Tammy Susan Hurt


Tammy Susan Hurt is an American producer, musician and music industry executive. She is best known as a Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees at the Recording Academy.

Early life and music career

Tammy attended Joseph Wheeler High School in Marietta, Georgia and played drums in every type of band – marching band, concert band, symphonic band, jazz band and many garage bands. In 1987, Hurt graduated from the Presbyterian College with a B.A. in Business Administration. Tammy Hurt began playing drums professionally at age 14. Among her credits, she has recorded and performed live with the GRAMMY-winning group Indigo Girls, GRAMMY-winning producer Brendan O'Brien and GRAMMY-winning producer Nick DiDia. Her past musical projects include Paper Dolls, She Said, Minority Rules, Superchick and Duvasounds. Tammy has also recorded with Indigo Girls, Wendy Bucklew and Angela Motter.

Business career

Hurt is the managing partner of Placement Music, a boutique entertainment firm specializing in custom music, scoring and licensing for all media platforms. Placement Music highlights include being commissioned by FOX Sports for a second consecutive Super Bowl broadcast to create original full orchestral score. Additional credits include Paramount Pictures, CBS, MTV, HBO, BET, Sony, Lifetime, Hallmark, NFL, NASCAR, “True Blood,” “Dexter,” “Drop Dead Diva,” “Mean Girls 2”, and multiple custom placements in the indie film “HITS” which debuted at the Sundance Film Festival. Hurt is a recipient of Catalyst Magazine’s Top 25 Entrepreneurs and Ones to Watch Award, and a 5-year co-chair of the Recording Academy’s national membership committee which, in partnership with national staff, developed the criteria and goals for the new membership process.

Recording Academy

Tammy Susan Hurt has served on the Board of the Recording Academy’s Atlanta Chapter for 14 years. On June 6, 2019, The Recording Academy elected Tammy Hurt as the Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees. She is the first openly LGBTQ+ Officer of the Academy.

Georgia Music Investment Act

A co-founder of the nonprofit organization, Georgia Music Partners, Hurt spearheaded the campaign to create and pass Georgia’s first standalone music tax incentive, the Georgia Music Investment Act.. It was a seven-year effort. She is currently leading an initiative with stakeholders from the City of Atlanta, Fulton County, the State of Georgia and the GRAMMY Museum Foundation, to meaningfully bring the GRAMMY brand to Atlanta. These efforts have resulted in a $500K local capital raise to kick off the first phase of due diligence for the project.

Selected discography https://www.allmusic.com/artist/tammy-hurt-mn0002162093 “Allmusic:"Tammy Hurt”