Pictured at the Sound Biscuit studios are (l-r) Howard Reddy, Vice President for University Advancement; Lisa Pawley, Director of Development; David and Rebecca Maggard; and ETSU President Dr. Brian Noland

Recording studio titan makes generous gift to ETSU Bluegrass, Old-Time, and Roots Music program

Bluegrass music has been part of Dave Maggard’s life ever since he was a teenager.

“It’s in our roots,” he said.

And it is certainly a familiar tune in his everyday life today within the soundproof walls of his own Grammy-nominated recording studio, Sound Biscuit. He works with many different music generations, but it is the syncopated rhythms and virtuosic acoustic instrumentals of bluegrass that are frequently heard throughout his Sevierville-based studio.

Maggard describes Sound Biscuit as a “boutique-style” studio, one that is an environment for creativity. “One of our main missions is to be a doorway for promoting young talent,” Maggard said. “The people we work with know where they want to go and know what their dreams are, and, because of bluegrass, they have an appreciation for where they have been.”

Through the studio’s two labels, Sound Biscuit Records and Gravy Records, Maggard works with young artists and “young to the industry” artists in navigating the recording industry. Sound Biscuit also has its own publishing arm. Meeting these dozens of emerging voices and traveling to other bluegrass shows and festivals, Maggard kept hearing a recurring theme: East Tennessee State University.

“In the beginning, I had no idea of the impact of the university’s Bluegrass, Old-Time, and Roots Music program, but as I worked with more and more individual artists and traveled to other places, I kept meeting people who had ties to the university,” he said. “We frequently have students and alumni of the bluegrass program in our studios. ETSU is a huge force in our area.”

This led Maggard to make the decision to give back.

Through Sound Biscuit, Maggard made a major gift to create a scholarship endowment for ETSU students in the Bluegrass, Old-Time, and Roots Music program. And last year, he announced another significant award to the department to be used to support student bands with travel costs and other needs.

“Everything about giving back is part of our existence,” Maggard said. “It is good for our hearts and souls. Giving back helps forward the opportunities we have been given in life to find our place in this world and to find our personal joys and directions.

“I think, especially in today’s world, it is more important than ever to pass along knowledge and provide opportunities that lead to personal fulfillment in this life. Music is a big part of what does that for me. It fulfills me. Giving back is how I share that gift.”