Southern Gospel News SGNScoops Digital

Rory Writes New Blog…..

Rory writes:

As I sit down to write this morning, Indiana is stirring in her crib. She is starting the process of waking up and beginning her day…and though I’ve been up for awhile now, beginning mine too.
Watching her sit up, look around, then roll back over… and listening to her talk to herself and her hands, I’m reminded what a gift she is. What a gift she’s been to me. And to Joey. I wrote a blog post right after Indy was born called “our special gift from above” all about her birth and diagnosis of down-syndrome and how we felt about it at the time. We feel the same way now.

Read it all HERE

Gaither Music Group/Spring Hill Music Group Rosters Celebrate 2016 GMA DOVE Award Nominations

Gaither artists Joey+Rory

Husband-and-wife Duo Joey+Rory Honored with Four DOVE Nominations

Labels’ Artists Garner Nods in Nine DOVE Award Categories

NASHVILLE, Tenn.—August 15th, 2016—The Gaither Music Group and Spring Hill Music Group rosters of artists were honored with 18 2016 GMA DOVE Award nominations across nine categories, according to the press conference held on Wednesday in the Shamblin Theater at Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee.
“It is exciting to see our family of artists honored with these nominations,” stated label president Barry Jennings. “In such a polarized world, we are thankful for this celebration of musical diversity and grateful that our artists are included in this very special and eclectic event.”

Joey And Rory

GRAMMY®-nominated, husband-and-wife duo Joey+Rory have been nominated for four 2016 GMA DOVE Awards including Bluegrass/Country Album of the Year (Hymns That Are Important to Us), Country Recorded Song of the Year (“He Touched Me”), Bluegrass Recorded Song of the Year (“I’ll Fly Away”) and Long Form Video of the Year (Hymns That Are Important to Us).
Named a Rolling Stone Country Album to Watch for 2016, Hymns That Are Important to Us, produced by Rory Feek and Joe West (except “When I’m Gone,” Gary Paczosa), is currently the #2 Top-Selling Country Album for 2016 and is the first recording in nearly a decade to top both the Top Country and Top Christian Albums charts. The release debuted at #1 on the Country Music chart and remained in the Top 10 on that chart for 20 weeks. It was in the Top 10 on the Billboard Top 200 Chart for six weeks and is currently the 13th Top-Selling Album this year across all music genres. The video, which has reached gold status, held the #1 spot on the Music Video Sales chart for months.
Creators and hosts of “The Joey+Rory Show,” on RFD-TV, which airs in 50 million households weekly, Joey+Rory’s everyday lives, relationship and music have been featured in recent months in People, “Entertainment Tonight,” ABC News, CBS News, CNN, Time, Entertainment Weekly, USA Today and more.

Jimmy Fortune

Country Music Hall of Famer and Statler Brothers member Jimmy Fortune received three DOVE nominations for Bluegrass/Country Album of the Year (Hits & Hymns), Country Recorded Song of the Year (“I Believe,” featuring The Whites) and Bluegrass Recorded Song of the Year (“Life’s Railway to Heaven,” featuring The Oak Ridge Boys). The star-studded project features collaborations with Vince Gill, The Oak Ridge Boys, Dailey & Vincent, Ricky Skaggs and others.

A member of both the Country Music Hall of Fame and Gospel Music Hall of Fame, Fortune has been featured on a TV special, hosted by Bill Gaither, currently airing on various television networks and channels including RFD-TV, Dish TV, AT&T U-verse, DirecTV and more.

GRAMMY® Award-winning Gaither Vocal Band

Gospel Music Hall of Fame members and GRAMMY® Award winners the Gaither Vocal Band are nominated for Southern Gospel Artist of the Year and Southern Gospel Song of the Year for “Jesus Gave Me Water” from their highly acclaimed Sometimes It Takes a Mountain recording, produced by group members Bill Gaither and David Phelps along with Ben Isaacs (Oak Ridge Boys, The Isaacs).
“Jesus Gave Me Water” became a Top 10 national radio single while the recording hit #1 on the Southern Gospel sales chart according to Nielsen Soundscan and #6 on the Contemporary Christian Music sales chart. Also nominated for a 2015 GRAMMY® Award, the Gaither Vocal Band has garnered five GRAMMY® nominations, two GRAMMY® Awards and 17 GMA DOVE Awards to date.

