Biography
Jim Stafford achieved his greatest recognition through witty country novelty numbers in the mid-1970s, yet the multi-instrumentalist also sustained a long-running presence in television and on the live circuit. Born in 1944 in Eloise, Florida, near Winter Haven, he received his first guitar instruction from his father and soon joined local groups as a teenager, among them the Legends, whose members included future country-rock figure Gram Parsons and Kent LaVoie, later known as Lobo. After finishing high school, Stafford headed to Nashville and played in Jumpin' Bill Carlisle's backing ensemble while continuing to develop his songwriting and cut demonstration recordings, even though he disliked the sound of his own voice. A drummer's sudden exit during one session prompted him to assemble the one-man band routine that later became a fixture of his stage shows.
Stafford was performing in Clearwater, FL, when he crossed paths with Lobo and inquired whether Lobo might record the original composition "The Swamp Witch." Lobo instead urged Stafford to cut the track himself and helped secure a deal with MGM; Lobo would later produce many of Stafford's singles. "The Swamp Witch" barely reached the lower rungs of the Top 40 in 1973, but the 1974 follow-up "Spiders and Snakes," co-written with David Bellamy of the Bellamy Brothers, delivered major success. The single climbed to number three on the pop charts, earned gold certification, and established Stafford as a national name. Subsequent releases such as "My Girl Bill" and "Wildwood Weed" further highlighted his humor, the latter also reaching the pop Top Ten, while 1975 brought two additional Top 40 entries, "Your Bulldog Drinks Champagne" and "I Got Stoned and I Missed It."
By then Stafford's visibility had grown sufficient for his own short-lived prime-time variety series, which aired in summer 1975. On that program he met singer Bobbie Gentry; the pair married and divorced in 1980. Stafford appeared in Clint Eastwood's 1981 film Any Which Way but Loose and placed his final chart single, "Cow Patti," on its soundtrack. The next year he supplied three songs for Disney's animated feature The Fox and the Hound. Early in the decade he hosted Those Amazing Animals and Nashville on the Road, and later in the 1980s he wrote for the Smothers Brothers' return to network television. He maintained a steady touring schedule and released occasional one-off singles on various labels. In 1990 Stafford settled in Branson, MO, which had become a destination for country music and family entertainment; he opened his own theater there and continues to perform more than 350 shows annually.
Stafford was performing in Clearwater, FL, when he crossed paths with Lobo and inquired whether Lobo might record the original composition "The Swamp Witch." Lobo instead urged Stafford to cut the track himself and helped secure a deal with MGM; Lobo would later produce many of Stafford's singles. "The Swamp Witch" barely reached the lower rungs of the Top 40 in 1973, but the 1974 follow-up "Spiders and Snakes," co-written with David Bellamy of the Bellamy Brothers, delivered major success. The single climbed to number three on the pop charts, earned gold certification, and established Stafford as a national name. Subsequent releases such as "My Girl Bill" and "Wildwood Weed" further highlighted his humor, the latter also reaching the pop Top Ten, while 1975 brought two additional Top 40 entries, "Your Bulldog Drinks Champagne" and "I Got Stoned and I Missed It."
By then Stafford's visibility had grown sufficient for his own short-lived prime-time variety series, which aired in summer 1975. On that program he met singer Bobbie Gentry; the pair married and divorced in 1980. Stafford appeared in Clint Eastwood's 1981 film Any Which Way but Loose and placed his final chart single, "Cow Patti," on its soundtrack. The next year he supplied three songs for Disney's animated feature The Fox and the Hound. Early in the decade he hosted Those Amazing Animals and Nashville on the Road, and later in the 1980s he wrote for the Smothers Brothers' return to network television. He maintained a steady touring schedule and released occasional one-off singles on various labels. In 1990 Stafford settled in Branson, MO, which had become a destination for country music and family entertainment; he opened his own theater there and continues to perform more than 350 shows annually.
Albums
