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And the Grammy Nominees for 2011 Are…

With BeBe & CeCe Winans, VaShawn Mitchell and Forever Jones Leading the way for Gospel

The 2011 Grammy nominees were announced during the CBS Grammy Nominations Concert at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, and with so much amazing music released this past year — not to mention monster tours — it was as competitive as ever.

The categories include: Best Gospel Performance, Best Gospel Song, Best Rock or Rap Gospel Album, Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel, Best Southern, Country, or Bluegrass Gospel Album, Best Traditional Gospel Album, and Best Contemporary R&B Gospel Album.

The brother and sister duo BeBe & CeCe Winans and VaShawn Mitchell received two nominations for Best Gospel Performance for their song “Grace” and Best Contemporary R&B Gospel Album for Still. The Winans already have five Grammy Awards.

Israel Houghton, who received his third Grammy Award early this year, has two nominations as well – one for Best Gospel Performance for the song “You Hold My World” and another for Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album for Love God. Love People. His contenders for the latter category include TobyMac for Tonight, Ricky Skaggs for Mosaic, Sanctus Real for Pieces of a Real Heart and Steven Curtis Chapman for Beauty Will Rise.

Skaggs, 14-time Grammy winner, has also been nominated for Best Song for “To Sender.”

Other artists up for two Grammys are family band Forever Jones and reinvented band Gungor, formerly known as the Michael Gungor Band.

Gungor is up for Best Gospel Song for “Beautiful Things” and for Best Rock or Rap Gospel Album for Beautiful Things. This is their first nomination.

Beautiful Things is the band’s first album – released this year – under the new name Gungor. The album features a completely new sound with influences ranging as wide as Sigur Rós, Muse, and Sufjan Stevens.

“Musically, it’s kind of odd,” said Michael. “We rock pretty hard, then we pull out the banjo and sit around and cry together.”

The album also reflects Michael Gungor’s new understanding of what it means to be a follower of Jesus.

The nominees were announced Wednesday night. The 53rd Grammy Awards will be broadcast live from Los Angeles’ Staples Center on Feb. 13, 2011.

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