Recent Baylor Grads Receive Dove Award Nominations

by Richard Veit

Two recent graduates of the Baylor University School of Music, Shaun Groves and David Phelps, have been honored with a total of seven 2002 Dove Award nominations between them.
Shaun Groves, who graduated from Baylor in 1997 with a bachelor of music degree in composition, is nominated in five different categories for his debut album, Invitation to Eavesdrop, which was released by Rocketown Records on July 17. His "Welcome Home," a number-one charting adult contemporary Christian radio single, is being considered for Song of the Year honors. He also is a nominee for New Artist of the Year, Pop/Contemporary Song of the Year ("Welcome Home"), Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year (Invitation to Eavesdrop) and Songwriter of the Year.
"To see the public react so positively to an artist is always the icing on the cake," said Rocketown Records president Don Donahue. "I'm proud to represent and support Shaun Groves. He's exactly what we're drawn to, an artist who's not driven by the music, unit sales, or chart position, but by the other-centered living that Christ calls us to live."
David Phelps, a 1992 Baylor graduate with a bachelor of music degree in voice, has been nominated for two Dove Awards, including Male Vocalist of the Year. His self-titled release, David Phelps, by Spring Hill Records, is being considered in the category of Inspirational Album of the Year.
While at Baylor, Phelps joined the staff of the Baptist Student Union as director of the Baylor Religious Hour Choir. After graduation, he went into full-time concert ministry and joined the staff of the First Baptist Church of Hurst, Texas, as Artist-in-Residence. In December of 1996, he and his family moved to Nashville, Tenn., where he now performs as a member of the Gaither Vocal Band and as a solo artist.
This year's Dove Award nominees were announced on Jan. 23, and the 33rd-Annual Dove Award ceremonies will be held on April 25 at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville.