Singing News Fan Awards

The Singing News has posted the top five fan award nominees for this year and here they are:

Female
Bean, Peg McKamey --- The McKameys
Easter, Sheri --- Jeff & Sheri Easter
Hopper, Kim --- The Hoppers
Stuffle, Libbi --- The Perrys
Whisnant, Susan --- The Whisnants

Male
Fowler, Scott --- Legacy Five
Haase, Ernie --- Ernie Haase & Signature Sound
Parker, Ivan --- Soloist
Rice, Arthur --- The Kingdom Heirs
Wolfe, Gerald --- Greater Vision

Tenor
Free, Brian --- Brian Free & Assurance
Haase, Ernie --- Ernie Haase & Signature Sound
Seamans, Frank --- Legacy Five
Sutton, David --- Triumphant Quartet
Waldroup, Jason --- Greater Vision

Lead
Dibler, Matt --- The Inspirations
Fowler, Scott --- Legacy Five
Inman, Clayton --- Triumphant Quartet
Rice, Arthur --- The Kingdom Heirs
Wolfe, Gerald --- Greater Vision

Baritone
Anderson, Doug --- Ernie Haase & Signature Sound
Griffin, Rodney --- Greater Vision
Howard, Scott --- Legacy Five
Inman, Scott --- Triumphant Quartet
Trammell, Mark --- The Mark Trammell Trio

Bass
Bennett, Eric --- Triumphant Quartet
Duncan, Tim --- Ernie Haase & Signature Sound
Dustin, Glenn --- Legacy Five
Holcomb, Mike --- The Inspirations
Stuffle, Tracy --- The Perrys

Alto
Easter, Sheri --- Jeff & Sheri Easter
Hopper, Connie --- The Hoppers
Stuffle, Libbi --- The Perrys
Talley, Debra --- The Talley Trio
Whisnant, Susan --- The Whisnants

Soprano
Fortner, Connie --- The McKameys
Gooch, Karen Peck --- Karen Peck & New River
Greene, TaRanda --- The Greenes
Hopper, Kim --- The Hoppers
Talley, Lauren --- The Talley Trio

Young Artist
Fortner, Eli --- The McKameys
Free, Ricky --- Brian Free & Assurance
Habedank, Joseph --- The Perrys
Inman, Scott --- Triumphant Qt
Sweatman, Dustin --- The Mark Trammell Trio

Horizon Individual
Barker, Grant --- The Kingsmen
Lile, Jeremy --- Brian Free & Assurance
Singletary, Josh --- Tribute Qt
Sweatman, Dustin --- The Mark Trammell Trio
Trammell, Nick --- The Perrys

Horizon Group
The Ball Brothers
The Browns
Crystal River
Paid In Full
Young Harmony

Musician
Bennett, Roger --- Legacy Five
Collingsworth, Kim --- The Collingsworth Family
Holt, Matthew --- The Perrys
Stice, Jeff --- Triumphant Qt
Webb, Roy --- Ernie Haase & Signature Sound

Songwriter
Bishop, Mark
Brady, Jim
Crabb, Gerald
Griffin, Rodney
Wilkinson, Dianne

Album
Get Away Jordan --- Ernie Haase & Signature Sound
I Know --- The Inspirations
Live In Music City --- Legacy Five
Revival --- Gold City
Triumphant --- Triumphant Qt

Group of the Year
The Booth Brothers
Ernie Haase & Signature Sound
The Inspirations
Legacy Five
Triumphant Qt

Song
Give It Away --- Gaither Vocal Band
He Will Hide Me --- The Perrys
Heaven?s Hero --- Greater Vision
Hey Jonah --- Triumphant Qt
I Have Not Forgotten --- The Inspirations
I Will Trust You Lord --- The McKameys
If It Takes A Valley --- Brian Free & Assurance
My Anchor of Hope --- The Kingdom Heirs
Once Upon A Cross --- The Mark Trammell Trio
Strike Up The Band --- Legacy Five

This years list is impressive with a lot of difficult choices. Here are some of my favorites...

Female - I have to go with Libbi Stuffle. She's great.

Male - I'm kind of surprised and glad to see Arthur Rice on this list, but I have to go with Gerald Wolfe by a small margin over Arthur.

Tenor - My favorite didn't make it (Steve Ladd), so I will be likely select Brian Free based on his most recent work.

Lead - What???? No Jonathan Wilburn?? Well, I can't even begin to understand that, but my choice from the list is Arthur Rice, although Gerald is probably my favorite singer on the list, he sings mainly baritone for GV.

Baritone - Here is where the choice becomes extremely difficult. My perennial favorite is Mark Trammell, but Doug Anderson is quickly closing the gap. This year I'm going with Doug based on his most recent work.

Bass - Do I sense a Gold City anti-bias? There is no way that they aren't in the top five (talent-wise, I know it's a popularity contest) for all the major quartet parts. Aaron is the equal of all the five men nominated here. I'll go with Glenn Dustin this year, he gets better every year.

Alto - Although she might better be described as a tenor, I vote with Libbi again in this category.

Soprano - Kim Hopper. She is still the measure to which the others are compared.

Young Artist - I would have chosen Nick Trammell if he were nominated, but I'm liking Dustin Sweatman more and more.

Horizon Individual - Nick Trammell this time.

Hor. Group - Paid In Full, although they seem to stay on that horizon for some reason.

Musician - Of course Roger will win it this year, but in all honesty probably didn't perform often enough to qualify. I'm going with Jeff Stice.

Songwriter - Dianne Wilkinson. It's about time.

Album - Finally!! Gold City, Revival.

Group OTY - None of these would have even made my top five. I like them, but not better than Gold City, Greater Vision, The Perry's, The Dove Brothers, The Kingdom Heirs, ... My choice of this five would have to be Legacy Five.

Song - My Anchor Of Hope, The Kingdom Heirs.

There you have it, my choices and opinions about this years fan awards.