Tuft graduated from Dartmouth College with a degree in philosophy and two years of post-graduate work in architecture at the University of Pennsylvania.
He began performing for youth groups and frequenting Philadelphia's popular folk music coffeehouse, the Gilded Cage.
In 1960, Tuft made a trip to visit Weissman in New York City and saw firsthand the folk culture of Greenwich Village.
While working at the Holy Cat, Tuft met Hal Neustaedter, who was the owner of "The Exodus", a premiere folk club in Denver, Colorado.
In 1961, Tuft moved to the West Coast, briefly driving a cab for Sausalito Taxi Company while looking for opportunities to perform.
Tuft returned to the East Coast, and with further encouragement from Izzy Young, he decided to open a folklore center in Denver, Colorado.
In December 1961, Tuft used his life savings of $900 to buy stock from Izzy Young, loaded his 1951 Dodge truck, and headed to Denver.
[3] The Denver Folklore Center sign in book includes signatures from Jim Morrison and Frank Zappa, among many other national artists and music icons.
Tuft has performed hundreds of shows at clubs large and small, and Grubstake opened for the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and Willie Nelson at Red Rocks Amphitheatre.
Ownership of the Denver Folklore Center was transferred to Saul Rosenthal and Claude Brachfeld, friends of Tuft who intend to retain the long-time staff and the ideals that have kept the business alive and well and an iconic part of the folk music landscape for nearly seven decades.