Louisville, KY – The National Quartet Convention, in partnership with the Southern Gospel Music Guild, presented the first ever NQC Music Awards today (Friday, September 14) at the NQC during the Friday afternoon Showcase Spectacular in Freedom Hall in Louisville, KY.Awards were presented based on both fan popularity and professional excellence, with two divisions of awards that being presented.  The first division was the  Fan Awarded categories where awards were determined by fan voting.   The second division was the Industry Awarded Categories, which was determined by the music professionals that participate as exhibitors during the National Quartet Convention. No purchase was required for those that are participating in the voting. All that was required is that they were registered on the NQC e-mail list prior to July 1st.
NQC Executive Vice President, Clarke Beasley stated that the Southern Gospel Music Guild has been an important partner in the process, as the SGMG is responsible for determining the category criteria, as well as screening entries for eligibility. Â The SGMG professional membership also determined the recipient of the annual Les Beasley Award, given to a person or company that has made a significant impact in the field of Gospel Music. The recipient of that prestigious honor was presented to Marlin Taylor and XM Enlighten Radio.
In order to determine the Songwriter of the Year Award, the SGMG Awards and Criteria Committee pulled The Singing News Magazine radio charts for the eligibility time period and assigned each songwriter fifteen points for a number one song, ten points for a song in the top ten and five points for a song in the top 20. The total points for the eligibility period were tabulated for each writer, and the writer with the most points was awarded Songwriter of the Year.This year’s recipient was Dianne Wilkinson.
Below is a complete list of the 2012 NQC Music Award winners.
FAN CATEGORIES
Bass Singer of the Year Nominees:
Bennett, Eric – Triumphant Qt
Baritone Singer of the Year Nominees:
Brady, Jim – Booth Brothers
Lead Singer of the Year Nominees:
Booth, Ronnie – Booth Brothers
Tenor Singer of the Year Nominees:
Phelps, David – Gaither Vocal Band
Soprano Singer of the Year Nominees:
Hopper, Kim – Hoppers
Alto Singer of the Year Nominees:
Easter, Sheri – Jeff & Sheri Easter
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Soloist of the Year Award Nominees:
Crabb, Jason
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Male Group of the Year Nominees:
Booth Brothers
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Mixed Group of the Year Nominees:
Collingsworth Family
Musician of the Year Nominees:
Collingsworth, Kim – Collingsworth Family
Album of the Year Nominees:
Celebrate Me Home (Oak Tree) – Perrys
Song of the Year Nominees:
I Know a Man Who Can – Greater Vision
 INDUSTRY CATEGORIES
Arranger/Producer of the Year Nominees:
Lari Goss
Concert Promoter of the Year Nominees:
Bill Gaither
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Radio Station of the Year Nominees:
WBOZ – Nashville
