Jean Stafford (musician)

Jean Stafford born at Latrobe, Tasmania) is an Australian country music artist. She has won three Golden Guitar awards and received two ARIA nominations. In 1989, Stafford was officially crowned Australia's Queen of Country Music by Smoky Dawson. She is known as The Golden Voice of Country worldwide for her hit song Someday I'll Take Home The Roses released in 1982. Stafford has received many honours and awards, including the key to the city of Nashville, Tennessee. Stafford is the most awarded female country music singer in Australia. During the late 80s and early 90s Stafford was a regular on the Midday Show hosted by Ray Martin[1]

Jean Stafford
Stafford in 2019
Background information
Birth nameJean Stafford
Born (1950-01-01) 1 January 1950
Latrobe, Tasmania, Australia
GenresCountry, Western Swing, gospel
Occupation(s)Singer-songwriter, paintist.
InstrumentsVocals, guitar
Years active1965–present.
LabelsHadley Records, EMI, Universal Music
Associated actsKitty Wells, Johnnie Wright, Dolly Parton, Smoky Dawson, Jimmy Little, Slim Whitman
Websitewww.jeanstafford.com.au,

Early life and career

Stafford was born in Latrobe, Tasmania in 1950 and grew up at small town called Meander in a one-room shack along with her mother, stepfather and six cousins. In 1962, at the age of 12, Stafford made her first public appearance on a program called "ShowTime," a popular series from TNT-9 Launceston during that time. After leaving school, Stafford worked at a hotel as a kitchen hand in a nearby town of Deloraine for five dollars a week. While performing at local dances on weekends, she began to learn her craft as a professional singer.

Initially Stafford's recording career began in 1965 at the age of 15, singing a duet with Dusty Rankin called "Promised to John" produced by Eric Scott for Hadley Recording Company. In 1973, winning first prize in a "country music talent quest" in Launceston, Tasmania, she received a five-album deal with Hadley Records that put her on the road to stardom. Stafford's debut album "Flowers for Mama" recorded in Tamworth was released in 1974 and gained her Australia-wide recognition winning her first Golden Guitar Award in 1975 at Tamworth for Female Vocalist Of the year. Her second Golden Guitar came in 1980 with Hello Love.

In 1981, Stafford won her third Golden Guitar Award for "That Glory Bound Train," a song from her final album with Hadley Records entitled "Born Again". Shortly after her contract ended that same year, Stafford moved from Tasmania to Sydney and signed a contract with EMI Music Australia releasing her first commercial album on a major record label "The Way I Feel Inside". Stafford was asked by her band members to write some songs for them; after hearing what she had written they advised her to record the songs herself. She took the songs to EMI and in 1982 the release of "Someday I’ll Take Home The Roses" became her most popular written song to this date.

Personal life

Born at Latrobe, Tasmania in 1950, she spent her childhood in a small locality area of Meander Valley in Northern Tasmania. Raised by her mother and stepfather, Stafford later in life discovered that her biological father was a Navajo Native American.[2]

Stafford has three children who live in Tasmania near the town of Burnie.

Awards and honours

1970s and 1980s
Year Award Program Award Result
1975 Australasian Country Music Awards Female Vocalist of the Year – Golden Guitar Won
1979 Australian Country Music Hall of Fame Hands of Fame Inducted
1980 Australasian Country Music Awards Female Vocalist of the Year – Golden Guitar Won
1981 Australasian Country Music Awards Female Vocalist of the Year – Golden Guitar Won
1986 Australian Country Music Hall of Fame Waxworks of Stars Inducted
1987 ARIA Music Awards Best Country Album & Best Female Artist Nominated
1988 New Zealand Golden Guitar Awards Services to the Industry of Country Music – Golden Guitar Won
1989 Australian Country Music Industry & Fans Australia's Queen of Country Music Crowned

1990s
Year Award Program Award Result
1991 Mo Awards Female Country Performer of the Year Won

2000s
Year Award Program Award Result
2006 AWA Awards🇺🇸 Western Swing Female Vocal of the Year Won
2008 Country Music Association of Australia Australian Roll of Renown Inducted[3]

2010s-Present
Year Award Program Award Result
2016 Mo Awards Country Female Performer of the Year Won
Tasmanian Independent Country Music Awards Most Popular Female Performer (National) Won
Most Popular Female Performer (Tas) Won
Hall of Fame Inducted
2017 Most Popular Female Performer Nominated

Discography
  • 1974: Flowers for Mama (Hadley)
  • 1975: Jean Stafford (Hadley)
  • 1977: I'll Sing You a Country Song (Hadley)
  • 1979: Hello Love (Hadley)
  • 1980: Born Again (Hadley)
  • 1981: The Way I Feel Inside (EMI)
  • 1982: Someday I'll Take Home the Roses (EMI)
  • 1986: Burning Bright (EMI)
  • 1988: The Golden Voice Of Country Music (EMI)
  • 1990: Classic (RRR)
  • 1992: That Says It All (Dino Music)
  • 1995: Tassie's Got It All LP (Sony)
  • 2015: The Golden Voice of Country Music (Universal Music Group)
  • 2017: Let the Dance Begin (JLCM)

References
  1. Boxhall, Geraldine (1991). "Chapter 14: Newsmakers". Meander Valley memories. Meander: Meander Primary School. p. 190. ISBN 0-646-04684-5.
  2. "Previous Artists – Jean Stafford". Devil Country Muster. Retrieved 23 November 2015.
  3. "Roll of Renown". TCMF. Archived from the original on 4 September 2018. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
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