Absolutely Gospel announced the nominees for the 2023 Absolutely Gospel Music Awards, which will take place on April 18, 2023.

Artists and songwriters who call Daywind Music Group home dominated many top categories, including Song of the Year (8), Album of the Year (5), Progressive Single (7), Bluegrass Artist (6), Musician (6), Artist Songwriter (5), Professional Songwriter (4), Fan Favorite Artist of the Year (4), and more. 

Karen Peck & New River and Joseph Habedank led all artists with a phenomenal 10 nominations each this year, including Song of the Year and Fan Favorite Artist of the Year nominations or both. 

The Sound came in right behind them, earning 8 nominations, in categories including Song of the Year and Album of the Year. Other artists receiving multiple nominations include The Guardians Quartet (6), Brian Free & Assurance (7), Jim & Melissa Brady (6), The Nelons (6), Greater Vision (4), High Road (3), Southbound (2), Chosen Road (2).

Ed Leonard, president of Daywind Music Group, states, “We are so honored by the nominations our artists and songwriters received for the 2023 AGM Awards. Our creators are family, and to see them recognized in this way for their wonderful God-honoring works is both humbling and thrilling at the same time.”

The 2023 Absolutely Gospel Awards celebration will take place on Tuesday, April 18, 2023, at the Capitol Theater in Lebanon, Tennessee at 6:00 p.m. Tickets will be available to purchase soon.

Daywind Nominees:

• Song of the Year
  • “All the Praise” – LeFevre Quartet (T.R. Collins, M.Neale)
  • “Answer Is Jesus” – Karen Peck & New River (K.P.Gooch, L.Black, K.T.West)
  • “Child of the King” – Joseph Habedank (J.Habedank, D.Clark, D.Koch)
  • “God Is Real” – The Sound (J.Mills, L.Mills, R.Mills, S.C.Smith, B.Weeks)
  • “Not For Long” – Guardians Quartet (K.P.Gooch, J.D.Rowsey, S.C.Smith)
  • “He’s Got a Way” – Southbound (C.Brown, J.Braselton, S.J.Elbe)
  • “Looks Like Jesus” – Brian Free & Assurance (with Jimmy Fortune) (S.C.Smith, K.T.West, B.White)
  • “That Heavenly Home” – Tribute Quartet (J.W. Acuff)
• Album of the Year
  • 2:22 – Karen Peck & New River (W.Haun)
  • Come On In – Guardians Quartet (J.D.Rowsey, W.Haun)
  • God Is Real – The Sound (B.Weeks)
  • Meet Me At the Cross – Brian Free & Assurance (R.Free)
  • Think About There – Greater Vision (G.Wolfe, T.Ivey) 
• Breakthrough Artist:
  • Chosen Road
• Male Vocalist
  • Jim Brady (of Booth Brothers/Jim & Melissa Brady)
  • Joseph Habedank
  • Levi Mills (of The Sound)
  • Bill Shivers (of Brian Free & Assurance) 
• Female Vocalist
  • Becky Isaacs Bowman (of The Isaacs)
  • Melissa Brady (of Jim & Melissa Brady)
  • Karen Peck Gooch (of Karen Peck & New River)
• Male Group
  • Brian Free & Assurance
  • Guardians Quartet
  • The Sound
  • Tribute Quartet
• Female Group
  • High Road
• Mixed Group
  • Jim & Melissa Brady
  • Karen Peck & New River
  • The Nelons
• Songwriter (Artist)
  • Lee Black (of Legacy Five)
  • Jim Brady (of Booth Brothers/Jim & Melissa Brady)
  • Karen Peck Gooch (of Karen Peck & New River)
  • Joseph Habedank
  • John Darin Rowsey (of Guardians Quartet)
• Songwriter (Professional)
  • Jason Cox
  • Wayne Haun
  • Sue C. Smith
  • Nathan Woodard
• Producer
  • Ricky Free
  • Wayne Haun
  • Ben Isaacs (of The Isaacs)
  • Trey Ivey
• Musician
  • Autumn Nelon Clark (of The Nelons)
  • Sarah Davison (of High Road)
  • Matthew Gooch (of Karen Peck & New River)
  • Jacob Mills (of The Sound)
  • Josh Singletary (of Tribute Quartet)
  • Gerald Wolfe (of Greater Vision)
• Traditional Single
  • “Not For Long” – Guardians Quartet (K.P.Gooch, J.D.Rowsey, S.C.Smith)
  • “Not My Will” – Tribute Quartet (A.Walker)
• Traditional Recording
  • Come On In – Guardians Quartet (J.D.Rowsey, W.Haun)
  • Think About There – Greater Vision (G.Wolfe, T.Ivey)
• Progressive Single
  • “Answer Is Jesus” – Karen Peck & New River (K.P.Gooch, L.Black, K.T.West)
  • “Child of the King” – Joseph Habedank (J.Habedank, D.Clark, D.Koch)
  • “God Is Real” – The Sound (J.Mills, L.Mills, R.Mills, S.C.Smith, B.Weeks)
  • “He’s Got a Way” – Southbound (C.Brown, J.Braselton, S.J.Elbe)
  • “Liar, Liar” – Brian Free & Assurance (J.Cox, J.Habedank, J.Tomlin)
  • “Scars In Heaven” – The Nelons (J.M.Hall, M.West)
  • “Welcome” – Jim & Melissa Brady (J.Brady, M.Farren, T.Wood)
• Progressive Recording
  • 2:22 – Karen Peck & New River (W.Haun)
  • I Feel Like Singing: Live at Daywind Studios – Angie Primm & Friends
  • Meet Me At the Cross – Brian Free & Assurance (R.Free)
• Southern Roots Single
  • “Children Sing” – The Nelons (J.Clark,  T.Wood)
  • “Faith, Hope, & Love” – High Road (K.Bearfield, S.Davison, K.T.West)
  • “Give Him What You Got” – The Isaacs (S.I.Yeary, R.I.Bowman)
  • “Make It Count” – The Sound (K.T.West, J.Cox, R.Mills)
• Southern Roots Recording
  • God Is Real – The Sound (B.Weeks)
  • Songs That Pulled Me Through the Tough Times – Becky Isaacs Bowman (B.I.Bowman, B.Isaacs)
• Special Event Project
  • 30th Anniversary Celebration: The Live Experience – Greater Vision
  • I Feel Like Singing: Live at Daywind Studios – Angie Primm & Friends
  • Songs That Pulled Me Through the Tough Times – Becky Isaacs Bowman (B.I.Bowman, B.Isaacs)
  • We Need a Little Christmas – The Nelons (J.Clark)
• Southern Music Video
  • “Looks Like Jesus” – Brian Free & Assurance (with Jimmy Fortune) (B.Free)
  • “The Keepers” – Karen Peck & New River (C.Baucom)
  • “Scars In Heaven” – The Nelons (C.Baucom)
• Fan Favorite Artist of the Year
  • Jim & Melissa Brady
  • Joseph Habedank
  • Karen Peck & New River
  • Tribute Quartet
• Bluegrass Artist
  • Appalachian Road Show
  • Chosen Road
  • Darin & Brooke Aldridge
  • Donna Ulisse
  • Joe Mullins & the Radio Ramblers
  • Marty Raybon & Full Circle

The 53rd Annual GMA Dove Awards were announced on Tuesday night, October 18th, 2022, in Nashville, Tennessee. The show aired Friday, October 21st, exclusively on TBN and will re-air during the rest of the year. Daywind Music Group artists and songwriters had several nominations and two wins and participated in performances during the evening.

Dove Award winners included Bluegrass/Country/Roots Song of the Year for “In The Sweet By and By” by Dolly Parton with Larry Cordle, Carl Jackson, Jerry Salley, and Bradley Walker.

Daywind proudly congratulates A&R and Creative Director of Billy Blue Records, Jerry Salley, for his incredible work producing the song as well as the album Country Faith Bluegrass. The song was previously recognized with two Bluegrass Music Awards from the International Bluegrass Music Association earlier this month.

New Day Records’ artist, The Sound, took home their very first Dove Award for the Bluegrass/Country/Roots Album of the Year for God Is Real. Levi Mills delivered a heartfelt acceptance speech during the Dove Awards, and the group’s acoustic pre-show awards performance was aired to Lipscomb University’s Allen Arena a few minutes later to the capacity crowd.

