SG History 101

Jul

2006

SG History 101 - The 1971 Dove Awards

It is generally my intention in these articles to portray the positive events in gospel music history, with the desire that the acclaimed and not-so-acclaimed will get their equal and due recognition for making this wonderful art form we all know and love distinctive and unique.

However, in life, there occasionally occurs the negative. Events that we would rather not acknowledge, can bring positives and blessings of their very own when properly dealt with. Such is the case with this month's article.

The year was 1971, gospel music's Dove Awards were about to be presented for the third year. The gospel music industry was making great strides forward, and the advent of the Doves (the equivalent to secular music's Grammy Awards) were ushering in a new era in gospel music.

The Gospel Music Association (GMA) had just come into being seven years before, in 1964, and it was primarily led and run by people in what was still known as the gospel quartet industry, because that's what most of the most popular artists were. They were the prime movers in organizing gospel music in those days, and wanted to establish a way of recognizing the contributions of their leading artists.

It was decided to give out annual awards like the Grammys in secular music, and longtime GMA leader and manager of the Florida Boys Quartet, Les Beasley, happened on the idea to call them the Dove Awards. By 1969, the first such awards were given out, and that was going hand-in-hand with the growth in popularity of gospel music in general.

A number of factors were occurring that would change the gospel music industry forever at that time, and shape its' subsequent direction. One was the so-called "Jesus Movement" of the late 1960s and early 1970s, which consisted of young people being drawn to Christianity in great numbers following abortive experimentation with drug use and other cultural phenomena of the period. That movement spawned music based on the popular music among young people of the time, including rock, folk, jazz, and blues influenced music set to Christian lyrics to express their newfound commitment to those values.

The Oak Ridge Boys

That music and commitment of the younger generation would have an influence on the established gospel quartet industry. To maintain its' commercial viabiliy, and to adapt to the changing times, many of the top artists of that part of gospel music, including the Oak Ridge Boys, the Imperials, the Speer Family, the Blackwood Brothers, the Stamps, and the Statesmen began to modify their appearance and musical sound to attract potential younger fans and stay "with the times" by adopting longer hair, modern fashions, and hiring full bands of instrumentalists to accompany the singers. Newer artists such as the Downings and Rambos used the same approach.

The new approach worked initially, most of the very first Dove Awards were awarded to the above groups, and consequently, the Doves were seen as goals to increase the prestige and marketability of an artist. By 1971, the Dove Awards were becoming a much sought after item for most gospel artists, they lent prestige and recognition to a group. This prestige was borne out by the symbol of the Dove adorning the jackets of most gospel LPs of the time.

It therefore became important to an artist to obtain a Dove Award, in one way or another. As the desire increased to add to the ranks of the GMA, the idea begn to take root among many artists to somehow tie GMA membership into the Dove Awards process. Thus, artists became involved in recruitng new members into the GMA.

Naturally, some artists were more able to recruit potential GMA members than others. Groups like the Blackwood Brothers, Oak Ridge Boys, and the Imperials (all of whom did well in initial Dove Award voting) became involved in recruiting new members into the GMA.

And since membership in the GMA allowed one to vote for Dove Award recipients, it wasn't long before artists got the idea to tie their recruiting efforts into influencing the Dove Award voting.

The Blackwood Brothers

One of the more enterprising groups involved in the promotion of GMA recruitment was the Blackwood Brothers. The group had been managed for many years by longtime lead singer James Blackwood. But, by 1971, health problems had forced him to cut back considerably in the group, giving up his position in the quartet to his son, James, Jr, and relinquishing managerial control to his nephew and group baritone singer, Cecil Blackwood.

Cecil Blackwood

At Cecil's direction, the Blackwood organization adopted a very aggressive policy of recruitment into the GMA, offering gifts and paid GMA memberships in return for following their "recommendations" for winners in the Dove Award nominations. Naturally, the "recommendations" were for members of the Blackwood organization, or, where that was not possible, "official" candidates it sanctioned. Such an approach was effective, for estimates were that 1/3 of all the eligible voters for the Dove Awards that year were people recruited that year by the Blackwood organization.

At this point, allow me to interrupt the narrative and state categorically that such a method of recruitment was NOT against the GMA rules. The Blackwood organization did not do anything that any other organization could not have done, or considered doing. Nothing here was in violation of any existing policies.

So, come the night of the 1971 Dove Awards banquet (October 9) in Nashville, it perhaps came as no shock when as the award winners were announced, they were precisely the ones that the Blackwood organization had recommended. After a while, many got up and left the building in protest and disgust at how the award ceremony was turning out.

The GMA Board was embarrassed, and acted quickly. They voted to nullify the entire process for the year, and not recognize any award winners. They then formed a committee to change the voting process to insure that what had just happened would never occur again. At this point James Blackwood got involved. He returned the awards to the GMA, and issued the following statement:

James Blackwood

"I take full responsibility for what I consider unethical solicitation of votes by members of our organization and personally guarantee there will be no repetition. I further pledge our complete support for the Gospel Music Association and subscribe to the statement of the ideals and concepts of this organization as set forth in the statement by the board. I strongly urge all other participants in the Dove Awards to subscribe and adhere to the code of ethics to be set forth by the Gospel Music Association."

