Even though I couldn’t be at the Dove Awards last night, you can still have an insider’s peek at the event, from my dear friend and music journalist, Paula Parker. Paula and her husband Mike write for a bunch of publications and are the owners of the website, BuddyHollywood.com.

Behind The Scenes At The 40th Annual Dove Awards
by Paula Parker

The 40th Annual GMA Dove Awards were held last night, the culmination of GMA Week. While the artists, their families and fans gathered in the auditorium of the Grand Old Opry, media was relegated to a back room. It’s not too bad; the food is good, we have comfortable chairs and tables for taking notes and it’s a time to visit with media friends and reflect over the week. Just as the attendance during GMA Week had been low, there were a number of journalists missing from last night’s festivities. While the economy most likely played a part, the reduced attendance was partly due to the rearrangement of GMA being a day later than normal; the show was aired live (in High Def) on the Gospel Music Channel and the decision-makers didn’t want to go head-to-head with American Idol. While American Idol might have received more viewers, I can guarantee that it didn’t touch the spirit – the love – that was present last night.
The reason media is kept backstage is in order that the winners, presenters, and performers can be escorted back to us for questions. While most of the best questions and comments were asked in the multitude of interviews during the week, there were some memorable highlights last night that reflects what the spirit of GMA.
Many of the artists spoke of the calling to share the Gospel. Mary Mary said it was, “nice to win a Dove, but it’s having the opportunities to share your faith with people that we love.” Tenth Avenue North stated that when they prepared to record their last album, they, “made a bold prayer. We want people not just to hear songs, but to encounter Christ.”
Other artists talked about the missions they work with. Natalie Grant, whose passion is human trafficking anywhere that it is found, revealed that the impact of the slave trade in the U.S. hit her when police broke up a brothel (of girls less than 15 years old) not less than a mile from her home. “It’s important to witness to people across the world,” she confessed , “but it’s also important to talk to people across the street.” Jars of Clay, who founded the Blood Water Mission to help provide clean drinking water in Africa said, “We don’t want people to throw money in a plate just to relieve a sense of guilt, but to invest in another person.”
There were special moments of honor in the evening. Sandi Patty celebrated 30 years in the Christian music industry by singing, “We Shall Behold Him” the song that she sang at her first Dove Awards. She shared that after that first performance, GMA Gospel Music Hall of Famer, Dottie Rambo – who had written the song – told her, “Darling, thanks for taking my baby and dressing her up so pretty.” Sandi helped pay tribute to Dottie – who died in a tragic bus accident nearly a year ago – along with a multi-artist segment including Kim Hopper, Brian Free & Assurance, Ronnie Milsap, Jason Crabb and Rambo’s daughter and family members Reba Rambo McGuire, Dony McGuire and Destiny McGuire and a reunion appearance of Larnelle Harris.
Perhaps the most emotional moments of the evening centered around Steven Curtis Chapman. Chapman’s song, “Cinderella” a song that was destined to become another, “Butterfly Kisses,” exploded as a worldwide favorite when five-year-old Maria Sue, one of his three Chinese-adopted daughters who inspired the song, died in an accident last May. When Chapman sang “Cinderella”- joined with his sons Will Franklin and Caleb who were performing onstage in his band -he changed the final line of the chorus, “the clock with strike midnight and she’ll be gone,” to “I know the truth is…the dance will go on.”
Needless to say, this performance received a standing ovation; but his comments after receiving Songwriter of the Year and Artist of the Year, left not a dry eye on the house and was the summation of the evening. Grasping the hand of his tearful wife, Mary Beth, Chapman spoke honestly about the path his family has walked this last year and the outpouring of love they received from people around the world, “Thank you. Thank you for your prayers, your love, and your support. [Over this last year] we have learned that everything we’ve always said about Him is true. He’s faithful. We know we will see Maria again. I’m sure that part of the reason we are here tonight is to have the opportunity to communicate the hope of Jesus. Christ Jesus is coming soon and He can’t come soon enough for me.”
You can learn more about Paula Parker at her website, WordCrafts.net or Examiner.com.
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