Colin flies to Atlanta to collect top music award

DONACLONEY musician Colin Elliott is on his way to America this Easter as a nominee for a prestigious Dove Award, the highest honour in Gospel music.
By The Newsroom
Published 19th Apr 2011, 10:17 BST

Colin, who is also the principal of Brownlee Primary School in Lisburn, is a member of the UK’s top Country/ Gospel band, Live Issue, and a part-time record producer.

In 2009 Live Issue was the first group from Ireland - and only the second from Britain - ever to play the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee.

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In addition to this, Colin was invited to perform again at this world-famous venue in July 2010 during a solo tour of the United States.

Last year he produced a landmark album of Gospel duets for George Hamilton IV, the ‘International Ambassador of Country Music.’ The album was the brainchild of fellow Live Issue member, Samuel Purdy, who assisted with much of the pre-production work on the album.

The double album also featured local musicians Ivan McLearn on steel guitar and Derek Norwood on banjo/mandolin and the rest of the backing music was performed by Colin and the members of Live Issue.

Entitled “Old Fashioned Hymns and Gospel Songs for Those Who Miss Them!” was launched in Nashville in July 2010 by Lamon Records and it has now been recognised by the Gospel Music Association by receiving a final nomination for the Dove Award.

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“It was a very humbling and quite a daunting experience to have been put in charge of such an important and complex recording, but I can honestly say that I enjoyed every minute of it,” said Colin. “The recording itself was challenging and there had to be a huge amount of preparation work, especially organising keys for each singer and liaising with all the artists in America with regard to their song’s musical arrangement and how I wanted their vocals recorded.

“Everyone involved was lovely to work with and each artist, engineer and musician gave freely of their time and expertise to make this a very remarkable and unique recording.”

The awards ceremony will take place during April at the famous Fox Theatre in Atlanta and Colin will be flying to America for the ceremony.

He will also be singing in church venues throughout Florida, Georgia and Alabama before heading to Nashville as an invited guest at the Grand Ole Opry and appearing at the Nashville Cowboy Church along with Joanne Cash, sister of the legendary Johnny Cash.

The album is released by Lamon Records in the United States and can be purchased locally in the Faith Mission and Evangelical Bookshops or online at www.colinelliottmusic.com