the work they are doing over there, and we are honored that our song has had such a resounding impact with their readership and reporting stations.”
“May I Never Get Over the Cross” was released to radio earlier this year through Spin-N-Motion Promotions. It is the group’s fifth single from their SGN Music Award nominated project Everything Holy. All five singles from that album have reached the Top 40 on both the Singing News Top 80 and AbsolutelyGospel.com Top 40 Weekly Chart.
Eighth Day was recently honored with news that they were named as one of the 20 most played artists of 2010. According to AbsolutelyGospel.com (formerly SoGospelNews.com), Eighth Day ranked #14 on the Top 20 Most Played Artists of 2010 list – in between mainstays and hit makers The Isaacs and The Bowling Family. The list was compiled by the AbsolutelyGospel.com Top 40 Weekly Chart year-end figures.
More information on Eighth Day can be found at http://www.eighthdaymusic.com.
About Eighth Day
Eighth Day is a popular trio based out of Spartanburg, South Carolina. The group has quickly established itself as one of the top new talents in Gospel music today. Their fresh and progressive sound has been described as a little bit country, a touch of bluegrass, and a whole lot of Gospel!

Eighth Day Continues Winning Streak at Radio with “May I Never Get Over the Cross”

New Single Cracks AGM Top 10 and Singing News Top 40
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – (March 28, 2011) – Popular Southern Gospel trio Eighth Day continues their winning streak at radio this month with their latest single “May I Never Get Over the Cross.”

“May I Never Get Over the Cross,” the group’s fifth single from the highly acclaimed Everything Holy recording, recently cracked the Top 10 of the AbsolutelyGospel.com (formerly SoGospelNews.com) Top 40 Weekly Chart and will jump to #36 on the upcoming May 2011 issue of the Singing News Top 40 Chart.

“This is such great news for our ministry,” responded Scott Robinson of Eighth Day. “Radio has been so good to us over the last few years, and we are so thankful for their support. This song is a great ministry tool for us, and I’m so happy to see that radio has taken to the song as well.”

“May I Never Get Over the Cross” was released to radio earlier this year through Spin-N-Motion Promotions.

Eighth Day was recently honored with news that they were named as one of the 20 most played artists of 2010. According to AbsolutelyGospel.com (formerly SoGospelNews.com), Eighth Day ranked #14 on the Top 20 Most Played Artists of 2010 list – in between mainstays and hit makers The Isaacs and The Bowling Family. The list was compiled by the AbsolutelyGospel.com Top 40 Weekly Chart year-end figures.

More information on Eighth Day can be found at http://www.eighthdaymusic.com.

About Eighth Day
Eighth Day is a popular trio based out of Spartanburg, South Carolina. The group has quickly established itself as one of the top new talents in Gospel music today. Their fresh and progressive sound has been described as a little bit country, a touch of bluegrass, and a whole lot of Gospel!

Eighth Day Named One of the Most Played Artists of 2010

Hit Song “Heaven’s Mine” Ranked In Top 20 Songs of the Year


SPARTANBURG, S.C. – (January 27, 2011) – Popular Southern Gospel trio Eighth Day was recently honored with news that they were named as one of the 20 most played artists of 2010.

According to AbsolutelyGospel.com (formerly SoGospelNews.com), Eighth Day ranked #14 on the Top 20 Most Played Artists of 2010 list – in between mainstays and hit makers The Isaacs and The Bowling Family. The list was compiled by the AbsolutelyGospel.com Top 40 Weekly Chart year-end figures.

“We are absolutely humbled by this news,” mentioned Scott Robinson of Eighth Day. “Accolades and numbers have never been something that we’ve tried to attain, but we are so honored that God would bless us with this. He’s hasn’t disappointed us yet!”

The group also had both of their singles from 2010 earn positions on the Top 100 Songs of 2010 list. Their hit single “Heaven’s Mine” ranked at #19 for the year, while the ministry driven “Trust His Heart” ranked at #41 for the year.

Joni Robinson of Eighth Day interjected, “While we had a very difficult year in 2010 personally, God proved faithful to us in our ministry. We are so grateful for his provision and timing. He’s just so amazing!”

You can find out more information on the Top 100 Songs of 2010 and Top 20 Most Played Artists of 2010 by visiting http://www.absolutelygospel.com.

Eighth Day just released their fifth single from the SGN Music Award nominated project Everything Holy. The song – “May I Never Get Over the Cross” – hit radio earlier this year through Spin-N-Motion Promotions.

More information on Eighth Day can be found at http://www.eighthdaymusic.com.

About Eighth Day
Eighth Day is a popular trio based out of Spartanburg, South Carolina. The group has quickly established itself as one of the top new talents in Gospel music today. Their fresh and progressive sound has been described as a little bit country, a touch of bluegrass, and a whole lot of Gospel!

Eighth Day Set To Take the Gospel to the Cayman Islands

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – (October 21, 2010) – Popular Southern Gospel trio Eighth Day will be taking the Gospel to the Cayman Islands this month. The trio will visit Cayman Brac (one of the three islands that comprise the Cayman Islands) from October 28-November 1, 2010 and will be ministering several times over the weekend including a fall festival on the Saturday evening of the weekend.

Scott Robinson of Eighth Day said, “This is such an exciting experience for us! We can’t wait to share our music and the message of the Gospel to the people of Cayman Brac. We serve a God of hope and healing, and we can’t wait to relay His message to those people.”

The trip was arranged by Pastor Thomas French of Cotton Tree Bay Church of God on Cayman Brac.

“Eighth Day has always counted it a joy to carry the good news of the Gospel,” mentioned Joni Robinson of Eighth Day. “Whenever we get a chance to minister in another country like this really means so much to us. We have been looking forward to this trip for a very long time!”

More information on the trip as well as pictures after Eighth Day returns can be found at their website at http://www.eighthdaymusic.com .

Eighth Day’s new single has been doing well at radio. “Heaven’s Mine” is a fresh, upbeat Country-based tune that features the writing talents of Robert Arthur and Monty Lane Allen. The song was released to Southern Gospel radio through Spin-N-Motion Radio Promotions. The song can be found on the company’s June 2010 comp, cut #3.

The song has already ranked in the Top 20 on the AbsolutelyGospel.com (formerly SoGospelNews.com) Top 40 Weekly Chart (#11) and Top 40 on the Singing News Top 80 Chart (#34).

“Heaven’s Mine” is the fourth single from Eighth Day’s SGN Music Award nominated project – Everything Holy. That album has already spawned off three previous Top 20 hits with “Everything Holy to Me,” “The Veil Was Torn,” and most recently “Trust His Heart.” It is also the group’s ninth consecutive Top 40 single.

More information on Eighth Day can be found at http://www.eighthdaymusic.com.

About Eighth Day
Eighth Day is a popular trio based out of Spartanburg, South Carolina. The group has quickly established itself as one of the top new talents in Gospel music today. Their fresh and progressive sound has been described as a little bit country, a touch of bluegrass, and a whole lot of Gospel!

Eighth Day’s New Single Set to Take Radio By Storm!

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – (July 15, 2010) – Popular Southern Gospel trio Eighth Day’s new single is set to take Southern Gospel radio by storm. Fresh off the heals of the group’s fourth consecutive Top 20 single – Eighth Day just released “Heaven’s Mine” to radio.

“Heaven’s Mine” is a fresh, upbeat Country-based tune that features the writing talents of Robert Arthur and Monty Lane Allen. The song was just released to Southern Gospel radio through Spin-N-Motion Radio Promotions. The song can be found on the company’s June 2010 comp, cut #3.

Scott Robinson of Eighth Day said, “We have been blessed beyond measure with the way that radio has responded to our music. We cannot thank DJs and program managers enough for playing Eighth Day’s music. We sing for one reason: so that people will hear the message of Christ. We hope that that is reflected in our music.”

“Heaven’s Mine” is the fourth single from Eighth Day’s SGN Music Award nominated project – Everything Holy. That album has already spawned off three previous Top 20 hits with “Everything Holy to Me,” “The Veil Was Torn,” and most recently “Trust His Heart.”

In addition, “Heaven’s Mine” recently earned a spot on the DJ Pick Hits list according to the August issue of the Singing News Magazine.

“Eighth Day’s music is a staple on our station,” mentioned Chris Unthank, program director of the Diamond Award-winning SouthernSpinRadio.com. “These guys pick the best songs, and they have an amazing amount of talent. Radio should not pass these guys up!”

More information on Eighth Day can be found at http://www.eighthdaymusic.com.

About Eighth Day
Eighth Day is a popular trio based out of Spartanburg, South Carolina. The group has quickly established itself as one of the top new talents in Gospel music today. Their fresh and progressive sound has been described as a little bit country, a touch of bluegrass, and a whole lot of Gospel!