Performers for the 40th Annual Dove Awards telecast which will take place live at the Grand Ole Opry House on April 23rd have been announced. The list of Christian artists are some of the biggest heavy-hitters in the business. Steven Curtis Chapman, Natalie Grant, Mary Mary, MercyMe, Third Day and Chris Tomlin are the first performers announced for the event.

The Dove Awards one of Christian and gospel music’s biggest nights of the year will be broadcast live nationwide on the awards’ exclusive television home, the Gospel Music Channel television network from 8 – 10 p.m. (ET).

Many of the performers confirmed for the show are also nominees for Dove Awards including Steven Curtis Chapman, Natalie Grant with special guest Group 1 Crew, Brandon Heath and Mary Mary.


There will also be a Dottie Rambo Tribute with surprise guests. Dottie Rambo, known as the "undisputed queen of southern gospel music", was tragically killed when her tour bus ran off a highway near Mount Vernon, Mo. she was 74.


While the awards are the purpose of the show, music performances will definitely share center stage at the Dove Awards, showcasing some of gospel music’s hottest and most diverse artists. In addition to the exclusive live broadcast, Gospel Music Channel will present back-to-back encore broadcasts that night and additional re-airings following.

Dove Awards will be handed out in 43 categories. For the first time, fans have become stakeholders in the Dove Awards with an opportunity to vote for the winner of two of the night’s biggest awards – Artist of the Year along with New Artist of the Year. Fan voting is open at the Gospel Music Channel website www.gospelmusicchannel.com and at www.doveawards.com. The cumulative fan vote, which will continue through the live Dove Awards broadcast, will account for one-third of the total vote in those two categories.