Nashville, Tenn. — Ten songwriters and five songwriter/artists have been nominated for one of the nation’s highest songwriting honors – induction into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. Of the nominees, two from the songwriter category and one from the songwriter/artist category will be inducted during the annual Hall of Fame Dinner and Induction Ceremony to be held on Sunday, October 26, at the Renaissance Nashville Hotel.

“Each of these nominees has honed the songwriting craft to perfection, and the songs they’ve given us are absolute treasures,” said Roger Murrah, a 2005 inductee and the current chair of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Foundation (NaSHOF), which owns and administers the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.

The ballot seeks to recognize songwriters whose first significant works achieved commercial success and/or artistic recognition at least 20 years ago and have “positively impacted and been closely associated with the Nashville music community and deemed to be outstanding and significant.”

This year’s ten nominees in the Songwriter category are: Matraca Berg (“Strawberry Wine” by Deana Carter), Paul Craft (“Hank Williams, You Wrote My Life” by Moe Bandy), Kye Fleming (“I Was Country When Country Wasn’t Cool” by Barbara Mandrell), Larry Henley (“The Wind Beneath My Wings” by Bette Midler), the late John Jarrard (“Blue Clear Sky” by George Strait), Bob Morrison (“You Decorated My Life” by Kenny Rogers), Mark D. Sanders (“I Hope You Dance” by Lee Ann Womack), Tom Shapiro (“Ain’t Nothing ‘Bout You” by Brooks & Dunn), John Scott Sherrill (“Would You Go With Me” by Josh Turner) and Sharon Vaughn (“My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys” by Willie Nelson).

The five nominees in the Songwriter/Artist category are: the late Paul Davis (“I Go Crazy”), Larry Gatlin (“All the Gold in California”), John Hiatt (“Ridin’ With the King”), the late Johnny Horton (“Honky Tonk Man”) and Tony Joe White (“Rainy Night in Georgia”).

Biographical information on the nominees, and an online version of this release, is available at: http://www.nashvillesongwritersfoundation.com/73TEMP/news13B.html.

The ballot was recommended to the NaSHOF board of directors by the Hall of Fame Nominating Committee, which is comprised of Hall of Fame members and Music Row historians. Votes are cast by Hall of Fame members and Professional Songwriter members of the Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI), as well as the boards of the NaSHOF and NSAI.

Established in 1970, the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame boasts 168 members, including songwriting luminaries such as Johnny Cash, Rodney Crowell, Bob Dylan, Don & Phil Everly, Flatt & Scruggs, Vince Gill, Harlan Howard, Roger Miller, Bill Monroe, Roy Orbison, Dolly Parton, Carl Perkins, Dottie Rambo, Jimmie Rodgers, Cindy Walker, Jimmy Webb, Hank Williams, Sr. and Hank Williams, Jr. It was announced in September 2007 that the future home of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame will be the historic building at 34 Music Square East, former home of the Quonset Hut, Columbia Studio A, Columbia and Epic Records and Sony Music Nashville. The Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame will become the first organization honoring songwriters to emerge from a virtual entity to one with a physical location.

The Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Foundation, Inc. is a non-profit foundation dedicated to honoring and preserving the songwriting legacy of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. The NaSHOF’s principal purposes are to educate, archive and celebrate songwriting that is uniquely associated with the Nashville music community.

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Nashville, Tenn. — Ricky Skaggs, Earl Scruggs, Marty Stuart, Marty Raybon and The Whites are among artists whose names turned up when nominees were announced yesterday in Nashville for the Gospel Music Association’s 39th annual Dove Awards.

Skagg’s name was called four times, while The Whites — with whom he recorded a gospel album, “Salt Of The Earth,” on his own Skaggs Family label — were tabbed three times. Earl Scruggs was also named three times on the Dove ballot.

The Dove Awards, gospel music’s biggest night of the year featuring artists from every style of gospel/Christian music coming together for a night of music and celebration, will be seen live across the country on GMC beginning with the 39th Annual Doves on Wednesday, April 23 at 8 p.m. (ET). The Dove Awards have aired in national syndication, but have not broadcast live since 2002.

