Tim Stafford
Latest Tim Stafford news, guitars, gear, music, performances, and collaborations covered by Guitar Radar.
Guitar Radar has 1 story about Tim Stafford, tracking new music, tours, collaborations and gear. Most of it sits under learn. The most recent story, from Sep 4, 2026, is “Tim Stafford to headline IBMA's 2026 business conference with 'From AI to G-Runs'”.
About Tim Stafford
Tim Stafford is a flatpicking bluegrass guitarist best known for his work with Blue Highway and, earlier, Alison Krauss and Union Station. He joined Union Station in 1990 along with Adam Steffey and Barry Bales, left in May 1992 to spend more time with his son, and won a Grammy in January 1993 for the album Every Time You Say Goodbye. Stafford and Wayne Taylor founded Blue Highway, and he organized the band in 1994.
His main guitar is a 1934 Martin D-18, which he told Guitar Player he played on all but two tracks of the Blue Highway album Through the Window of a Train; for the other two he used a Composite Acoustics Bluegrass Standard. On tone, he has said that being able to hear himself well is central and that playing lightly is what gets good tone. A review of his solo album Acoustic Guitar notes a range from intricate, delicate flatpicking to lush chordal work and Travis-style fingerpicking.
He won two awards at the 2021 IBMA Awards, including Liner Notes of the Year for the reissue of Tony Rice's California Autumn.
Sources: Bluegrass Unlimited: Tim Stafford · AllMusic: Tim Stafford · Blue Highway: Tim Stafford wins two at the 2021 IBMA Awards
