ATLANTA — Southwest Georgia band Derrick Dove & The Peacekeepers took home an international award for their 2023 album “Rough Time.”

The silver award for USA Band Album of the Year was presented to the band by the International Singer-Songwriters Association, an organization committed to supporting and serving independent artists. This year’s ISSA Awards ceremony was held at the Sandy Springs Performing Arts Center Aug. 24.

The blues-rock band is comprised of songwriter Derrick Dove of Norman Park on vocals and guitars, Jamie Richardson of Waycross on drums, Johnathan Thomas of Tifton on keyboards, and Walt Dunn of Omega on bass.

The award-winning album was recorded in Valdosta at Earthsound Recording by Lee Dyess, and mixed in Waycross by Atlas Digital Audio.

As of the last week of August 2024, the album had over six million streams worldwide. It went #1 on the iTunes Blues charts of three countries. The single “When Did I Get Old” hit #1 in nine countries, and its music video had six million views.
The band’s latest album seemed to strike a chord with listeners worldwide by delving into the raw, unvarnished realities of life’s toughest moments.

“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 their newest album, playing venues and events all over the country. They have shared the stage with numerous acts including Blackberry Smoke, Jimmie Vaughan, and Marc Broussard, and they will be opening for the Wallflowers in September.

The album was also nominated in several categories by the Josie Music Awards, which will be announced in October at the Grand Ole Opry. The album has also been submitted to the Grammys, and the band is hopeful that nominations will be forthcoming in November.