Thomm Jutz

Thomm Jutz (born 27 December 1969) is an award-winning German-born American music producer, guitarist and songwriter, based in Nashville, Tennessee.

He has worked with Grammy-winning folk singer Nanci Griffith (as a member of her Blue Moon Orchestra), Grammy nominees Eric Brace & Peter Cooper, Americana star Mary Gauthier, Grand Ole Opry members and/or Country Music Hall of Fame inductees: Mac Wiseman, Bobby Bare, Connie Smith and Marty Stuart, veteran troubadour David Olney, Otis Gibbs, Kim Richey, Irene Kelley, Amy Speace.,^[1] Milan Miller and German vocalist Marc Marshall.

His songs have been recorded by Nanci Griffith, John Prine, Kim Richey, Junior Sisk, Irene Kelley, Kenny and Amanda Smith, Darrell Webb, Balsam Range, Buddy Melton, Milan Miller and Terry Baucom^[2]

Jutz’s song Carolina Wind was no.1 on the Bluegrass Today Weekly Airplay chart for three weeks in 2016.^[3]

Early life

Jutz originates from Neusatz, Baden-Wurttemberg in the Black Forest of Germany and started playing music at the age of six. He won several nationwide competitions as a teenager before studying classical guitar at the University of Stuttgart. During this time, he played many gigs throughout Germany and neighboring countries with Blues and Rock Bands, but his foremost musical attraction was always towards Country, Bluegrass and Folk Music.^[4]

Career

In 2003, Jutz decided to follow his creative instincts and moved his base to Nashville, where he immediately found favor and started touring worldwide with David Olney, Mary Gauthier and Nanci Griffith.

Jutz then set up as owner and operator of TJ Tunes, the studio he created for writers, players and artists from different places and genres to come together in a relaxed, rural setting, to write and record. He has produced over 70 albums to date.

The 1861 Project

Between 2011 and 2014, Jutz produced and wrote songs for the three volumes of The 1861 Project, a collection of new songs inspired by the people who fought and lived through the American Civil War.

Artists featured on these albums include Marty Stuart, John Anderson, Jerry Douglas, Maura O'Connell, Connie Smith, Chris Jones, Sierra Hull, Bobby Bare, Jason Ringenberg, Kim Richey and Hannah & Caroline Melby. The series received praise from historians, critics, music lovers and Civil War enthusiasts.^[5]

Selected Discography as Producer

• Nanci Griffith: The Loving Kind (Rounder Records) (co-produced with Pat McInerney)
• The 1861 Project, Vol. 1: From Farmers to Foot Soldiers
• The 1861 Project, Vol. 2: From the Famine to the Front
• The 1861 Project, Vol. 3: Franklin
• Mac Wiseman: Songs From My Mother’s Hand (co-produced with Peter Cooper)^[6]
• Thomm Jutz & Craig Market: Nowhere To Hide^[7]
• Sid Griffin: The Trick Is To Breathe
• Steve Young: Songlines Revisited Volume One
• Eric Brace & Peter Cooper : C&O Canal^[8]
• Richard Dobson: From A Distant Shore
• Otis Gibbs: Harder Than Hammered Hell
• Todd Snider : Cheatham Street Warehouse (co-produced with Peter Cooper)^[9]

Awards and Recognition

SESAC 2009 Americana Performance Activity Award (with Charley Stefl) for contribution to the album The Loving Kind recorded by Nanci Griffith.^[10]

SESAC 2013 Nashville Music Awards for contributions to the album Thorn In My Heart recorded by Kim Richey.^[11]

Member of Nashville’s Leadership Music class of 2013.^[12]

Member of IBMA Leadership Bluegrass class of 2015 .^[13]

References

External links

• Thomm Jutz Official website
• 1861 Project
• Thomm Jutz discography at Discogs
• Thomm Jutz at AllMusic