Jeff & Sheri Easter

Two-time GRAMMY® nominees and multi-award-winning Jeff & Sheri Easter received nods for Bluegrass/Country Album of the Year for Small Town, Celebrating 30 Years of Music & Marriage (Spring Hill Music) as well as Country Recorded Song of the Year (“Small Town Someone (Lunch)”), written by Sheri Easter, Kenna Turner West and Jason Cox.
The recording, produced by Jeff and Sheri Easter, Madison Easter and Greg Cole, features 11 songs, several of which were co-written by Sheri along with some of Nashville’s most noted songwriters. “Small Town Someone (Lunch)” is currently the No. 1 single on The Singing News national radio chart. Jeff & Sheri are the recipients of six GMA DOVE Awards, 15 Singing News Fan Awards, three Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music Association Awards and two International Country Gospel Music Association honors.

DAVID PHELPS

David Phelps is up for Inspirational Song of the Year for “Heaven’s Shore,” the recent Top 40 radio single from his current release, Freedom. Produced by Phelps and mentor/friend/gospel music legend Bill Gaither, Freedom showcases Phelps’ talents as a singer, songwriter, arranger and producer. The GRAMMY®-nominated, classically trained tenor, also known as the tenor for the Gaither Vocal Band, has won two GRAMMY® Awards and four GMA DOVE Awards.
GRAMMY® Award-winning singer/songwriter and comedian Mark Lowry has been nominated for Southern Gospel Album of the Year for How We Love (Spring Hill Music Group), an all-new, 11-song collection produced by Kevin Williams. The project includes guest appearances by Dailey & Vincent, Sisters, Jimmy and Sonya Isaacs Yeary and The Martins who join Mark for a four-part, a cappella rendition of the classic hymn “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross.” Known for bringing laughter to countless audiences worldwide, the GMA Hall of Famer shares his contemplative side with honest, redeeming messages through How We Love.

Isaacs

The Isaacs (Sonya Isaacs Yeary, Rebecca Isaacs Bowman, Ben Isaacs and Lily Isaacs) were honored with a nomination for Bluegrass Recorded Song of the Year for “Leave It All on the Altar,” which is featured on the group’s recent project, The Living Years, produced by Isaacs and Gaither. The multi-award-winning family group has received honors and nominations from organizations ranging from the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) and the Inspirational Country Music (ICM) Awards to The Singing News Fan Awards. They have performed with legendary performers such as Dolly Parton, Trace Adkins, Brad Paisley, Paul Simon, Vince Gill, Merle Haggard, Randy Owen, Trisha Yearwood, Ralph Stanley, Mark Lowry and many more.

Booth Brothers

The award-winning, southern gospel mainstay trio the Booth Brothers received a nomination for Southern Gospel Album of the Year for Still, produced by Jason Webb, Lari Goss, Ronnie Booth, Michael Booth and Jim Brady. Known for their intricate three-part harmonies, the group has won over 45 Singing News Fan Awards and received three previous GMA DOVE nominations. Their current single “Dirt on My Hands” is in the Top 20 and climbing on the national radio chart.
We Will Stand (Gaither Music Group/CCM United) is nominated for Special Event of the Year and Long Form Video of the Year. The DVD claimed the No. 1 position street week on Billboard’s Music Video chart and on the Christian Music Video chart, according to Nielsen Soundscan. In addition, the We Will Stand audio recording landed at #10 on the contemporary Christian music chart.
A concert event dubbed “the greatest night in the history of contemporary Christian music” by its executive producer, Stan Moser, the recordings feature 30 of the most popular and awarded contemporary Christian music (CCM) artists of all time, who gathered for a-once-in-a-lifetime concert event to celebrate 40 years of history. The DVDs also capture some of the stories behind the music through interviews with Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith, Sandi Patty, Bill Gaither and others.
Also nominated for Special Event of the Year is Let the Glory Come Down, which features newly-arranged renditions of some of the most popular gospel music songs performed by the renowned 500-voice Prestonwood Choir in Dallas along with Bill Gaither, David Phelps, Adam Crabb, Joyce Martin Sanders, Joy Gardner and other Gaither HOMECOMING artists. Featuring songs from the latest Gaither choir collection arranged by Geron Davis and Bradley Knight, this recording brings to life timeless messages with stirring vocal performances.
The Gaither brand of artists and products topped the BILLBOARD Year-End Chart of Music Video Sales Labels for 2000, 2011 and 2014.
Gaither Music Group and Spring Hill Music Group projects are exclusively distributed by Capitol Christian Distribution and Universal Music.

For more Gospel music news click here.

Rory writes……A Week Out West

Rory writes……

Monday, we got home from spending some time out west in Wyoming and Montana. It was a trip that has been planned since last winter. But I didn’t plan it… my wife did.
This past February, with snow on the ground outside her window at the little house by the Gaither pond in Indiana, Joey looked at the beautiful view from her bedside, and remembered another view that she loved. And then with her three sisters gathered around her, Joey told stories about our trips out west to the Big Sky Country. She showed them pictures we had taken during some of the adventures our family has had out there over the years. And then she asked me to find a way to take her three sisters and their families out west for the first time this summer.

