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

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

Awards and honours

1970s and 1980s

1990s

2000s

2010s-Present

Discography