Make Wake Artists’ (MWA) Founder, Chris Kappy, has elevated Sophia Sansone and Jarrod Holley to Managing Partners of the artist management company. Kappy launched the company in 2015 when he began managing then up-and-coming country music artist Luke Combs.

Sansone was one of MWA’s first hires as Kappy’s assistant. She was quickly promoted to Combs’ day-to-day manager and now also manages his wife, Nicole. Throughout her time at the company, she has been named to The Nashville Briefing‘s 30 Under 30 Industry List in 2021, and was featured in MusicRow Magazine’s 2022 NBT List.

“I’ve worked alongside Kappy for five years at Make Wake and have learned what I know in the industry from him and the great team he has built,” Sansone shares. “I truly appreciate that he has entrusted the role of Managing Partner to Jarrod and me. I am so excited for this next chapter of the Make Wake family!”

Holley, who’s lead A&R and all new artist conversations over the last few years, has overseen the doubling of MWA’s roster, adding Niko Moon, Flatland Cavalry, Hailey Whitters, Drew Parker, and Brent Cobb. In 2019, he joined the team as a manager for Drew Parker and Jackie Lee. Holley’s latest additions include breakout artist Cooper Alan and alt-country singer-songwriter Colby Acuff.

“Make Wake has felt like a tight knit family to me since I first stepped foot in the office,“ Holley adds. “Playing a small part in the growth and strategy over the years has been an absolute thrill. I look forward to adding to the success of our talented roster and team!”

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The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum will honor writer and industry member Kay West at its 14th annual Louise Scruggs Memorial Forum on Nov. 15 in the museum’s Ford Theater. During the event, the museum’s Michael McCall will chat with West about her 40 years in media in Nashville and on Music Row.

As a journalist, West has been a regular contributor to People and TV Guide magazines and a staff writer at the daily Nashville Banner and weekly Nashville Scene newspapers. Her books include How to Raise a Lady and How to Raise a Gentleman and the cookbook Around the Opry Table. Her resume includes positions as a record company media director (MCA, RCA), an independent publicist (Patty Loveless, Alan Jackson and George Strait) and an event and project manager for non-profits and politicians.

She has also volunteered her time in support of local political causes and charitable organizations, including Women for Tennessee’s Future, Nashville CARES, Magdalene/Thistle Farms and more.

“This annual forum, begun in 2007, recognizes industry professionals who continue the legacy of Louise Scruggs, a formidable businesswoman and music industry trailblazer,” explains Kyle Young, CEO, Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. “Kay West, with her longstanding passion for storytelling and her extensive media connections, helped further elevate Nashville and its musical reputation. Her impressive body of work as a writer and her ability to shine a spotlight on Nashville to the national media is a direct reflection of the dedication and spirit Louise Scruggs embodied.”

Scruggs (1927-2006) was married to Country Music Hall of Fame member and banjo great Earl Scruggs. In the mid-1950s, she began booking and managing Flatt & Scruggs and their band, The Foggy Mountain Boys. She was the first woman in country music to assume these roles, and guided her husband’s career for half a century.

The Louise Scruggs Memorial Forum was first presented in 2007, and past honorees include Kay Clary, Bebe Evans, Bonnie Garner, Dixie Hall, Cindy Mabe, Mary Martin, Bev Paul, Nancy Shapiro, Denise Stiff, Liz Thiels, Traci Thomas, Sarah Trahern, Marcie Allen Van Mol and Jo Walker-Meador.

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