Tim Stafford

Guitarist, songwriter, producer, author, and teacher Tim Stafford is an ex-member of <a href="spotify:artist:0OTnx2X2FDXeewcm72lavT">Alison Krauss & Union Station</a> and a founding member of the award-winning contemporary bluegrass group <a href="spotify:artist:4nnZcSw4lGTxiq3AvYt8Dd">Blue Highway</a>. Stafford's flat-picking skills have made him an in-demand session player over the decades, and a host of bluegrass and country greats have recorded his original songs. He released his debut album, Endless Line, in 2004 and has continued to issue solo material and duet recordings, including 2023's Lost Voices with <a href="spotify:artist:1ebv4m89CN6v5nKtG0yu2D">Thomm Jutz</a>. In addition to his recorded output, Stafford co-authored 2010's Still Inside: The Tony Rice Story. He has taught music at colleges and universities and served as an instructor at every major bluegrass-oriented camp.

Born and raised in Kingsport, Tennessee, Stafford took a shine to bluegrass music in the mid-'70s and never looked back. He started on banjo but eventually transitioned to guitar near the end of the decade, honing his skills in regional groups like Mountain Memories and the Boys in the Band. He co-founded Dusty Miller in the late '80s alongside <a href="spotify:artist:2aF3CvUcRbNW5PdOMjZiuG">Adam Steffey</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:3wbkQhbAgMFxkiEjyEmsdS">Tammy Rogers</a>, Brian Fesler, and Barry Bales. From 1990 to 1992, Stafford, <a href="spotify:artist:2aF3CvUcRbNW5PdOMjZiuG">Steffey</a>, and Bales were <a href="spotify:artist:0OTnx2X2FDXeewcm72lavT">Alison Krauss & Union Station</a> members, and they shared the group's 1992 Grammy Award for Best Bluegrass Album for Every Time You Say Goodbye. In 1994, he became a founding member of <a href="spotify:artist:4nnZcSw4lGTxiq3AvYt8Dd">Blue Highway</a>, which issued a series of acclaimed albums beginning with 1995's It's a Long, Long Road. The long-running group has racked up multiple awards, including the Best Bluegrass Album Grammy for 2016's Original Traditional. Stafford is an immensely popular session musician, playing on albums by <a href="spotify:artist:5W5bDNCqJ1jbCgTxDD0Cb3">Willie Nelson</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:3grHWM9bx2E9vwJCdlRv9O">Kenny Chesney</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:55CXG5KDJpRYwBopfYAJHa">Jorma Kaukonen</a>, among many others, and his original songs have been recorded by <a href="spotify:artist:1DkccFev2GJdu3V9nnojdo">Ronnie Bowman</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:2EdviCe4eYJQqa6hs8Fo2Z">Jim Hurst</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:0V6tfevNowzUPFTrEQTJE8">Mountain Heart</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:00eldNtAqcdLF9adKlyFZf">Claire Lynch</a>, Scottie Sparks, and <a href="spotify:artist:1eNxt1JI2Bgjl8bPDQ5sG8">Dan Tyminski</a>. ~ James Christopher Monger, Rovi