2006 Dove Awards

Kirk Franklin and his musical entourage added a soul/urban sound to the 37th GMA Music Awards April 6 at Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry House. Photo by Morris Abernathy

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--Well-known worship leader Chris Tomlin took home five Dove Awards at the 37th GMA Music Awards, four of them in top categories. In accepting Male Vocalist of the Year honors, Tomlin recounted how he auditioned for a singing group when he was younger and they rejected him, telling him he’d never be a singer.

Rebecca St. James, with backup vocals by BarlowGirl, took to the stage during the Dove Awards April 6 in Nashville. Photo by Morris Abernathy

      “So this is pretty cool,” he said to laughter.
      Tomlin’s “How Great Is Our God,” which he co-wrote with Jesse Reeves and Ed Cash, was named Song of the Year and Worship Song of the Year. Cash received the Producer of the Year award for the second year in a row.
      Tomlin also received the coveted Artist of the Year award. For his acceptance speech, he said he wanted to read something from the greatest artist of all-time before reading from Psalm 96.
      Tomlin’s fifth award came from his work on the Special Event Album of the Year, a compilation titled, “Music Inspired by the Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe.”