I have been honored to be invited for a telephone interview this week with the legendary Mike Rimmer on Cross Rhythms Radio in the United Kingdom. You can read more about his show here. He also has one of the BEST blogs I have read (click here) , covering a wide range of Christian music and other interesting topics with much insight and candor. What a neat guy! I’ll write an update about the interview later this week…
Just when I thought this month couldn’t get any better (see previous post), the really nice people at Christian Music Zine just included Straight N Narrow on its FREE, exclusive, first-ever compilation digital download! It’s called “Dependent State of Mind, Vol. 1”. It’s available for the first time today!
Be sure to listen to all 15 of the artists (you’ll become a fan) and check out the site. Ultra-cool, like the name! (Album artwork to the left by Dan Allen Sr.)
Like many people, one of my favorite passages in the Bible is from the book of Ruth. Ruth had been faithful, worked very hard, and continued to pray that she would find grace. One day, she found herself working in a field owned by Boaz. While she was gathering wheat, Boaz instructed his workers to leave her handfuls on purpose, or so much wheat that she no longer had to scrape for it. Boaz ended up being Ruth’s husband, and gave her grace more abundant than she could have ever imagined. The accounts in the book of Ruth parallel God’s love for us.
There have been many times in the music ministry when I have experienced unexpected blessings that have blown me away. These last few months have had several of these “handfuls on purpose” times. Here are just a few of these (in chronological order): (1) Soon after the CD was released, the kind people at Visible by Light added “Leaping on Mountains” to their playlist. It was really neat to know that they listened to new releases and liked the song! Be sure to follow their link after you listen here. (2) Rachel Lane from the Times-Georgian did a super-nice article about the IMA and ISC nominations that made the front page of the paper! (click here). (3) Amanda Thomas, also from the Times-Georgian, did an equally amazing follow-up story about the IMA and ISC wins (click here to read). This one had a preview on the front page and covered the Faith and Values section. I can’t say enough about how much their coverage meant to me. It was such an honor. (4) CM Addict did a feature in their new artist section (click here to read), and (5) offered a free download of Straight N Narrow. In case you have never visited their site, it’s one of the best out there–really current, nice visuals, and yes, extremely addictive! (6) Justin Monsewicz, currently working with Ma’s Hippo Music in public relations, did a neat shout-out in his column here. (By the way, I hope to do a longer feature on him in the future.) I truly thank God and these folks for providing such “exceedingly abundantly above and beyond” experiences for me.
It looks like a lot is going to be happening this summer in the JDW music world. I just saw a preview of the video of Abby May. The release date will be announced soon. Also, two singles from Leap are set for radio release starting July 25–“Glorious Savior” on Christian AC, Inspirational, and Christian Top 40 formats, and “Straight N Narrow” on Christian Rock stations. And, we’re getting ready to start work on the next album in the new and improved Swaff Studios. Thank you to all of you for your prayers! They have definitely been felt these past few weeks. More details will follow!
When she was little, my sister asked my mom if she was pretty. Mom said, “I think you are the prettiest girl in the world. But remember, even a mama hippopotamus thinks her baby hippopotamus is beautiful.” In other words, she (and all of us) could always know that in our Mom’s eyes, we were the best, but we should never let it go to our heads. This became an ongoing joke. Every time anyone in our family bragged about us, we’d say “yeah, you’re just being a mama (or brother, dad, or sister) hippopotamus.” I thank God on this Mother’s Day for giving me the best mom in the world. She has such a gentle, giving heart, and I’m honored and blessed that God allowed her to be my mother and friend. And I don’t mean this in a son hippopotamus way…She really is the best.
Exciting news came this week! Please read below….
