Join

Tim Stafford

Musician · b. 1960 · Kingsport, Tennessee
Best known for Guitar

Tim Stafford is one of the most important bluegrass songwriters of the past three decades, founding guitarist of Blue Highway, a former Alison Krauss & Union Station member, and the author of the authorized Tony Rice biography. Three-time IBMA Songwriter of the Year, his songs have been recorded by hundreds of bluegrass and country artists.

  • Born September 14, 1960 in Kingsport, Tennessee; took up banjo at Ketron High School in the mid-1970s before switching to guitar.
  • Played in Dusty Miller with Adam Steffey, Tammy Rogers, Brian Fesler, and Barry Bales; the band won the SPBGMA International Bluegrass Band championship in 1990.
  • Joined Alison Krauss & Union Station from 1990 to 1992, recording the Grammy-winning Every Time You Say Goodbye (Rounder, 1992) before leaving for family reasons.
  • Co-founded Blue Highway in 1994 with Wayne Taylor, Shawn Lane, Rob Ickes, and Jason Burleson; the original lineup has held together across more than three decades and fifteen albums on Rebel, Ceili, and Rounder.
  • Won the IBMA Song of the Year award in 2008 for "Through the Window of a Train" (the title track of Blue Highway's 2008 Rounder album).
  • Three-time IBMA Songwriter of the Year (2014, 2017, 2023) — only a handful of bluegrass songwriters have won the award more often.
  • Co-authored the authorized Tony Rice biography Still Inside: The Tony Rice Story with Caroline Wright in 2010.
  • Released solo records Endless Line (FGM, 2004), Just to Hear the Whistle Blow (Hedge Drive, 2014), Acoustic Guitar (2017), Tunes & Ballads (2020), and Guitar Melodies (2023); teaches in the East Tennessee State University bluegrass program.

Roulette Settings

Calculating…
Popularity
Type
Genres
Bluegrass
Folk
Country
Old-Time
Other
Popularity
Difficulty
Type
Key
Featured Instruments
Origin
All Instrument Tuner
Metronome
Chord Finder

Share Playlist