Podcast 544: Thomm Jutz

Thomm Jutz, a German-born guitarist and songwriter who moved to Nashville 25 years ago, shares a deeply personal and unconventional journey that defies the typical American music industry playbook. What makes his story extraordinary isn't just his mastery of American roots music—bluegrass, country, and folk—but how he arrived at it from afar, inspired by a single TV appearance of Bobby Bare at age 11. Jutz didn’t just learn American music; he absorbed it like a cultural archaeologist, driven by intuition and a profound connection to place, history, and archetypal imagery. His new album, *Ring a Bell*, is a 18-track meditation on growth, loss, and creativity, recorded live with no overdubs, and paired with a stunning 40-page hardcover companion book featuring original art inspired by each song. What’s most striking is his philosophy: success in Nashville isn’t about breaking in—it’s about being a good human, being reliable, and listening deeply. He teaches songwriting at Belmont University not to preach, but to inspire young artists to trust their intuition and find fulfillment in the creative process, not fame or fortune. His life is a balance of teaching, recording, touring, and deep historical immersion—visiting places like Rising Fawn, Georgia, and the Carter Family Fold not for tourism, but to feel the soul of the music. And he still plays guitar every morning, not for performance, but for connection.