M E R I D I A N     M A G A Z I N E

The 2003 Pearl Awards
by Thomas C. Baggaley

I have never watched the Oscars, the Grammys or, for that matter, any of the other major award shows on television. I've never had any interest. To sit through hours of watching beaming celebrities thank their agent, their dog, and anyone else they can think of (most of whom we've never heard of before) for making it possible for them to receive whatever accolades they had just received just hasn't sounded very entertaining to me. (Okay, I realize there is more to these shows than that - live music performances, a usually pretty funny host - but they still take a chunk of time out of the show to actually give the awards.) In fact, I have thought that, since I am a composer by trade, if I were to somehow be nominated for one of those awards, I would, of course, be thrilled, but would still try to find a way to graciously be unable to attend the actual ceremonies. I’d never get away with it. I already tried that trick when I graduated from UCLA, but she correctly felt that she had earned the opportunity to attend the graduation and insisted that I participate.

On Friday night, however, without a thought of trying to excuse myself, I did attend the 2003 Pearl Awards of the Faith Centered Music Association. To me, the Pearl Awards are a bit different. Of course, walking into the Cottonwood High School auditorium, you wouldn't be immediately aware of that difference. It had been remade to look as professionally extravagant as the Shrine Auditorium or any of the other sites of major awards ceremonies - very impressive. The difference is in the people involved - from the presenters and recipients of the awards to the volunteers, cast and crew involved in the event's production.

These are not multi-millionaire celebrities being honored. I know quite a few of them personally. They are just regular people who daily face the same challenges I do, and not just because I am also a composer. They are Latter-day Saints. They have callings to magnify and home teaching or visiting teaching assignments to fulfill. Many of them are struggling to raise families in a righteous way. Their highest aspirations are the same as mine, and those aspirations extend beyond the mortal sphere to celestial realms. We are bound together, as members of the church everywhere are bound, by common beliefs and common goals. And the central theme of the night, much like a monthly testimony meeting held in chapels worldwide, was faith in and gratitude to our Heavenly Father - as expressed through music.

Lest you be left with the impression that the meeting was some kind of church-like solemn gathering, let me quickly add that it was really a great show and a lot of fun. This was the sixth year that the Faith Centered Music Association had sponsored the awards which recognize "excellence in faith centered music." Think of it as the "Latter-day Saint Grammy Awards." Twice the television broadcast of the event has been nominated for a regional Emmy Award. I don't think anyone will be surprised if this year's broadcast (KTVX, ABC4 on Sunday, July 13 in Utah) racks up another nomination.

Host Scott Christopher was in top comedic form, and the show, scripted for the third year by Daryn Tufts, featured humorous references to a number of timely topics, ranging from Cleanflicks to the current drought conditions in the Western United States - always poking a little good-natured (but inoffensive) fun at Mormon culture. Included were a nice array of presenters, including Academy Award winner Kieth Merrill, Kirby Heyborne (The R.M.) and Heather Beers (Charly). And, of course, this was a music awards show, so it would not be complete without a collection of live performance musical numbers featuring songs by Eclipse, Hilary Weeks, Jericho Road, Fiddlesticks and others. In fact, the variety of styles and music presented was both startling and impressive, especially when you consider that this wide range of music finds its roots in a church that some have accused of being culturally monolithic in the past.

Of course, I haven't yet mentioned the winners. Multiple winners on the night were Michael Dowdle (Sacred/Classical Instrumental Song, Sacred/Inspirational Instrumental Album & Instrumental Recording Artist of the Year), Kenneth Cope (Sacred Song, Inspirational Album, Male Recording Artist of the Year), Hilary Weeks (Holiday Song, Female Recording Artist of the Year), Cherie Call (Inspirational Song, Songwriter of the Year) and Jericho Road (Contemporary Song, Performing Artist of the Year). Senator Orrin Hatch received a special Humanitarian Award and Jerold Ottley, former director of the Tabernacle Choir, and his wife JoAnne received a standing ovation as they accepted Legacy Lifetime Achievement awards.

I've already mentioned how I feel about sitting through acceptance speeches, and there were no timeless "You love me!" Oscar moments (a la Sally Field) to be had here, but given the purpose of the awards and the people receiving them, it was kind of a unique situation. In fact, sometimes the winners sounded more like they were bearing their testimonies than accepting an award - only with a twenty second time limit. (One young artist even started to finish his speech "In the name of..." before catching himself.) You'd think that this might be a little distracting, but instead it made the evening feel nice and familiar, and as a result, most of the artists displayed a level of humility and unfeigned faith and gratitude that I doubt you would see very often at the Academy Awards.

There were some very nice moments. Stephanie Smith seemed genuinely surprised to win New Artist of the Year. Senator Hatch made some very nice comments about the support he received from songwriter Janice Kapp Perry when he started writing songs himself. Many of the winners thanked spouses and family members who have been supportive as they pursued their dreams. Most of the artists also expressed gratitude to be able to express praise the Lord through music. All of their comments seemed genuine and heartfelt.

As I sat back in the press room after the show reflecting on the evening, I could not help but think about connection and camaraderie that had been a tangible part of the night's event and the genuine niceness of everyone from the event coordinators to the nominees and winners.

There was one moment that really typified the evening for me. At one point, Abe Mills, one of the members of the popular singing group, Jericho Road, approached me. He had noticed my press ID tag and knew I wrote for Meridian Magazine. He seemed almost shy as he told me that he liked Meridian and read it whenever he could. Humble is a much better word for it. I half expected him to ask me for my autograph or something, and I had to smile. If the two of us were to walk through the University Mall in Orem, he would have a million times better chance of being recognized than I would, and yet he managed to make me feel like the celebrity. I doubt that would happen at the Grammys. 

Winners: 2003 Pearl Awards

Song Winners:

Album Winners:

Artist Winners:

Other Winners:

Orchestrator/Arranger – Greg Hansen
Studio Musician – Rich Dixon
Studio Vocalist – Jenny Jordan Frogley
Engineer – Barry Gibbons
Album Design – “Parables” – Scott Eggers
Radio Show – Joan Peterson – KOSY 106.5
Retail Manager – Kumen Skinner – BYU Bookstore, Provo, Utah
Record Label – Inspirational Music Showcase/Sounds of Zion

Senator Orrin Hatch received a Humanitarian Award

Jerold and JoAnne Ottley (together) received a Legacy Lifetime Achievement Award

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