Nashville, TN… Music Industry veterans Tom Rutledge and Ed Nash have joined forces to form Rutledge Nash & Associates, an artist management firm. The initial Rutledge Nash & Associates roster is comprised of: bluegrass artist, Alecia Nugent (Rounder Records), comedian Gary Mule Deer, and producer\songwriter Regie Hamm.

Tom Rutledge, a music industry veteran of 30 years, has extensive experience as a musician, label executive and artist manager. He has worked with a wide variety of artists including Dolly Parton, Randy Travis, Brooks & Dunn, Faith Hill, and Alan Jackson. Originally hailing from Springfield, IL, Tom has lived in the greater Nashville area since 1975.

Ed Nash’s decade long career in the music industry has encompassed numerous facets, providing him with a wide range of experience in country radio, tour management, concert production, music publishing, and artist management. Artists he has worked with include Rascal Flatts, Richard Marx, Josh Turner, Jessica Andrews, Phil Vassar, Bryan White and numerous others. Ed Nash, a Belmont University Music Business graduate, was most recently a partner at Verge Management. Originally a native of Wilbraham, MA. Ed is a longtime resident of Nashville.

The partners first met two years ago when Nash pitched an artist he represented to Rutledge, who was then Director of A&R at an independent record label. Despite coming from different backgrounds, the two shared similar philosophies on the music business in general and artist management in particular. Eventually, they joined forces to launch this new artist management firm which opened in June 2007.