[Mickey]

Nashville, Tenn. (January 7, 2002) – Essential Records’ rock band Third Day launched into 2003 with news of their fourth GRAMMY nomination in the Best Rock Gospel Album category for their critically acclaimed and RIAA gold-certified album, Come Together. The nominees were announced today by the Recording Academy® at a press conference held on the court at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The 45TH Annual GRAMMY® Awards will be held on Feb. 23 at the Garden and will be broadcast on the CBS Television Network from 8:00 – 11:30 p.m. (EST/PST).

Following a successful year in the areas of album sales, record-breaking tours, national media exposure and philanthropy through humanitarian outlets including World Vision and Habitat for Humanity, the two-time reigning Gospel Music Association “Group of the Year” was thrilled to hear the announcement.

Mac Powell, lead singer for Third Day, noted, “This nomination is an amazing honor for us. It’s our fourth Grammy nomination, so that element adds to our excitement. This nomination also caps off a great year for us in working with Habitat for Humanity on our Spring and Fall ‘Come Together’ tours and the ‘Come Together and Worship Tour.’ What an unbelievable way to round off the year”

In addition to two major headlining tours in 2002, Third Day also performed at more than 17 festivals and special events, landing them in front of more than 750,000 people through the course of the year, leading promoters to title Third Day the “touring artist of the year” and being honored by touring publication Pollstar, with a July cover. With three No. 1 radio singles in 2002 (“Show Me Your Glory,” “Come Together,” “It’s Alright”), the band garnered attention from the music industry and music fans alike.

The band has garnered four GRAMMY nominations for Best Rock Gospel Album of the Year and has taken home multiple Dove Awards for Group of the Year (the second year in a row), Rock Album of the Year, and lead vocalist Mac Powell was named Male Vocalist of the Year. Campus Life magazine readers named Third Day the Best Band or Group of the Year in the “2002 Campus Life Reader’s Choice Music Awards.” The Inspirational Network (INSP) and Inspirational Life TV viewers named Third Day’s Come Together the Rock/Alternative Album of the Year, while Live In Concert –The Offerings Experience was voted Long-form Music Video of the Year.”

In only the past 18 months, Third Day has been covered by numerous media outlets including “NBC Nightly News;” FOX News Network’s “Your World w/Cavuto,” and John Gibson’s “The Big Story;” NBC’s “Today Show;” and, “ABC’s World News Tonight.” In addition, Public Radio International’s, “Marketplace,” USA Today, The New York Times, and the Atlanta Journal Constitution have run features on the rock band’s success with NBC’s “Today Show” co-host Matt Lauer referring to one of Third Day’s touring legs as “one of the biggest concert tours of the fall.”

Over its ten year career, the five-piece rock band has garnered 16 Gospel Music Association Dove Awards, 18 No. 1 radio singles and has sold over three million records. The group’s last three albums - Time, Offerings and Come Together - have been certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) within the past 18 months.

For updated Third Day information, please visit www.ThirdDay.com

Nashville-based Essential Records was founded in 1992 to provide relevant music from a God-centered perspective. Essential Records and its affiliated label, Watershed Records, are distributed through Provident Music Distribution and through partnerships with parent company Zomba Music which was recently acquired by BMG.

For much more on Third Day, click here