Matt Urmy is an American singer-songwriter, poet, and entrepreneur. He is the co-founder and chief executive officer of Artist Growth, a music management software company. As a musician, he has released several albums, including Out of the Ashes (2017) and South of the Sky (2021). He has also authored works of poetry and children's literature, including the poetry collection The Rain in the Bell (2015). He was included in the Rolling Stones list of "Artists to Watch" in 2017.
Early life and education Urmy was born in New York City and raised in Nashville, Tennessee. He studied poetry at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee. He later completed a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing at Spalding University. He was also trained in Māori healing practices under Māori healer Hohepa Delamere.
Career
Music Urmy began his music career performing as a solo artist and with bands, working across songwriting, recording, and live performance.
In 2017, Urmy released Out of the Ashes, an album recorded with producer Cowboy Jack Clement. The recordings were largely believed to have been lost in a 2011 fire at Clement's home studio, which Urmy witnessed, before some material was later recovered from surviving files. Urmy subsequently spent several years reconstructing the album. The project includes vocal contributions from Clement, and John Prine appears on the title track. Clement died in 2013 before the album was completed. The Nashville Scene described the album as "the most fascinating Nashville album of the past decade." Rolling Stone featured Urmy as an "Artist to Watch" in 2017.
In 2013, Urmy helped organise Honoring a Legend: A Tribute to Cowboy Jack, a concert featuring collaborators of Jack Clement, including Kris Kristofferson, Charley Pride, John Prine, and Emmylou Harris, with video tributes from Bono and Michelle Obama.
Urmy's album South of the Sky was released in 2021. Produced by Truck Roley and engineered by Brandon Bell, it is a concept work influenced by Willie Nelson's Phases and Stages. The recording combines electronic and acoustic instrumentation, with contributions from Mike Daly, Rachel Loy, and Nick Buda, and guest vocals by Jonell Mosser and Leticia Wolf. Singles from the album, including "Raging Hearts" and "Blind", were featured in New Music Friday playlists curated by NPR Music.
Entrepreneurship Urmy co-founded Artist Growth in 2011 and continues to serve as its CEO. He developed Artist Growth as a cloud-based platform used to manage touring, scheduling, finances, and other operational aspects of music careers.
Artist Growth has been used by music companies and management organisations, including labels under Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group. In October 2012, Urmy was named one of Forbes'''s "Up and Comers."
Published works Urmy has authored works of poetry and children's literature. His poetry chapbook Ghosts in a House was published by Finishing Line Press in 2007. He later published the poetry collection The Rain in the Bell through Iris Press in 2015. In 2020, he published and illustrated the children's book Go Ask the Moon through Tritone Media.
His work has also appeared in literary magazines including The Minnetonka Review and Symposeum''.
Bibliography Title Publisher Year ISBN Ghosts in a House Finishing Line Press 2007 978-1599242019 The Rain in the Bell Iris Press 2015 979-8503295597 Go Ask the Moon Tritone Media 2020 978-1735100821
Discography
Albums Year Title Artist(s) Label 2006 Shadow of a Lovely Place Matt Urmy Independent 2011 Sweet Lonesome Matt Urmy Acklen Records 2017 Out of the Ashes Matt Urmy, Cowboy Jack Clement & John Prine (guests) Tritone Records 2021 South of the Sky Matt Urmy Tritone / Artist Growth Records
See also Artist Growth Cowboy Jack Clement John Prine List of people from Nashville, Tennessee
References
External links Official website Matt Urmy at AllMusic Audeze interview with Matt Urmy (2023)