March 29, 2011:
Music Resource Group and the distinguished judging panelists congratulate J. Douglas Wright on winning top honors in the Contemporary Christian Song Category for “Glorious Savior” in The 10th Annual Independent Music Awards program. Wright joins an incredible group of self-released and independent label talent from around the world. It is an honor to have the opportunity to promote his music to a wider audience. Wright is still in the running to receive The IMA Vox Pop honors, the fan-determined portion of The Independent Music Awards. Vox Pop Winners will benefit from additional marketing support. Fans, family, and press can vote one time through July 11 at http://www.independentmusicawards.com/imanominee/10th/Song/Contemporary-Christian . Over 14,000 fans have already cast their votes.
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I am so honored. I’d like to thank the people behind the IMAs for being the real deal and the judges for really listening. My gratitude to SWAFF is eternal and goes without saying. Thank YOU for your emails, prayers, votes, and for getting other people to vote through July 11.
I guess that was my acceptance speech!
Press Photo for Glorious Savior of Swaff, Carson Ray, and JDW--Photo by Erik Dixon
Many of you have been asking about voting in the International Songwriting Competition and the Independent Music Awards (please see the earlier posts below). It has really been an honor to be nominated as a finalist in both of these. Both have judges who will choose the winners, as well as a separate process that is based on audience ratings and voting. If you want to check out the finalists and vote, here are the links:
This is the one where you can vote everyday through March 31:
http://www.sonicbids.com/voting/Default.aspx?p=372
This is the one that is a one-time-only vote through July 11:
http://www.independentmusicawards.com/imanominee/10th/Song/Contemporary-Christian .
Thank you for taking the time to do this! I’ll be posting updates soon!
We received another recognition from Leap! Check out the press release below:
March 13, 2011: The song Glorious Savior from the new album Leap by J. Douglas Wright of Carrollton, Georgia is a finalist in the annual International Songwriting Competition (ISC). The album was produced by Brandon Swafford of Swaff Productions in Villa Rica, Georgia. The song was written by Swafford, Wright, and Carson Ray. This year, ISC received well over 15,000 entries from 115 countries throughout the world, representing all genres of contemporary music. The ISC listening committee narrowed these entries down to 323 finalists in 22 categories. These finalists hail from 33 countries from all corners of the world, from Uruguay to Armenia, from Moldova to Hungary, from Zaire to the Ukraine, and everywhere in between. Reflecting the international scope of the competition, over 58% of all finalists and semi-finalists come from outside the USA. Winners will be selected from the group of finalists by ISC judges Peter Gabriel, Tom Waits, Rihanna, Ben Harper, Kings of Leon, Jeff Beck, McCoy Tyner, and many more.
Winners will be announced in late April, 2011. Prizes include over $150,000 in cash, merchandise, and services – including a Grand Prize of $25,000 cash and $20,000 in additional prizes.
Go to http://www.songwritingcompetition.com/winners to see the complete list.
The ISC finalists’ songs are currently posted on the ISC website as part of the People’s Voice – an online voting contest that allows the public to listen to and vote for their favorite ISC finalist. The winner of the People’s Voice is selected solely by public vote and is in addition to, and completely separate from, the regular winners who will be selected by the prestigious ISC judging panel. To listen to the finalists’ songs and to cast your vote (you be the judge!), visit: http://www.sonicbids.com/voting/Default.aspx?p=372
ISC 2010 was the most competitive of any year in terms of quality of entries. ISC received so many wonderful songs that reflected creativity, diversity, and excellent songwriting craftsmanship, and as a result, it was the most difficult year to select the finalists. “Selecting both the finalists and the semi-finalists was a challenging and daunting task,” says Founder and Director Candace Avery. “The competition was so extreme this year, making the status of being selected a finalist or semi-finalist an honor that is elevated and even more prestigious than in past years.” Accordingly, there is a record number of finalists and semi-finalists. Congratulations to all these deserving songwriters!
