Dove Award Performers Announced for Live Show on April 23

Gospel Music Channel to Telecast Dove Awards Live Nationwide 8 – 10 p.m. ET

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – April 9, 2009 – Steven Curtis Chapman, Natalie Grant, Mary Mary, MercyMe, Third Day, Chris Tomlin and other performers to be announced in a special Dottie Rambo tribute segment are the first performers announced for the 40th Annual GMA Dove Awards telecast, according to the Gospel Music Association (GMA) and Gospel Music Channel (GMC).

The Dove Awards (www.DoveAwards.com), Christian and gospel music’s biggest night of the year will take place live on Thursday, April 23, 2009 in Nashville at the Grand Ole Opry House and will be broadcast live nationwide on the awards’ exclusive television home, the Gospel Music Channel television network from 8 – 10 p.m. (ET).

The performers confirmed for the show are also nominees for Dove Awards:

Francesca Battistelli

Steven Curtis Chapman

Natalie Grant with special guest Group 1 Crew

Brandon Heath

Mary Mary

MercyMe

Jonathan Nelson

Remedy Drive

Chris Sligh

Tenth Avenue North

Third Day

Chris Tomlin

Dottie Rambo Tribute with surprise guests

Additional performers, presenters and special segments will be announced soon. Tickets for the 40th Annual GMA Dove Awards are currently available at TicketMaster.com. The American Bible Society (www.AmericanBible.org) is the official charity for the 40th Annual GMA Dove Awards.

While the awards are the purpose of the show, music performances will definitely share center stage at the Dove Awards, showcasing some of gospel music’s hottest and most diverse artists. In addition to the exclusive live broadcast, Gospel Music Channel will present back-to-back encore broadcasts that night and additional re-airings following. Gospel Music Channel’s rapid growth has made it the fastest growing network in television for the past two years and GMC is now available in 45 million homes in all major markets on the major cable systems as well as on DIRECTV on Channel 338.

Dove Awards will be handed out in 43 categories. For the first time, fans have become stakeholders in the Dove Awards with an opportunity to vote for the winner of two of the night’s biggest awards – Artist of the Year along with New Artist of the Year. Fan voting is open at the Gospel Music Channel website (www.gospelmusicchannel.com) and at www.doveawards.com. The cumulative fan vote, which will continue through the live Dove Awards broadcast, will account for one-third of the total vote in those two categories.