By MATT ELLIOTT World Scene Writer
Tahlequah singer Becky Wright and Tulsa-area band Pillar are among the host of national musicians who've made it through the first phase of nominations for Christian music's Dove Awards.
Voting, which is not open to the public, ends at 5 p.m. Tuesday and will decide the finalists who'll be announced Feb. 20, according to the awards show's Web site.
The awards show is the biggest night in Christian and gospel music.
Music from Pillar's album "The Reckoning" netted the quartet six entries -- from artist of the year to rock album of the year. The band's album reached No. 6 on Billboard's Top Christian Albums.
Wright is nominated for inspirational song of the year for "While It Is Day," which she said is inspired by her new life focus following her younger sister's recent drowning. While Pillar has major-label backing through Flicker Records, Wright's album, "No Denying," is on the indie label Lamon Records.
Wright, a mother of four and a former Fort Gibson teacher, doesn't hold out much hope that her piano-backed acoustic song about reshuffling life's priorities will get her nominated.
"I know I'm not going to make it to the final ballot," Wright said. "That would be a total miracle."
She's just glad to be mentioned in the same breath as artists such as Mercy Me, Fernando Ortega and Steven Curtis Chapman.
In fact, the news that her song was up for a nomination is part of a string of big developments for Wright.
She quit her job as a music teacher two weeks ago to devote more time to her music career.
"My husband at first was like ... 'We're gonna lose the house,' " she said of her husband, a former U.S. Navy chaplain who works for the Oklahoma Department of Human Services. "Working for the government, he doesn't make very much at DHS."
She also tours the Midwest, playing shows in theaters and churches. She also recently landed a song she did with Tommy Brandt, called "Child of My Heart," on a CD titled "The Spirit of Adoption" featuring Steven Curtis Chapman and other artists.
"I just feel really called to do what I'm doing," she said. "I just want to do more concerts and share what I believe God laid in my heart through music and testimony."
She is also in the top 10 for "Female Horizon Award" in this year's Agape Fest Fan Appreciation Awards, she said. Voting ends March 30 and is conducted through www.kingcountryagapefest.com/vote.html.
Matt Elliott 581-8366
matt.elliott@tulsaworld.com
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