If guessing where the majority of this year's Dove Award nominations had landed, it is not likely that Dave Moody and Lamon Records would immediately come to mind. Yet Moody earned six notices as Artist, Producer and/or Songwriter, which places him second for total nominations with Jars of Clay, right behind Chris Tomlin, who scored eight. Lamon, the label Moody heads, collected a total of 15.

      But who is Dave Moody and what is Lamon Records? Those who have been around the country and Christian music scenes for a while probably have a good idea, yet for all the success both have earned, Moody and his company remain relatively low key.

      Dave Moody has a broad resume, mostly within country and bluegrass, with work as guitarist, vocalist, songwriter, producer and engineer. Born into the Moody family, a bedrock musical institution within the North Carolina and greater Appalachian recording scene for several generations, he has been an active musician since childhood. His father, Dwight Moody, is a renowned fiddler who has, among many other things, worked with Bill Monroe and His Bluegrass Boys. Dave and his brothers formed the Moody Brothers in 1978 when he was 16.

      The brothers took time to build their careers, finally scoring a Grammy nomination for Best Country Instrumental Performance in 1985 for their version of “Cotton Eye Joe.” In 1990 they scored another nod for an intricate album cut entitled “The Great Train Song Medley.” In 1988 the group broke many molds by collaborating with Czech country music artist Jiri Barbec and his band, Country Beat, on the album Friends for Czechoslovakia. That critically praised album was released on the label sponsored by the Czech Communist government and came into the U.S. on Lamon, where it eventually sold over 100,000 copies.

      By the mid-1990s the brothers moved on to solo work, though they still work together at times. Moody has branched into many areas, including the release of four solo efforts, and has been notching Dove Award nominations since 2002. He even won in 2005 for his involvement with Te Amo Dios from the PraiseStreet Worship Band, winner for Spanish Praise & Worship Album of the Year.

      Lamon Records has sold millions of units since its inception in 1962. With Moody at the helm, the company remains independent and committed to developing artists across a spectrum of styles. It has over a half-dozen imprints, including Praise Street and Bluegrass Boulevard, and has a roster of more than 50 artists. Stylistically, bases are covered in, among other genres, praise & worship, country, Americana, rock and gospel. Some of the more well-known Lamon artists include Moody, Honi Deaton & Dream, George Hamilton IV, Sounds of Victory and Burrito Deluxe.

      Lamon also offers other services to help develop talent, including a liberal demo policy (with follow-up), an in-house production staff, licensing agreements, music publishing and a link to two high-tech recording studios.

      The fact that the Moody/Lamon Dove nominations are in lower-profile genres such as bluegrass does lead to their lack of visibility within the industry. Yet, this year a song from Lamon's music publishing division, “God's Still Good,” written by Johnathan Bond, is competing for Song of the Year. Moody has his own take on the habitual oversight of himself and Lamon (the official Dove Awards press release makes no mention of the nomination tally for either).

     “We are overlooked because we are not very politically connected,” he states. “We focus on what our company is supposed to do. We love what we are doing, we are artist-focused and want to see them, especially Christian artists, develop their talent.”

      In the year ahead he aims to prove the truth of that statement, having just begun work on the music for a Christian, family based musical film. And he is always on the prowl to break new talent.

      “We make very few records that cost $100,000; we make them for $20,000,” he says pragmatically. “But we can jump-start folks to do multiple records, and depending on the artist, we can even take an established artist to recoup on record sales. Many people forget that Shania Twain made three independent releases before she went to a big label.”

      For more information on Dave Moody and Lamon Records, visit davemoody.com or lamonrecords.com. For more information on the Dove Awards, scheduled for on April 25, visit doveawards.com.