The Dove Awards are gospel music’s version of the Oscars, Emmys, Tonys and the like. And three groups of artists associated with the Gaither Music Group brought home four Doves at the Gospel Music Association’s awards ceremony in April.
Ernie Haase and Signature Sound won two Dove Awards for Southern Gospel Recorded Song of the Year, “Get Away Jordan,” from the album of the same name, which also won a Dove Award. The Inspirational Album of the Year was Mark Lowry’s “I Love to Tell the Story,” his first award for singing after winning a previous Dove for comedy. And the Isaacs took home the Dove Award for Country Album of the Year, “Big Sky.”
“These two Dove Awards are like cherries on top of the sundae,” Haase was quoted on the Gaither Web site. “We don’t have to have them, but they sure are sweet.”
Interestingly, both Lowry and the Isaacs have appeared in Anderson already this year, both at the Madison Park Church of God. And Signature Sound will be in concert at Reardon Auditorium on Friday night.
It was the third Dove for the Isaacs, who were in town two weeks ago, but their first for a country album. “The first two were for songs,” Ben Isaacs explained to us after the concert. “‘Big Sky’ was our first for a whole album, and to win country album of the year by beating out such artists as Randy Travis and the Bellamy Brothers, we’re honored. We thank the GMA for considering us.”
“We feel like all the hard work we did was appreciated by our peers,” added his youngest sister, Becky Isaacs Bowman. “They appreciated the art form and they liked it enough to vote for it.”
The Isaacs’ presentation is a fascinating amalgamation of matriarch Lily Isaacs’ folk singing of her youth with the country gospel music she became introduced to when she married, along with the music of her Jewish background from parents who survived the Holocaust. Ben, Becky and sister Sonya, who now make up the nucleus of the family group with mom Lily frequently joining the singing, play a variety of stringed instruments along with other members of the group.
They are keeping their most recent award in perspective. “No awards or honors can be as wonderful as people getting saved or a song encouraging someone who needs it,” explained Bowman.
They are quick to give Gaither Music Group credit as well, having been a part of the Homecoming videos and tours for 15 years since the early days.
“Once we had gotten more familiar to Bill Gaither we were invited to the traveling tour,” Bowman said. “It was an honor and a wonderful experience. No one in the industry contributes more than Bill and Gloria Gaither with their good work.”
Ben Isaacs agreed. “What he is to music, you can’t compare. We’ve been blessed and humbled to be part of the Gaither organization. If not for Bill Gaither and his videos, a whole generation would not have known about legendary artists like the Cathedrals, Vestal (Goodman) or Dottie Rambo (songwriter who was killed a week earlier in a bus crash).
In passing, I mentioned an irony to Bowman about my own daughter Becky marrying Chris Isaacs to pick up the name Becky Isaacs. She then recalled that she had a classmate who carried her same name during her school years. “We weren’t related,” Bowman pointed out.
“My best day in school was the time I got her report card (by mistake),” she quipped.
Jim Bailey’s column appears on Sunday. He can be reached by e-mail at jameshenrybailey@earthlink.net.
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JIM BAILEY: Doves sweet for Gaither artists
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