OK, here you have it: the winners of the 2006 Singing News Fan Awards (with commentary).
Favorite Trio - Greater Vision
I can buy this. They obviously have a huge fan base. I'm partial to the Booth Brothers and the Talley Trio.
Favorite Large Market DJ - Wayne Wallace, WXJC
Favorite Medium Market DJ - Carol Davis, WFGW
Favorite Small Market DJ - John Whisnant, WCIS
Would someone please get rid of this award? There aren't enough regional stations/DJs to make this a category worth voting for.
Favorite Baritone - Rodney Griffin (Greater Vision)
Rodney has the sweetest spirit of anyone in SG music. I personally favor Marshall Hall (of GVB) and Doug Anderson (of EH&SSQ).
Favorite Alto - Libbi Stuffle (Perrys)
Very deserving, even though I like Susan Whisnant, as well. It is awfully hard to leave Debra Talley out of this one, though. Her smooth voice is unmatched.
Favorite Soprano - Kim Hopper (Hoppers)
Yep, the fans got this one right.
Favorite Artist Web Site - Greater Vision
This new category is a joke. Out of all of the groups nominated, only 1 (Signature Sound) has a half-way decent site. I was talking to a member of one of the groups nominated for this category and he said he was embarrassed to have their sub-par site as one of the choices. Fans just voted on group popularity on this one.
Favorite Young Artist - Jason Waldroup (Greater Vision)
OK.
Favorite Song - He Saw It All (Booth Brothers)
Great pick. What a song! While there were some great songs nominated, I like this one.
Favorite Pianist - Roger Bennett (Legacy Five)
Would somebody please have Kim Collingsworth on the nominating ballot next year? She is the best in SG right now. If she can't win it, go Roger.
Horizon Individual - Wes Hampton (Gaither Vocal Band)
Outstanding. I guess GVB members are allowed to win awards at NQC.
Horizon Group - LeFevre Quartet
I really didn't know much about any group in this category. I do know Jeff Snyder from Crystal River, so I guess they would have been my pick.
Favorite Bass - Tim Duncan (Ernie Haase & Signature Sound)
Way to go, Tim! Gene McDonald is still the best in the biz, though.
Favorite Lead Singer - Gerald Wolfe (Greater Vision)
As he explained tonight in his acceptance speech, "I'm a baritone, not a lead". Maybe if Guy would get a haircut, he could win this award.
Favorite First Tenor - Ernie Haase (Ernie Haase & Signature Sound)
I was pulling for Brian Free. I'm on the BF&A bandwagon right now.
Favorite Band - Kingdom Heirs
Over the Crabb Band? I don't think so.
Favorite Album - Remembering the Happy Goodmans - The Perrys (Daywind Records)
A sentimental favorite I'm sure. They are one of my favorite groups, but this is not the best album produced in 2006.
Favorite Soloist - Ivan Parker
I like Ivan.
Favorite Mixed Quartet - Perrys
They are the premier group right now. It was a classy move by Tracy Stuffle when he called the Crabb Family to the stage and gave the award to them as a tribute to their impact on SG music.
Favorite Musician - John Pfeifer (Pfeifers)
Can't argue with this one. He's awesome!
Favorite Female Singer - Kim Hopper (Hoppers)
I guess.
Favorite Male Singer - Ivan Parker
Nope. C'mon, people...
Favorite Songwriter - Rodney Griffin
Rodney is awesome, there's no doubt about it. But, I wish that people would look at the songwriters who aren't singers. The hottest writers right now are Rebecca Peck, Diane Wilkinson, Twila McBride-Labar, and Joel Lindsey. All the fans do is nominate artists. Go figure. Read album credits, people.
Favorite Traditional Male Quartet (tie) - Inspirations/Ernie Haase & Signature Sound
Can there be a larger disparity in, well, everything between these two groups? Past, meet future. How ya' doin'? Good...
Super Fan: Wayne & Judy Rhear, Jackson, TN
Very deserving, I'm sure.
There you have it. We'll see you next year. Stuff the ballot box everybody, and good night.
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2 comments:
Keith are you listening to the NQC online? It is the next best thing to being there when you live in Idaho. One thing I noticed last night was poor vocal quality by some of the best. Kim's voice broke twice at the end of Jerusalem and before that several times she was flat. The Isaac's also had some vocal problems. Anyway, it is fun to listen.
The fan awards have become quite a joke. The same people win year after year. I love Greater Vision, but what about some of the awesome talent always overlooked. (Guy Penrod?) If I were an artist and was nominated with anyone from GV I think I'd stay in bed that day. :-)
KJOY here in Nampa is part of the Solid Gospel Radio Network and they are broadcasting live. I agree that the fan awards have become somewhat of a joke. It's not always about talent, that's for sure. But, I guess that's why they call them the fan awards. The fans make the call.
Just as a side note, the groups don't like being broadcast live. Those bad notes aren't fixable on radio. When you're there on-site the sensory overload allows the artist to get away with some missed notes.
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