Managing Merlefest

Steve Johnson M.H.S. ’02 is the new artist-relations’ manager for MerleFest, a four-day celebration of bluegrass, old-time music, Americana, country, blues, and rock. He’ll be in charge of selecting and scheduling the nearly 100 artists who perform on fourteen stages during the April event in Wilkesboro, North Carolina. MerleFest was founded in 1988 in memory of the late Eddy Merle Watson, son of Doc Watson, the American music legend who died this past May.

Before joining MerleFest, Johnson was president and CEO of Mountain Music Entertainment, a company he started in 2010. He’s a member of the International Bluegrass Music Association, International Folk Alliance, and Americana Music Association, and plays guitar with the Asheville, North Carolina, band No Strings Attached.