This honor comes on the heels of the band’s recent radio success as “By Your Side” claimed the No. 1 spot on R&R’s CHR chart, just a few weeks ago. This marked the third time Tenth Avenue North had held the No. 1 spot on radio charts and gave the band its first multi-format No. 1. With the success of “By Your Side,” Tenth Avenue North joined Third Day, Brandon Heath and Jeremy Camp as the only artists in past 12 months to celebrate multi-format No. 1s.

“By Your Side,” previously No. 1 on R&R’s AC Indicator chart (12/08), is also the band’s second career No. 1 at CHR and its third career No. 1 since the May 20 release of its top-selling debut album, Over and Underneath.

Of the band’s nomination, Mike Donehey, Tenth Avenue North’s lead vocalist, shares, “We’re extremely humbled to be nominated and so incredibly grateful to get to do what we do. We’re thankful to everyone who has supported us throughout this journey and look forward to seeing all of you on the road this spring!”

This year fans have an opportunity to vote for the winner of New Artist of the Year along with Artist of the Year. Fan voting, which will be conducted through the Gospel Music Channel website (www.gospelmusicchannel.com) and at www.doveawards.com, will open on Feb. 26, the same day online voting opens for GMA members.

The cumulative fan vote, which will continue through the live Dove Awards broadcast, will account for one-third of the total vote in those two categories. Dove Awards will be handed out Thursday, April 23rd at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville, TN and broadcast live nationwide on Gospel Music Channel.

Tenth Avenue North has toured extensively over the last year in support of its debut album and will continue its impressive run of shows as it joins MercyMe on the “Rock & Worship Road Show.” The 20-city tour begins March 17 in Billings, Mont. Please visit www.tenthavenuenorth.com/tour for specific tour venues and times.

About Tenth Avenue North:
With one listen to Tenth Avenue North’s unique brand of intellectual, melodic pop-rock, it becomes obvious that songwriter Mike Donehey and his bandmates have a gift for expressing truth in a way that simultaneously educates, enlightens and entertains. “Simply, our mission as a band is to know Christ and to make him known,” says Donehey. Band members are as much teachers, as artists, demonstrating this through their intellectual, yet vulnerably accessible songs that echo the heart of the human condition and the hope of the risen Savior.

Tenth Avenue North, made up of members Mike Donehey (lead vocalist/acoustic guitar), Jason Jamison (drummer), Jeff Owen (electric guitar/background vocals) and Scott Sanders (bass guitar), broke ground on several fronts in 2008. The band became the best selling new Christian artist, according to Nielsen SoundScan, with nearly 60,000 in physical sales, and the only new artist to break the 100,000 digital download mark since the May 20 release of its debut album, Over and Underneath. In addition, the band is the only new artist in 2008 to have claimed two No. 1 radio singles with, “Love is Here” and “By Your Side” both topping charts last year. The band kicked off 2009 by revisiting the top of the radio charts with “By Your Side” on Jan. 26, 2009 as the song hit No. 1 on the R&R CHR Chart making it the only new artist to have a multi-format No.1 in the prior 12 months.

For up-to-date information on Tenth Avenue North please visit:
www.tenthavenuenorth.com, www.myspace.com/tenthavenuenorth or www.reunionrecords.com

For more information on Tenth Avenue North visit the JFH Artists Database.