Gospel Music Channel, the nation’s first and only 24/7 all-gospel/Christian music television network, will become the exclusive television home for the GMA Dove Awards in a multi-year agreement announced today by John W. Styll, president/CEO of Gospel Music Association (GMA) and Charles Humbard, founder and president, Gospel Music Channel (GMC).

In addition to the television network agreement, nominations for the 39th Annual GMA Dove Awards were announced at a press conference hosted by Dove and GRAMMY-winning artist Michael W. Smith and host of Gospel Music Channel’s weekly original series The Kitchen Sink, Elle Duncan.

The 39th Annual GMA Dove Awards will be handed out at the Nashville’s famed Grand Ole Opry House. While the awards are the purpose of the show, music performances will definitely share center stage at the Dove Awards, showcasing some of gospel music’s hottest and most diverse artists. In addition to the live broadcast, GMC will present back-to-back encore broadcasts that night and additional re-airings following.

Below is a partial listing highlighting Dove Award nominees from the Bluegrass genre. The complete nominations list is at www.doveawards.com.

Special Event Album of the Year

• Music Inspired By The Motion Picture Amazing Grace; Avalon, Jeremy and Adie Camp, Steven Curtis Chapman, David Crowder, Bethany Dillon, Natalie Grant, Jars of Clay, Martina McBride, Shawn McDonald, Bart Millard, Nichole Nordeman, Smokie Norful, Kierra “Kiki” Sheard, Chris Tomlin; Brown Bannister, Matt Bronleewe, Cedric Caldwell, Victor Caldwell, Jeremy Camp, Ed Cash, Steven Curtis Chapman, Mark Hammond, Bernie Herms, Jars of Clay, Martina McBride, Bart Millard, Ed Seay, Christopher Stevens, Marty Stuart, Paul Worley; Sparrow Records
• Songs 4 Worship Country; Trinecia Butler, Charlie Daniels, Linda Davis, Diamond Rio, Emerson Drive, Rebecca Lynn Howard, Lenny LeBlanc, Oak Ridge Boys, Rascal Flatts, Marty Raybon, Collin Raye, Rachel Robinson, Ricky Skaggs, Bryan White, The Wilsons; Michael A. Curtis, Teddy Gentry; Integrity Music, Time Life

Country Album of the Year

• Life Is Great And Gettin’ Better; Jeff & Sheri Easter; Jeff & Sheri Easter, Greg Cole; SheLoved Music

Bluegrass Album of the Year

• God’s Masterpiece; The Marksmen; Mark Wheeler; Rural Rhythm Records
• Lifetimes; Little Roy Lewis, Earl Scruggs, Lizzy Long; Wayne Haun, Kevin Ward; Vine Records
• Salt Of The Earth; Ricky Skaggs & The Whites; Ricky Skaggs & The Whites; Skaggs Family Records
• Tell Someone; Kenny & Amanda Smith Band; Kenny & Amanda Smith Band; Rebel Records
• Where No One Stands Alone; Paul Williams & The Victory Trio; Paul Williams; Rebel Records

Country Recorded Song of the Year

• “James Whit”; Lifetimes; Little Roy Lewis, Earl Scruggs, Lizzy Long; Barry Dean, Don Poythress, Brian White; Vine Records

Bluegrass Recorded Song of the Year

• “He’s In Control”; Austins Bridge; Austins Bridge; Justin Rivers, Mike Kofahl, John Ramsey; Daywind Records
• “I Will Find You Again”; Lifetimes; Little Roy Lewis, Earl Scruggs, Lizzy Long; Wayne Haun, Joel Lindsey, Cindi Ballard; Vine Records
• “Love Will Be Enough”; Salt of the Earth; Ricky Skaggs & The Whites; Janis Ian, Paul Overstreet; Skaggs Family Records
• “Salt of the Earth”; Salt of the Earth; Ricky Skaggs & The Whites; Jim Rushing, Ronald Scaife; Skaggs Family Records
• “The Key To Heaven”; Flyin’ High; The Lewis Family; Caleb Collins, Lyn Rowell; Vine Records

Southern Gospel Recorded Song of the Year

• “Over And Over”; Life Is Great And Gettin’ Better; Jeff & Sherri Easter; Belinda Smith, Sue Smith; SheLoved Music

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