Sam Garrard

SAM GARRARD – STRADA AGENT

Sam Garrard is a Bristol-based booking agent, musician and band manager with over ten years’ experience in live touring. Since 2012 he has booked and managed headline shows, festival appearances and international tours across  multiple countries, working closely with artists, venues, festivals and promoters.

He is also the founder, singer and five-string banjo player of Old Baby Mackerel, one of the UK’s leading bluegrass touring bands. Since forming in 2016, the band have built a strong reputation on the live circuit, with appearances across the UK and Europe and coverage from BBC Radio 6 Music, Bluegrass Today and British Bluegrass News.

Sam’s wider work in music includes production office work at Glastonbury Festival, running an international online and in-person banjo teaching business, and helping to develop Bristol’s bluegrass community through sessions, workshops and live events.

He joined Strada Music in 2025 and brings a performer’s eye, a manager’s attention to detail and an agent’s focus on building sustainable, well-routed tours. His approach is practical, collaborative and rooted in a clear understanding of what artists and promoters need from each other.