CMT News

George Strait, Randy Travis and former Lonestar member Richie McDonald are among those receiving nominations in the country categories of the Gospel Music Association's 40th annual Dove Awards. The nominees were announced Friday (Feb. 20) in Nashville. Strait is nominated as an artist in the country recorded song category for "I Saw God Today," written by Rodney Clawson, Monty Criswell and Wade Kirby. Other artists in the country song category are the Oak Ridge Boys (for "Did I Make a Difference," written by Bill Anderson and Rob Crosby), the Living Waters Trio ("Good Side of Goodbye"), Point of Grace ("I Wish") and the Gaither Vocal Band ("Jesus and John Wayne"). Nominated for country album are Travis' Around the Bend, McDonald's I Turn to You, the Living Waters Trio's Home for Now, Bart Millard's Hymned Again and Crabb Revival's Runaway Train. Among the nominees for special event album is the soundtrack to Billy: The Early Years, a film about evangelist Billy Graham. The soundtrack features music by Brooks & Dunn, Sara Evans, Alan Jackson, Patty Griffin, Brad Paisley and Josh Turner, among others. Nominated in the same category is How Great Thou Art: Gospel Favorites From the Grand Ole Opry, a compilation featuring Jackson, Evans, Paisley, Trace Adkins, Vince Gill, Dierks Bentley, Carrie Underwood and others. The Dove Awards show is scheduled for April 23 at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville.