The Recording Academy^® announced the addition of three New Categories Most notably, the Best Gospel Performance Awards Category resulting from The Recording Academy’s semiannual Board of Trustees meeting.

For the first time in 11 years a New Category has been added to the GRAMMY Gospel Field, Best Gospel Performance.

Before the creation of the Best Gospel Performance Category, over the past 14 years, only Best Gospel Albums could be nominated to receive a GRAMMY.  Now a Gospel Single with lyrics or a Gospel Track with lyrics meeting the requirements for the GRAMMY submissions process, may now be considered for a GRAMMY Award. This brings the total number of GRAMMY categories for the 47th Annual GRAMMY Awards in February 2005 to 107.

The last time GRAMMY Categories were created in the Gospel Field at the Recording Academy, was over a decade ago when the Category Best Soul Gospel for Female, Male, Duo/Group was changed to “Best Contemporary Soul Album” and “Best Traditional Soul Album.”  The Category Best Gospel Album was changed to “Best Pop / Contemporary Gospel Album.”  The Category Best Rock Contemporary Album was changed to "Best Rock Gospel Album.” The Category "Best Southern Gospel Album" became "Best Southern / Country / Bluegrass Gospel Album."

The first GRAMMY given in the Gospel Music Field was in 1961 to Mahalia Jackson for her soul-stirring performance of, “Every time I hear the Spirit.”

"We’re keeping our focus squarely on ensuring the Awards process is pertinent within the current musical landscape,” said Recording Academy President, Neil Portnow.

The winning proposal was created by Alan Foster, Senior Awards Coordinator for Urban Music at The Recording Academy, Helen Bruner, Recording Academy Board of Trustee Member and Co-CEO of Phil’erzy Productions, and LaTonya J. Pegues, who is a Member of the Recording Academy’s Gospel Committee, and CEO of Los Angeles based, BOAZ Entertainment.

The proposal was spearheaded by Alan Foster, who stated, “The Best Gospel Performance Category has been needed for some time. We needed the support of the Gospel community, and when LaTonya Pegues presented the idea to them, we were blessed to get the support we needed to have the Best Gospel Performance category approved in the first year it was proposed.”

Foster emphasized that, “This New Category is important because Gospel Artists can now be recognized and potentially win a GRAMMY for their Gospel Performances, and not just their Gospel Albums.”

Now that the Best Gospel Performance Category has been established, it is important for people in the Gospel Community to join The Recording Academy and vote during the submissions and nominations process to properly represent the Best Gospel Performance Category.

“The creation of the Best Gospel Performance Category is a Giant Step towards expanding the categories in which an artist can win a Grammy,” says LaTonya J. Pegues.  “We are looking forward to proposing further expansions in the Gospel Field by creating more categories that reflect the current trends in Gospel Music.

Helen Bruner sums it up best by saying, “This year we are changing someone’s life [by creating the Best Gospel Performance Category] and changing the course of history.”

If you would like to be a part of the membership that makes the first historic submissions and nominations, in the GRAMMY Best Gospel Performance Category, make sure to join The Recording Academy as soon as possible to be included in the upcoming GRAMMY submissions process.

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