Denise Stiff

Denise grew up in Winston-Salem, NC. At the age of eleven, she encountered a hootenanny (or heard folk music for the first time)and fell hard for folk music. That began a deep dive into bluegrass and, later, singer-songwriters. At Appalachian State in Boone, NC, she volunteered for the concert and coffeehouse committees, gaining experience in booking and promoting shows. She honed those skills during a 2-year experiential grad program at USC, then took a job as Student Activities Director at Wichita State Univ. (happy to leave out Univ of South Carolina and/or Wichita State) In 1984, she moved to Nashville and immersed herself in learning about Music City’s main attractions—songwriting and the history of country music. She cobbled together a series of part-time jobs—taping countdown shows for publishers, working in booking and management companies, television production, doing publicity for the Summer Lights Festival, picking up skills from managers Steven Greil and Bob Titley. At Keith Case and Associates, she worked with artists including Maura O’Connell, Guy Clark, John Hartford and Fairfield Four. Her evolution to management began when she heard a young bluegrass singer at an IBMA showcase. That initial encounter with Alison Krauss began a 20+ year run. Gillian Welch’s addition to the rooster sealed the deal. In 1996, she opened DS Management with clients Alison Krauss and Union Station and Gillian Welch. T he intentionally small rooster grew over the years to include Sarah Jarosz, I’m With Her, Steep Canyon Rangers. Denise’s other credits include Executive Music Producer for O Brother, Where Art Thou?, and on the subsequent Down From the Mountain album and tours. Denise was the first honoree at the Louise Scruggs Forum at the CMHOF. She has served on the boards of NARAS, Community Resource Center, WO Smith, Folk Alliance, and CMA and was a long-time volunteer at Room In The Inn.