Hugh Southard got his first taste of the music business in 1978 at the notorious Elbow Room in Harrisonburg, Virginia, which hosted such acts as Stevie Ray Vaughn, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, and Bonnie Raitt. In 1988 Hugh served Valentinos as the booking agent and bar manager, offering such Blues staples as Saffire, John Hammond, Tinsley Ellis, Jimmy Thackery, Bob Margolin, and The Nighthawks. Hugh worked at Piedmont Talent from 1995-2003, when he and co-worker Page Stallings formed Blue Mountain Artists which now represents such acts as Pinetop Perkins, Tab Benoit, Jimmy Thackery, Michael Burks, Hubert Sumlin, Corey Harris, and other top Blues acts. Blue Mountain Artists began with the hopes of offering a diverse and personalized alternative for music based in the Roots of the American music tradition and its diversity should reflect that into the foreseeable future.