So despite Cecil's objections on the basis that no rules were broken, James refused to relent. Even years later, when JD Sumner recommended that James accept the awards anyway, James Blackwood would not allow himself to accept any Dove Awards under such circumstances.

Another trend that was just beginning in the gospel music industry at that time was a greater accountability and commitment to "living what you sing," proof that the gospel music industry was becoming aware of its' growing presence in the society around it, and had to assume greater responsibility for its' actions.

So, when you try to look up the Dove Award winners for 1971, you won't find any, and that is why.

In a larger sense, gospel music was a winner because of how it dealt with this embarrassing situation.

Reader Comments

Kudos to James Blackwood for his apology after the 71 Awards were taken away. Although it seems that it was not illegal to do what they did, he saw that it was "ethically" not right. That is a real man in my books and to be applauded. I remember those days, and my opinion of James soared to new heights when he did what was "Right"

Duane Nicholson

Commented by (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) On 07/01/2006

I would be curious as to who did win the awards that year.

Commented by (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) On 07/01/2006

James was, indeed, a great man. I had the privilege to sing with his group quite a few times, over the years, and he was always very encouraging - and always exhibited real class. I had the privilege of producing and engineering a project for James in 1989, and we grew close, as a result.

I last visited with him a little over a year before his death, and our group made the sad journey to Memphis on a cold, snowy February morning in 2002 to pay our final respects at his funeral.

Many comments and tributes were made to this great man, underscoring the high integrity and ethics that were so evident in his life.

His actions, in regard to the 1971 Dove Awards, no doubt accomplished much in causing them to, once again, be seen and accepted as credible.

Cliff Cerce
The Cerces, PO Box 8525, Springfield, MO 65801
417-863-8440
http://www.thecerces.com
(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Commented by CliffCerce On 07/01/2006

Again, John, another fine article. You did an excellent job of portraying an "uncomfortable" moment in our history without throwing stones, judging, or casting aspersion.

I too agree that James Blackwood will always be viewed as a man not only with exceptional music talent and wise business acumen but also exemplary Christian character.

Come see what’s up at Jim’s Gems

Commented by RevTabasco On 07/01/2006

The advent of the GMA and the Dove Awards impacted gospel music history in other ways... ways which are still felt today.

For example, before the first Dove Awards, there was no "Southern Gospel Music" as a category or sub-genre. The SG tag was something that Don Butler dreamed up to differentiate traditional white gospel music from black gospel or from CCM. This is not, in my humble opinion, always a good thing. I miss the days when it was all just plain old "Gospel Music."

Commented by (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) On 07/01/2006

I was present that year and I do remember the contoversy that came from that situation. As I remember it, The Blackwood Brothers Record table had the Dove Awards on display for a few hours, then they were draped with black cloth. Does anyone else remember that?

I too admire James Blackwood. He made each of his fans feel very special. He has been in my home and place of business many times, and I can assure everyone that Mr. Blackwood definatly "practiced what he preached"!!

I don't want to overlook the fact that Cecil was also a top notch performer and business man. He did not get the recognition that he so deserved. Perhaps some of this may be due to his untimely death. I deeply appreciate the writers clarification that nothing illegal was done by Cecil or any of the Blackwoods.

Commented by (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) On 07/02/2006

I would like to say "thanks" for this story. Finally, after 35 years, I'm learning what the big bad secret was that caused the 1971 Dove Awards to be withdrawn.

Commented by (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) On 07/08/2006

I, too, applaud James (Blackwood) for doing what he did despite the objections of his peers during this unfortunate situation. It takes a true man of character to make these types of decisions and stick by them.

Commented by (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) On 07/14/2006

John,

Very interesting article. I have been a gospel music fan for over 45 years, but I never paid attention to awards ceremonies, so this is my first glimpse of the 1971 Dove Awards fiasco. I have always admired James Blackwood, so it is a joy to read how he handled a difficult situation.

Commented by (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) On 07/16/2006

Hi John,

Very interesting, as always. I agree with the previous posts: it takes a special person with strong convinctions and character to respond like James Blackwood did to the 1971 Dove Awards situation.

By the way, my wife and I were privileged to talk with the second generation Blackwoods (Ron and R.W. Blackwood, Jr.) at their breakfast show in Pigeon Forge, TN a few months ago. It was a fun and inspiring show, also including today's version of the Blackwood Singers. I recommend anyone traveling close to Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg to spend a morning with them. They are still carrying on the strong tradition of those early days under the leadership of Ron and R.W. Jr. Plus, the breakfast was pretty good, too!

Anyway, love the article. Still waiting to hear about a book deal??!!

Commented by (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) On 07/21/2006

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