A highlight of the night occurred early on as several Daywind artists took part in a “Ladies of Southern and Bluegrass Gospel” performance of the song “Working on a Building” from the Dove-nominated album Country Faith Bluegrass. Produced by Sarah Davison of High Road, the segment featured female members of Karen Peck and New River, High Road, The Nelons, and The Hoppers with special guests Kenna Turner West, Vickie Vaughn, Sammy Potts, and Jaelee Roberts and step out vocals from Karen Peck, Autumn Nelon Clark, Sarah Davison, and Kim Hopper.

President of Daywind Music Group, Ed Leonard, stated “We are so proud of our nominees, winners, and performers at this year’s Dove Awards. It was especially gratifying to see the stage filled with Southern and Bluegrass Gospel’s best and brightest female stars! We are blessed to serve God through music and the Gospel message was on full display during the Dove Awards.”

To watch the 53rd GMA Dove Awards on demand on the TBN app: CLICK HERE

Daywind Music Group, home to top Gospel labels Daywind Records and New Day Records and upstart mainstream bluegrass label Billy Blue Records, is relaunching Thoroughbred Records, a bluegrass Gospel label with historic ties to the genre. Thoroughbred’s first signing is Chosen Road which debuts with a brand-new upcoming album titled Appalachian Christmas featuring the veteran group along with several artist friends including Selah, Point of Grace, and more.

Thoroughbred Records emerged in 1995 as a premier outlet for bluegrass Gospel music. Thoroughbred was home to the incomparable Lewis Family, Hall of Famers in both the bluegrass and Gospel genres, from 1995 until shortly before their retirement in 2009. The Easter Brothers, a Mt. Airy, NC, mainstay in the genre featuring brothers Edd, Russell, and James Easter, followed and were later joined by Chigger Hill Boys and Terri, who joined the label in 2003. Along with these tremendous artists, the label directed attention to the Gospel side of bluegrass during the period of tremendous resurgence of the bluegrass genre following the release of the blockbuster movie, O Brother Where Art Thou through its two-volume collection of Bluegrass Gospel music, O Lord How Great Thou Art, which featured cuts from artists including Bill Monroe, Ralph Stanley, Bluegrass Cardinals, Alison Kraus, Ricky Skaggs, and many more. Thoroughbred culminated its successful initial run with an audio and video collaboration featuring Jeff and Sheri Easter, the Lewis Family, and the Easter Brothers aptly titled We are Family.

In 2018, Daywind Music Group formed Billy Blue Records, a boutique mainstream bluegrass label under the direction of veteran industry creative Jerry Salley. The highly successful label includes Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver (recently retired), Joe Mullins and the Radio Ramblers, Donna Ulisse, Jason Barie, Appalachian Road Show, Authentic Unlimited, and more, and is home to multi-artists projects like IBMA Award winner Country Faith Bluegrass and Grammy nominee Gonna Sing Gonna Shout. The relaunching of Thoroughbred Records fits nicely with Daywind Music Group’s move into the bluegrass genre and will give Chosen Road and other strictly bluegrass Gospel artists their own label home.

A&R and Creative Director of Thoroughbred Records/Billy Blue Records, Jerry Salley, commented, “Christian Hearts with a Musicians’ Mind – that’s what I’m reminded of when I think of The Chosen Road.  Over the years of getting to know this band and it’s founder, Jonathan Buckner, I have been impressed not only with their musical ability, but also their hearts for the God they serve and sing about. I am very excited to launch Thoroughbred Records, our new, all-Bluegrass-Gospel label with such a sincere and exciting group”.

Jonathan Buckner of Chosen Road adds, “As a band, we couldn’t be more excited about the re-launch of Thoroughbred Records, and the opportunity to be a part of the Daywind family. Thoroughbred Records has a rich history in bluegrass and roots gospel music. We grew up listening to the legendary artists that once called Thoroughbred home. We’re honored to become a part of that legacy. Daywind has made such a positive impact on the world through Gospel music, and that is why Chosen Road exists. We look forward to bringing hope through some exciting new music to audiences and listeners very soon.”

Thoroughbred Records will be distributed to Christian retail through New Day Christian Distributors.