The complete list of ISC judges includes:
Recording Artists: Peter Gabriel; Rihanna; Kings of Leon; Tom Waits; Ben Harper; Jeff Beck; Kelly Clarkson; Timbaland; Keane; McCoy Tyner; Ben Folds; Train; Robbie Williams; Joe Nichols; Michael W. Smith; John Scofield; Jerry Lee Lewis; Regina Spektor; Alejandro Sanz; Jeremy Camp; Terence Blanchard; Ray Wylie Hubbard; Montel Jordan; John Mayall; Craig Morgan; Jazmine Sullivan; DJ Tiësto; James Cotton; Sandra Bernhard; Robert Earl Keen; Baaba Maal; Wynonna; John Digweed; K’Naan; Adele; Black Francis (The Pixies); Robert Smith (The Cure); Chris Hillman (The Byrds); Darryl McDaniels (Run D.M.C.); Toots Hibbert (Toots & The Maytals); Matt Thiessen (Relient K); Chayanne; and Dan Zanes
Industry Executives: Monte Lipman (President, Universal Republic Records); Amanda Ghost (President, Epic Records); Rick Krim (Exec. VP, Talent & Music Programming, VH1); Brian Malouf (VP A&R, Walt Disney Records); Bruce Iglauer (Founder/President, Alligator Records); Angel Carrasco (Sr. VP A&R, Latin America, Sony/BMG); Ric Arboit (President, Nettwerk Music Group); Daniel Glass (Founder/CEO, Glassnote Entertainment Group); Cory Robbins (Founder/President, Robbins Entertainment); Dr. Demento (Radio Host, The Dr. Demento Show); Steve Lillywhite (Producer); Dan Storper (President, Putamayo World Music Records and Putumayo Kids); Lisa Ramsey Perkins (Sr. Director, A&R Sony Nashville); Kim Buie (VP A&R, Lost Highway); Leib Ostrow (CEO, Music For Little People); and Tommy Morris (Talent Coordinator, The Comedy Store)
This is the second recognition for Leap in the last month (see the following press release). Leap was released in January 2011 and is available on iTunes and at local Christian bookstores.
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The Independent Music Awards have nominated J. Douglas Wright in the Best Contemporary Christian Song category for Glorious Savior! I am truly honored. The upcoming press release is below. Feel free to rate the nominated songs at the link at the end of the article. All the nominees are great!
Feb 21, 2011 – The nominations for the 10th Annual Independent Music Awards have been officially announced, and J. Douglas Wright has been nominated for Glorious Savior in the Best Contemporary Christian Song category. The song is from Wright’s new album, Leap, released in January 2011. The album was produced by Brandon Swafford of Swaff Productions in Villa Rica, Georgia, and has already been well-received by fans and radio stations across the country. Glorious Savior was written by Swafford, Wright, and Carson Ray. Wright is joined in the Best Contemporary Christian Song category by four other nominees, including Andreas Sandlund of Sweden (It Is Your Grace), Canopy Red of Florida (All Around Me), Generation Letter of Florida (King of Peace), and Joey Davila Band of Texas (Go Back). “I am so grateful to the Independent Music Awards for this honor,” says Wright. “I truly do not have the words to thank them. It has also been such a blessing to work with everyone involved in the making of Leap. Working with Swaff on this project has been one of the best experiences I have had in music.”
The Independent Music Awards recognize self-released and independent label artists from more than 70 countries on six continents around the world. Nominees and winners are selected by a panel of industry judges including Seal, Shelby Lynne, Tom Waits, Adam Duritz of Counting Crows, and Suzanne Vega, among others. Past nominees and winners include Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland, Ike Turner, Jeff Healey, and All That Remains. Winners for the 10th Annual IMAs will be announced in March.
Music fans also have the opportunity to rate the nominated songs through IMA’s Vox Pop at http://www.independentmusicawards.com/imanominee/10th/Song/Contemporary-Christian . Leap is available on iTunes and at local Christian bookstores.
This is a big THANK YOU to everyone who came to the Abby May video shoot this weekend! I really appreciate you for being so patient and giving up your day to help. Everyone did such a great job!
