When the 57th annual GMA Dove Awards are broadcast on October 9 from Nashville, bluegrass gospel stalwarts Chosen Road will be one of the acts performing on stage. This is a break that has been extended to very few bluegrass acts over the preceding five decades, and the guys are understandably excited for this honor.
Guitarist Jonathan Buckner says that each of them recognize the importance of this appearance.
“To have the opportunity to stand on that stage and represent bluegrass music is something we don’t take lightly. There have been some incredible bluegrass artists represented at the Dove Awards through the years, but opportunities to actually take this music onto the main televised performance stage have been few and far between. We understand how special that is.”
Put on by the Gospel Music Association, the Dove Awards recognize excellence in recorded gospel music in all its many styles and sub-genres. Bluegrass is one of those, with an award category for Bluegrass Recorded Song of the Year, and Chosen Road is one of the nominees this year.
The full list of nominees for Bluegrass Recorded Song for 2026 are:
- A God Thing – Chosen Road – writers Lee Black and Gina Moe
- Above The Clouds – Eighteen Mike – (writer) Hallie Ritter
- Broken Angels – The Grascals with Dolly Parton – (writers) Dolly Parton and Jamie Johnson
- Camel Train – Becky Buller with Ricky Skaggs, Sharon White, and Cheryl White – (writer) Hansel Vibbert
- I Am the One – Jeff Tolbert & Primitive Road – (writer) Richard VanCleve
Buckner says that the band also feels the weight of representing bluegrass on the show, and intend to hold it up high.
“We’re proud of where we come from. There are generations of musicians who have carried this music and opened doors for those of us who get to play it today. When an opportunity like this comes along, you want to walk through that door in a way that represents the genre well.
If somebody is watching the Dove Awards who has never really listened to bluegrass music and hears a banjo, mandolin or dobro that night and thinks, ‘I need to hear more of that,’ then that’s a win for all of us. We want people to see that this music belongs on a stage like this.”
In addition to Jonathan, Chosen Road is his co-founder Zachary Alvis on mandolin, Tyler Robertson on banjo, Chris Stockwell on reso-guitar, and Bradley Parsons on bass.
The 2026 Dove Awards will be held on October 6 at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena. The show will then be broadcast on TBN October 9 at both 7:30 and 10:00 p.m. Viewers will also be able watch the show on the TBN+ app.
Congratulations to Chosen Road, and best of luck to all the nominees!
