Biography

THOMM JUTZ BIO
Raised in the Black Forest of Germany, Thomm Jutz has become an American roots music treasure.
Beloved by Grammy winners including Bare, Tom T. Hall, Jim Lauderdale, and Buddy Miller, Jutz writes songs
of depth and breadth. He sings of mill workers, Civil War characters, folk heroes, struggle, heartbreak, and
triumph. In a time of division, he seeks and finds connection. His virtuosity, eloquence, and clarity of
expression have made him a linchpin of Nashville’s creative community, and in 2020 his To Live in Two
Worlds, Volume 1 was nominated for the Best Bluegrass Album Grammy, making him the first immigrant to
receive a nomination in that category. He’s earned four nominations and a 2021 win for the International
Bluegrass Music Association’s Songwriter of the Year award and is a current lecturer of songwriting at Belmont University. He has written numerous Bluegrass number ones, and his songs have been recorded by
John Prine, Nanci Griffith, The SteelDrivers, Balsam Range, and more. He’s had over 250 film and TV
placements of his music worldwide. Jutz was featured
in the Country Music Hall of Fame’s American Currents exhibit 2022-2023.
TIM STAFFORD BIO
Tim is a prolific songwriter, with over 300 songs recorded. He was named IBMA's Songwriter of the Year in
2014, 2017 and 2023. In addition, he is a sought-
after studio musician, having recorded with over 75 artists in addition to Blue Highway, including Willie Nelson, Kenny Chesny, Jorma Kaukonen, Jesse McReynolds,
Benny Sims, Marty Raybon, Joe Isaacs, Ronnie Bowman, Charles Sawtelle, Tony Trischka, Larry Sparks, Jim
Mills and many others
Alison Krauss hired Tim in 1990 and Union Station proceeded to record a Grammy-winning CD, Every Time
You Say Goodbye (Rounder, 1992). After leaving the band in 1992 to spend more time with his family, Tim
worked odd jobs and taught at different colleges and universities until he formed Blue Highway in 1994 with
Wayne Taylor, Shawn Lane, Rob Ickes and Jason Burleson. The band is one of the most decorated and
influential in bluegrass history, having been nominated for 3 Grammys, winning a Dove Award, and 32 IBMA
Awards. In March 2016, Blue Highway was named the most popular bluegrass artist in history in an online poll
by Bluegrass Today“ Lonesome State of Mind,”
written by Tim with Bobby Starnes, was named the most
-played song of 2023. The song is the title track of their most recent album--their 13th-released on Down the
Road Records in 2024.