Belmont Church, Koinonia Bookstore & GMA Honored for Contribution to Nashville’s Music History The Nashville Metropolitan Historical Commission, in association with the Nashville Metro Council, recently announced the creation of a historical marker at 1000 16th Avenue South to be unveiled on Thursday, July 25th, 2019 to honor decades of the impact of Belmont Church, Koinonia Coffeehouse and the Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) industry on the city of Nashville.
Additionally, today the Metro Council will approve a resolution celebrating 50 years of the Gospel Music Association (GMA)’s Dove Awards; thanking the trade organization for collaborating with three major CCM record companies to fund the historical marker.
The Metro Council meeting began by a reading of the resolution with an invocation led by Dove Award-winning quartet Point of Grace. The historical marker unveiling ceremony, to be attended by some of the original artists involved with Koinonia and Belmont, will take place on site at the corner of 16th Avenue South and Grand Avenue at 10 am on Thursday, July 25th, 2019.
This location is at the heart of what is known as Nashville’s famous Music Row.
“Gospel and Contemporary Christian Music have played a big, but sometimes unsung, role in Nashville’s creative evolution and in our being known worldwide as Music City,” Nashville Mayor David Briley said. “It’s fitting that we honor the impact these musicians, singers, songwriters, producers, engineers, and others have had on listeners around the world.”
“I moved my CCM marketing agency to Nashville in 1986 because of the growing impact of this music and by the 1990’s, Contemporary Christian and Gospel Music was outselling jazz and classical according to the RIAA,” explains Councilmember Nancy VanReece (District 8) who spearheaded efforts for the marker and resolution. “Nashville has truly become the capital of this genre and I am pleased to have collaborated with Councilmember O’Connell to see the marker realized on Music Row…where it belongs.”
“Religious music has been integral to Nashville’s identity as “Music City,” from pioneering faith-based music publishing houses to the international impact of the Fisk Jubilee Singers,” adds Freddie O’Connell, Councilmember for District 19 where the marker is located. “Koinonia became a destination where young talent such as Amy Grant and Michael W. Smith—now multi-Grammy and Dove Award winners—shared their first songs.”
“The Gospel Music Association is thankful for our colleagues at Curb/Word, Capital Christian Music Group, and Provident Music Group for their financial support for the historical marker and dedication to serving our community in this way,” comments GMA President & Executive Director, Jackie Patillo. “We are also honored to receive the resolution from the Metro Council, on behalf of the CCM and Gospel industry based here, which honors the 50th year of the Dove Awards a
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