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Positive Daily Commentary on Southern Gospel   

20 December 2006

Statement from Jim Cumbee on Fan Awards

Posted in: Awards — Daniel J. Mount @ 10:45 am

When it was first posted on a message board that Singing News would be dropping many of its Fan Awards, I emailed Jim Cumbee, who is now at the helm of the Singing News, to see if I could confirm or deny the rumor.
My email stated:

There is a report going around that the only Singing News Fan Awards for 2007 will be in the following categories: Group, Male Singer, Female Singer, Horizon Group, Horizon Individual, Pianist, Young Artist, Songwriter, Song, and Album. I noticed it on the SoGospelNews message board, and made a post about it on my blog, www.southerngospelblog.com. Could you confirm or deny this report?

Also, if the report is true, is your decision set in stone? Or would hearing from fans who wanted some of the most popular categories retained (bass, baritone, tenor, lead, trio, mixed group, male quartet) make any difference?

Thank you for your time.

Jim Cumbee responded by confirming the report. He gave four reasons for the change:

  1. We are going from 20-something categories to about 10 in the belief that fewer categories make for stronger awards, a faster-paced awards show and more excitement during the awards ceremony.  I want the Singing News Fan Award to have value to the artist, their record company and their booking agency.  If everybody is a candidate for something, ultimately the entire award process is diluted.  That won’t be the case anymore.
  2. If voting patterns mean anything (and I think they do), we are seeing LESS interest in the “part awards.”  You are wrong in saying that the part awards are “some of the most popular” — if you follow voting patterns.
  3. My belief is that the industry doesn’t need to be defined by gender composition (male quartet vs. mixed group) or by number (quartet vs. trio).  A southern gospel group is a southern gospel group.  Let’s let the fans decide which ONE is their favorite.  In the same vein, why segregate tenors from baritones, bass singers from lead singers?  Too many “fan favorites” negates the very meaning of “fan favorite.”  Who is your favorite singer? period.
  4. By having fewer awards, the dynamics of the voting get a lot lot lot more interesting.  The folks that watch these things (like you) will find this year’s awards much more interesting.

He also commented about his commitment to maintain the traditions and heritage of Southern Gospel music; he said, “that will never ever change under my watch.”

He concluded by expressing his commitment to help the genre grow, and ‘expand its credibility and visibility.” He believes a “faster award show with fewer and more competitive categories facilitates that.”

There you have it, in his own words.

If you want to share your thoughts with the Singing News management, email addresses for Danny Jones and Jerry Kirksey can be found on this page, while Cumbee’s is on this page. There is also a thread on the Singing News Forums where the issue will be discussed.

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No more Bass of the Year or Favorite Mixed Group?

Posted in: Awards — Daniel J. Mount @ 7:00 am

That’s the story making the rounds today in Southern Gospel music. According to a post made by Rick Hendix at the SoGospelNews message board, the only Singing News Fan Awards for 2007 will be in the following categories: Group, Male Singer, Female Singer, Horizon Group, Horizon Individual, Pianist, Young Artist, Songwriter, Song, and Album.

If the report is accurate, there will be no more awards for favorite soprano, alto, tenor, lead, baritone, and bass, and no more separate awards for favorite male quartet, favorite mixed quartet, and favorite trio.

I’ve sent an email to Danny Jones at the Singing News asking him to either deny or confirm the story. I also asked if input from the fans might make any difference. I wouldn’t mind seeing a few categories go, but I would definitely miss the awards I mentioned above.

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12 Days of Christmas, #2: Gold City

Posted in: Other — Daniel J. Mount @ 6:33 am

If I had the power to give anyone any Christmas gift, my second gift would go to Gold City.

Beyond question, they’ve had to struggle as a group over the last several years. They lost a star tenor, a favorite baritone, the best drummer in the industry, and their emcee, Tim Riley, who was also the foundation of their sound.

If I could, I’d bring back the vocalists that made them famous, but that won’t happen.But it wasn’t just the vocalists that attracted people to Gold City concerts. There was another way in which they were, for a time at least, the best Southern Gospel music.

After twenty years of consistently having some of the best vocalists backed by the best band in the genre, fans come to a Gold City concert expecting top-quality live music. So to give them the present I have in mind would put them in a position where many more would be inclined to give the new vocalists a chance. If I could, I would give Gold City a band.

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