Allen Smith, editor of SGN Scoops Magazine, is proud to announce the nominees for the 2008 SGN Scoops Diamond Awards. Also, the official Top 5 online ballot is now available at the Diamond Awards’ official website.

Allen Smith said, “We are so pleased with the nominations this year! The fans really did a great job of picking a great list of nominees!”

TFans are encouraged to get their votes in for their favorite songs, albums, artists, websites, individuals, etc. for this year’s awards program.

The online ballot is designed for fans to vote for their favorite artists for each award. Visit the Diamond Awards website at http://diamondawardsonline.com to place your vote. The deadline for voting is July 26, 2008.

The 2008 awards program will once again be hosted by two of Southern Gospel’s most beloved faces – Karen Peck Gooch (of Karen Peck & New River) and Johnathan Bond (of Young Harmony).

The 2008 SGN Scoops’ Diamond Awards will take place on Friday, September 12, in Louisville, Kentucky during the week of the National Quartet Convention. The program will begin at 1:00 p.m. and is free to the public. The awards program has secured a new location for the show, and an announcement regarding the new location will be made separately.

The first confirmed performer for the 2008 SGN Scoops Diamond Awards is The Hoppers – one of Southern Gospel music’s most celebrated names. The Hoppers were awarded five SGN Scoops Diamond Awards last year – including Album of the Year (The Ride), Group of the Year, and Male & Female Vocalists of the Year (Dean & Kim Hopper). Claude Hopper was also awarded the J.D. Sumner Living Legend Award.

For more information, please visit http://www.diamondawardsonline.com.

The nominees in each category are listed below:

J.D. SUMNER LIVING LEGEND AWARD:
Brian Dockins, Eva Mae LeFevre, Lulu Roman, Peg McKamey Bean, Ronnie Hinson

GROUP OF THE YEAR:
Brian Free & Assurance, Gaither Vocal Band, The Hoppers, The Isaacs, The McKameys

TRIO OF THE YEAR:
Booth Brothers, Greater Vision, HisSong, Karen Peck & New River, Talley Trio

DUET OF THE YEAR:
Amazed, Aaron & Amanda Crabb, Hearts of Faith, Jeff & Sheri Easter, Young Harmony

SOLOIST OF THE YEAR:
Ivan Parker, Jason Crabb, Kirk Talley, Mark Bishop, Ron Brewer

SUNRISE AWARD:
Austins Bridge, The Dills, Hearts of Faith, The Pathfinders, Sweetwater Revival

MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR:
Ronnie Booth (Booth Brothers), Brian Free (Brian Free & Assurance), Dean Hopper (The Hoppers), Dennis Humphries (HisSong), Guy Penrod (Gaither Vocal Band)

FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR:
Kelly Bowling (Mike & Kelly Bowling), Sheri Easter (Jeff & Sheri Easter), Karen Peck Gooch (Karen Peck & New River), Kim Hopper (The Hoppers), Sonya Isaacs (The Isaacs)

SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR:
Mark Bishop, Gerald Crabb, Rodney Griffin, Bill Gaither, Ronnie Hinson

ANTHONY BURGER INSTRUMENTALIST OF THE YEAR:
Ricky Free (Brian Free & Assurance), Sonya Isaacs (The Isaacs), Gordon Mote, Shannon Shelby, Jeff Stice (Triumphant Quartet)

CHRISTIAN COMEDIAN OF THE YEAR:
Tim Lovelace, Mark Lowry, Chonda Pierce, Aaron Wilburn, James Wright (Grandpa)

BLUEGRASS GOSPEL ARTIST OF THE YEAR:
The Chuckwagon Gang, The Isaacs, Jeff & Sheri Easter, The Primitive Quartet, Young Harmony

FAVORITE ARTIST WEBSITE:
Brian Free & Assurance (brianfreeandassurance.com), HisSong (hissongmusic.com), The Hoppers (thehoppers.com), The Isaacs (theisaacs.com), Karen Peck & New River (karenpeckandnewriver.com)

FAVORITE INDUSTRY WEBSITE:
Daywind Records (daywind.com), Gaither.com (gaither.com), SGM Radio (sgmradio.com), Singing News Magazine (singingnews.com), SoGospelNews.com (sogospelnews.com)

VIDEO/DVD OF THE YEAR:
Campfire Homecoming (Gaither), Celebration 50 (The Hoppers), Live In McDonough, GA (The Relations Quartet), Live From Norway (The Isaacs), Together (Gaither Vocal Band and Ernie Haase & Signature Sound)

SONG OF THE YEAR:
“Even On Monday” (Amazed), “Garden of Grace” (Kirk Talley), “I Can Pray” (Dove Brothers), “I Still Have It All” (HisSong), “The One I’m Dying For” (The Isaacs)

ALBUM OF THE YEAR:
Big Sky (The Isaacs), Journey of Joy (Karen Peck & New River), Mercy Answered (The Pathfinders), On the Way Up (HisSong), The Old Path (The McKameys)

About the Diamond Awards
The Diamond Awards were transferred over to the SGN Scoops Magazine three years ago after the original home for the awards, the Gospel Voice Magazine, folded. The Diamond Awards are a fan based award that allows the fans to choose the nominees as well as the winners each year. The awards show is based during the National Quartet Convention every September.


Press Release