Ted Gocke

Among contemporary Christian artists, it doesn’t get any bigger than Steven Curtis Chapman.

The singer/songwriter, with seven Artist of the Year Dove Awards to his name, will headline the Coca-Cola Stage tonight at the Riverbend Festival.

“One of his nicknames,” according to Ted Gocke, director of development and an on-air personality at radio station J103, “is Mr. Dove Man because he’s won so many. They’ve tried for years to get him (at Riverbend), but because of scheduling they couldn’t. It’s going to be incredible.”

Mr. Chapman won his first Artist of the Year Award in 1990 and won his most recent one this year. His 56 Dove Awards, like the Artist of the Year honors, are a record for the Gospel Music Association.

In all, he has sold more than 10 million records.

“He’s one of the mainstays in Christian music,” said Mr. Gocke. “When contemporary Christian music first began to get popular, he was right there. If there’s a legacy, he’s it.”

As a testament to that legacy, he said, “you’ll see kids jamming, their parents and even senior adults” at Riverbend.

Mr. Chapman, whose music includes ballads, upbeat numbers and edgy pop tunes, often sings about families and the ties among family members. In fact, two of his sons are members of his band.

Just over a year ago, he lost his 5-year-old daughter, Maria Sue, in an automobile accident in his driveway. That tragedy, according to Mr. Gocke, has only strengthened the bonds with his fans.

He said Mr. Chapman has said on several talk shows that “for whatever reason God has allowed (the accident) to happen,” it has given him a large platform to share about how God can “pull you through tragedies” like his.

The Franklin, Tenn., resident’s current album, “This Moment,” was released in 2007 and was his first new project in more than three years.

“Cinderella,” the album’s best-known track, receives a lot of requests on J103, Mr. Gocke said, and often is requested for father-and-daughter dances at weddings for which he DJs.

The song, inspired by a bathtime encounter with daughter Stevey Joy and her sister, Maria, “hits home with so many people,” he said.

The concert, Mr. Gocke said, will be “like sitting down and listening to a greatest-hits album. (Mr. Chapman) reaches across generations. He shares from the heart. He’s perfect for Riverbend. He can do it all.”