News & Scoops

Hosts Announced for 2010 SGN Music Awards Celebration

HisSong and Beyond the Ashes Added as Featured Performers

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Deon and Susan Unthank, administrators of SoGospelNews.com, are proud to announce the hosts for this year’s SGN Music Awards Celebration.

Hosting the Awards Celebration this year are Mike Bowling and Sonya Isaacs Yeary. Madison Easter will also be doing additional emcee work for the event.

Mike Bowling is a celebrated vocalist, producer and songwriter. He is a 2-time winner of Male Vocalist of the Year in the SGN Music Awards (2005, 2007). Mike has won 9 SGN Music Awards over the course of his career as a vocalist and producer. Last year, his group won three awards – including Song of the Year (for “Your Cries Have Awoken the Master”). His family group, The Bowling Family, just released their new recording Shine.

Sonya Isaacs Yeary is no stranger to fans of Southern Gospel music. Her family group, The Isaacs, is a regular fixture on the Gaither Homecoming Tour as well as prominent figures in both the Bluegrass and Southern Gospel music communities. Sonya has won eight individual awards in the SGN Music Awards as a musician, vocalist, and songwriter. Sonya is currently the reigning Songwriter of the Year (Artist) – an award she shared with her sister, Becky, last year.

Madison Easter is the youngest individual to ever co-host the SGN Music Awards program. Easter is a beloved musician who travels with his family group – Jeff & Sheri Easter. Easter’s brand of humor has made him a popular individual on social networks and within the Southern Gospel community. Madison scored his first nomination this year for Musician of the Year.

“We are absolutely thrilled with our hosts this year,” mentioned Deon Unthank of SoGospelNews.com. “We’ve got a lot of really neat things planned for this year – including a different kind of set up for our hosts. You aren’t going to want to miss the event this year! It’s destined to be our biggest and best yet!”

In addition, HisSong and Beyond the Ashes have been added as featured performers for the Celebration. They will join previously announced performers The Isaacs, Booth Brothers, Karen Peck & New River, The Perrys, Jeff & Sheri Easter, The Freemans, The Bowling Family (formerly Mike & Kelly Bowling), Soul’d Out Quartet, and McMillan & Life.

The evening will also feature a mutli-artist collaboration that will honor the Southern Gospel veterans the Singing Cookes and the legacy that they have left and continue to leave today.

Additional performers and sponsors are still being confirmed and will be announced at a later date.

The date for this year’s SGN Music Awards Celebration is Tuesday, April 13, 2010. The event will again take place at the River of Life Church in Smyrna, Tennesse and is free to the public. The awards program will start at 7:00 p.m. Doors open at 6:00 p.m.

As far as nominations go, two artists tied for the most nominations among performers this year. Both The Perrys and Karen Peck & New River landed a stellar nine nominations apiece – more than any other artist this year. 2008’s Pacesetter the Dove Brothers earned eight nods. Following behind those artists were Legacy Five, The Isaacs, and Booth Brothers with seven nominations apiece. Triumphant Quartet and Brian Free & Assurance both landed six nominations. Two artists received five nominations – the Bowling Family (formerly Mike & Kelly Bowling) and Talley Trio.

Songwriter and producer Wayne Haun earned the most individual nominations for his work during 2009. Rodney Griffin earned six individual nominations for his songwriting work. Earning five individual nominations were songwriters Marty Funderburk (2009’s Songwriter of the Year winner) and Rusty Golden. Gospel legend Bill Gaither, songwriter Joel Lindsey, and The Perrys’ lead singer Joseph Habedank all earned four individual nominations.

The Pacesetter Award is awarded to any artist, individual, or organization which has shown great strides in the industry and has raised the bar for others. This year’s nominees for the 2010 Pacesetter are new Gospel music celebration Branson Gospel Music Convention, Crossroads Music Group, SGShowPrep’s Chuck Peters, digital news outlet SGN Scoops Digital, and Vine Records.

For a full list of nominees, visit SoGospelNews.com.

More information on the 2010 SGN Music Awards Celebration will be forthcoming, including hosts, additional performers, and sponsors, etc.

About SoGospelNews.com
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.