Special to the WJH Southwest Georgia band Derrick Dove & the Peacekeepers have been honored for their 2023 album “Rough Time” by the International Singer-Songwriters Association.
The blues, southern rock band earned the silver award for USA Band Album of the Year from the ISSA, an organization committed to supporting and serving independent artists.
One of the band’s members, drummer Jamie Richardson, is from Waycross.
The ISSA Awards were presented during a program at the Sandy Springs Performing Arts Center on Saturday, August 24.
Other members of the group are songwriter Derrick Dove of Norman Park on vocals and guitars, Johnathan Thomas of Tifton on keyboards, and Walt Dunn of Omega on bass.
Their award-winning album was recorded in Valdosta at Earthsound Recording by Lee Dyess, and mixed in Waycross by Atlas Digital Audio.
Derrick Dove & the Peacekeepers performed in Waycross August 3 as part of “Small Town, Big Sounds” concert at the C.C. McCray City Auditorium.
As of the last week of August 2024, the album had more than six million streams worldwide. It went No. 1 on the iTunes Blues charts of three countries. The single “When Did I Get Old” hit No. 1 in nine countries, and its music video had six million views.
The band’s latest album, released earlier this year, has struck a chord with listeners worldwide by delving into the raw, unvarnished realities of life’s toughest moments, observers say.
“Everybody has a rough time,” said Dove. “Everybody has their own struggles, and sometimes there’s no easy way out. The past few years have been rough.
Most of these songs came pouring out after we lost local legend Dangerous Don Dove — my dad — back in 2018. I was struggling for a long time and writing this music helped me through a really rough time.”
The band has been touring widely with the newest album, playing venues and events around the country.
They’ve shared the stage with numerous acts including Blackberry Smoke, Jimmie Vaughan, and Marc Broussard, and they will be opening for the Wallflowers this month.
The album also was nominated in several categories by the Josie Music Awards, which will be announced in October at the Grand Ole Opry. The album also has been submitted to the Grammys.
SPECIAL PHOTO Songwriter and lead vocalist Derrick Dove holds the International Singer-Songwriters Association’s silver award for USA Band Album of the Year “Rough Time” presented to Derrick Dove & the Peacemakers August 24.
