Soul Train...

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - R&B trio TLC added three Soul Train Music Award nominations to their collection of accolades Thursday, leading a diverse field of soul and R&B performers, announcers said.

Seven artists nabbed two Soul Train nominations each, while major sellers like Mariah Carey and rapper DMX, or acclaimed ingenues such as Macy Gray and Angie Stone had to content themselves with single nods.

The 14th annual Soul Train Music Awards will take place March 4 at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, and the two-hour show will be aired in syndication. The nominees and winners in the 10 categories are determined by 3,000-5,000 radio and retail executives and active recording artists.

``If you go to Source Magazine readers then DMX would have 20 nominations,'' Soul Train executive producer Don Cornelius told Reuters. ``But we don't send out ballots to manifestly one person or to one demographic, and they don't vote that way.

``Contrary to what you read in the media, hip-hop is not the greatest thing that ever happened to black folks, it really isn't. I think it's something that white people indulge in to an extent. They'll buy hip-hop records, but most of them wouldn't be caught dead at a hip-hop concert.''

TLC's hit album ``FanMail'' earned nominations for best R&B/soul single (''No Scrubs'') and R&B/Soul album, both in the band, group or duo categories; and R&B/soul or rap album of the year. The album yielded seven Grammy nominations and TLC also won an American Music Award last month.

Also competing for album of the year honors are double nominee Mary J. Blige's ``Mary,'' DMX's ``Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood'' and R. Kelly's ``R.''

Blige and DMX will also receive special entertainer of the year awards, which were previously announced.

Other double nominees are singers Whitney Houston, Donell Jones, Brian McKnight and Ginuwine, and groups Destiny's Child and Ideal. Twenty-three artists received one nomination each.

The show's hosts will be TLC member Lisa ``Left Eye'' Lopes, actor Shemar Moore and singers Tamia and Eric Benet.

Whitney Houston's nominations are in the following Categories:

[Thanks Lopez]

NEWSFILE: 11 FEBRUARY 2000