Longtime Billy Graham Crusade soloist George Beverly Shea is to be honored for his gospel music career with a Lifetime Achievement Award from The Recording Academy.

The presentation is to be made at a special ceremony Feb. 12 during the 2011 GRAMMY Awards week, a few days after Shea's 102nd birthday. Other Special Merit Award co-recipients are to be Julie Andrews, Roy Haynes, the Juilliard String Quartet, The Kingston Trio, Dolly Parton and The Ramones.

Still performing publicly, Shea joined Graham in December at an event in Charlotte, N.C., to mark the 60th anniversary of the founding of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.

During his career, Shea has recorded more than 70 albums, earning 10 GRAMMY nominations and winning once, in 1965. He is also the author of several books and the subject of 2009's George Beverly Shea: Tell Me the Story (An Authorized Biography) by Paul Davis (Ambassador International).

Organizers of the Stellar Awards, celebrating the best in gospel music, have announced the Fan Favorite nominations for the 26th annual prize-giving, to take place Jan. 15 at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville.

Artist of the Year: BeBe & CeCe Winans, Still (BEC/Malaco); Fred Hammond, Love Unstoppable (Verity Gospel Music Group); James Fortune & FIYA, Encore (Black Smoke Music Worldwide); and Marvin Sapp, Here I Am (Verity Gospel Music Group).

Both Wow Hits 2011 (Wow/EMI CMG Distribution) and Fireproof (Provident Films/Provident-Integrity Distribution) were the best-selling titles in their respective Christian/Gospel—Christian retail and Christian Videos lists for the third consecutive week, through Dec. 26.

The rest of the top 10 music list was: 2. It's a Wonderful Christmas by Michael W. Smith (Reunion Records/Provident-Integrity); 3. And If Our God is for Us… by Chris Tomlin (sixstepsrecords/EMI CMG Distribution); 4. Move by Third Day (Essential Records/Provident-Integrity); 5. The Gift by Susan Boyle (Integrity Music/Provident-Integrity); 6. Tonight by TobyMac (Forefront Records/EMI CMG); 7. Until The Whole World Hears by Casting Crowns (Beach Street Records/Provident-Integrity); 8. The Generous Mr. Lovewell by MercyMe (INO Records/Provident-Integrity); 9. We Cry Out: The Worship Project by Jeremy Camp (BEC Recordings/EMI CMG); and 10. The Story of Your Life by Matthew West (Sparrow Records/EMI CMG).

The rest of the DVD top 10: 2. The Wonderful Wizard of Ha’s, VeggieTales (Big Idea/Word Distribution); 3. The Christmas Blessing (GT Media/EMI CMG); 4. It's a Meaningful Life, VeggieTales (Big Idea/Word); 5. Facing the Giants (Provident Films/Provident-Integrity); 6. Sweetpea: A Girl After God's Own Heart, VeggieTales (Big Idea/Word); 7. St. Nick: A Story of Joyful Giving, VeggieTales (Big Idea/Word); 8. Faith Like Potatoes (Affirm Films/Sony Pictures Home Entertainment); 9. Letters to God (Possibility Pictures/Vivendi Entertainment/EMI CMG); and 10. The Nativity (New Line Cinema/Warner Home Video/Word).

The video listings, drawn from a national sample of mainstream and Christian store sales, with music listings based on sales solely at Christian stores, were produced for the Christian Music Trade Association by Nielsen SoundScan. 

Kregel Publications has been named Vendor of the Year by Revelation Marketing Group (RMG) for the second year in a row. The award was given in recognition of outstanding customer service, products, sales materials and communication.

The award was presented to Kregel's executive director, sales and marketing, Dave Hill, by RMG President David George, who applauded Kregel's commitment to CBA dealers, including efforts to provide these dealers with programs, products, promotions and services that help them in their ministry.

WHY FRANCIS CHAN 'WALKED': The Crazy Love author talks with CNN, in our Industry Radar roundup of other media coverage of the Christian products world, at https://www.christianretailing.com/index.php/news/industry-radar.

A Day of Discovery documentary about post-traumatic stress has won an Aegis Award for outstanding production.

The television ministry of RBC Ministries, Day of Discovery’s The War Within: Finding Hope for Post-Traumatic Stress follows marine veteran Phil Downer and army veteran Mike Wilkins and their families as they deal with issues arising from their experiences while in the services.

The 89-minute program is distributed by Discovery House Publishers.

An award-winning church bookstore aims to build on a growth trend with a three-part emphasis for the coming year.

Next Step Resources at Granger Community Church in Granger, Ind.—The Church Bookstore’s 2010 Small Church Bookstore of the Year—saw the first upswing in sales in a couple of years, in the last half of last year, according to Manager Susan Chipman.