NASHVILLE (CelebrityAccess) — Longtime Nashville talent rep and artist manager Keith Case died on Tuesday. He was 79.
Case and his agency, Keith Case & Associates, played an outsized role in the acoustic country music, bluegrass and Americana scene, and KCA’s clients over the years included legends such as Ralph Stanley, John Hartford, Suzy Bogguss, The Fairfield Four, Ramblin’ Jack Elliot and numerous others.
Keith Case has been a talent agent since 1970, first launching his career in Denver and then relocating to Nashville in 1982.
As a talent agent, manager and promoter he repped artists such as late John Hartford; the late Townes Van Zandt; Nashville Bluegrass Band; The Seldom Scene; Guy Clark; and Ralph Stanley, The Fairfield Four, and Dan Tyminski.
Case was also instrumental in the early careers of a list of artists that includes Alison Krauss & Union Station, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, and Robert Earl Keen.
Keith was a founding member of the International Bluegrass Music Association and an important figure in the Folk Alliance.
In 2011, he rebranded his company to KCA Artists, expanding the company’s focus beyond Bluegrass and last year, announced he was retiring and sold the agency to the Cumberland Music Collective, which is run by former Keith Case & Associates alumni Lee Olsen.
“Keith and I were in business together for over 25 years. In that time at KCA Artists, under his guidance, my understanding of the agency business increased dramatically. He helped me both professionally and personally and I was proud of what we were able to accomplish together. His loss for me, the music industry and all the artists whom he represented is irreplaceable and he will be terribly missed by all who knew him,” Olsen told CelebrityAccess following news of Case’s passing.
Case’s death was first reported by Music Row