Read it all HERE

Throwback Thursday…..Joey and Rory

Joey and Rory

It’s Throwback Thursday.

This is a video from 2 years ago..

A beautiful arrangement of “Leave it There” by Joey and Rory….

Have a great Thursday everyone!

Rory and Indy Go Home- Visit with Bill Gaither

Rory writes:

This past weekend, Indy and I went home to Indiana…without Joey.
It was the first time that we’d been back there, since my wife’s passing in early March. I was excited and nervous about the trip at the same time. Part of me wasn’t ready to go back. Not yet. But another part of me knew it was the right thing, and believed that it would be healing for us. And it was.
Joey’s sister Jody’s son Cody was graduating high school and we surprised everyone by showing up at the open house his Mom had put on for him. I know it’s a moment that Joey wouldn’t have missed, so I didn’t want to miss it either.
When I pulled in and parked by the other cars and Jody saw me get out of my truck, she came running across the yard. Her eyes filled with tears. She hugged me and cried and cried. It was a beautiful homecoming. Then as quickly as we got there… Indiana was whisked away into her aunt’s arms and she stole the show from there on out.

Read it All Here

This has been a week to remember Joey & Rory

This has been a week to remember Joey & Rory

This has been a week to remember.

There have been big parties for little people and small losses with great lessons… and we even had a romantic night filled with more love for each other than we even thought was possible.  But mostly, this has been a week filled with thankfulness.

Joey and I watched the Pre-Grammy celebration together – the early portion of the show where the award that we were up for and some others were given out.  To say it was a bit surreal to be where we are, looking at where our music has taken us, is an understatement. Read More HERE

Bill Gaither visits Joey…

According to Joey and Rory’s Facebook, Bill paid Joey a visit this morning and played the piano . It’s obvious that he loves this couple like we all do…

Keep praying!

Update From Joey + Rory

Update From Joey + Rory

Update From Joey + Rory: Back in early 2008, I was a full-time songwriter and Joey was an aspiring singer. We had been married for five years, but Joey’s dreams of following in her musical hero Dolly Parton’s footsteps had eluded her.  She had all-but-given-up on music and was working every day at Marcy Jo’s Mealhouse, our little family-owned cafe Joey had started with my sister just down the road from our farmhouse.

Little did she know that while she waiting on tables… God was waiting for the right timing to make her dreams come true.

I wrote in another blog post a good while back in more detail about how we got our start singing together.  About how a friend of a friend recommended that we try out for “Can You Duet”, a new CMT reality music competition show that was looking for America’s next great country duo.  About how I was nervous and skeptical about it.  And also how, though Joey and I didn’t have a tv and didn’t want to be on one, my best-friend and cousin Aaron (who’s our manager now) and I made a little homemade video about our lives and music up to that point and sent it in to the producers to try to get a spot on the show.

Read more HERE

Cheering For Joey

Cheering For Joey

We at SGNScoops are praying for the entire family

I don’t know where Indy gets her personality from.

Joey says it’s from me.  I’m not sure I believe her.  But no matter… one thing is for sure, our little one has one of the most expressive little faces I’ve ever seen.

I took a trip to Kohls last week and was supposed to buy her a couple of new outfits.  She has grown out of most of her clothes and since it’s getting colder here, she needed some warm things to wear.  I was on a mission.  And I did good until I got to the check-out and saw something on a nearby rack with the word ‘Indiana’ on it.

Somehow what caught my eyes made it’s way into our cart and home with us.

I’m so glad it did.

A day or so later, I sat Indy on Joey’s bed so she could spend a few minutes with her mama.  Joey had had some tough days and the decline of her condition was weighing heavy on her and all of our minds.

But in a matter of minutes, Indy had her mama laughing out loud… Read More Here

A Gruffalo Christmas For Joey & Rory

A Gruffalo Christmas For Joey & Rory

A Gruffalo Christmas For Joey & Rory

From Rory: In early November, Christmas seemed still so far away.  And the prognosis was clear that there was a good chance Joey wasn’t going to be with us then and that this Christmas was going to be a difficult one to get through.

So like the mouse in Indy’s story, we all began to ‘make up’ our own Gruffalo.  Ours was the belief that it was going to be a wonderful, magical Christmas.  We didn’t really believe it – down deep inside we knew we knew better – but still we told ourselves and each other that it was going to be great.

And we trudged on through the deep dark wood.

And when we got to the other side, it turned out that our Gruffalo was real too.  Christmas had come and Joey was not only here with us, but she was doing well and we all had an amazing day together.

There was a beautiful Christmas tree filled with wonder… Read More Here