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Terry Stafford

 
AMG AllMusic Guide: Pop Artists:

Terry Stafford

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Biography

One-hit wonder Terry Stafford was known for his Elvis sound-alike single "Suspicion," which became a Top Five smash even at the height of Beatlemania in 1964. Stafford was born in Hollis, OK, on November 22, 1941, and grew up in Amarillo, TX. He moved to Los Angeles after high school to pursue a singing career and performed at various local dances and social events. He got the chance to record a demo and chose "Suspicion," an album track from Elvis Presley's Pot Luck LP (1962). A local DJ took the song to Crusader Records, which remastered it and released it nationally in 1964. It went all the way to number three on the pop charts and did so during a week when the Beatles held every other spot in the Top Five. Stafford was never able to duplicate its success, though he did reach the Top 30 with his follow-up single, "I'll Touch a Star." He continued to perform and also branched out into acting (the film Wild Wheels) and songwriting, penning Buck Owens' hit "Big in Vegas." In 1973, Stafford signed with Atlantic's newly formed country division and recorded a full-fledged country album, Say, Has Anybody Seen My Sweet Gypsy Rose. The title track edged into the country Top 40, and its flip side, the Stafford co-write "Amarillo by Morning," also enjoyed some regional popularity. It was later covered by George Strait for a major hit. Stafford recorded for Atlantic through 1974 then disappeared from the music scene. He died of liver problems in Amarillo on March 17, 1996. ~ Steve Huey, Rovi
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Terry Stafford

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Home > Library > Miscellaneous > Wikipedia
Terry Stafford
Birth name Terry LaVerne Stafford
Born November 22, 1941(1941-11-22)
Origin Hollis, Oklahoma
Died March 17, 1996(1996-03-17) (aged 54)
Genres Country, pop
Occupations Singer-songwriter
Years active 1964–1989
Labels Crusader, Koch Entertainment

Terry LaVerne Stafford (November 22, 1941 – March 17, 1996[1]) was an American singer and songwriter, best known for his 1964 U.S. Top 10 hit, "Suspicion", and the 1973 country music hit, "Amarillo by Morning".

Contents

Biography

Born to William Nathan Stafford and Juanita J. Stafford in Hollis, Oklahoma, Stafford grew up in Amarillo, Texas, and graduated from Palo Duro High School in Amarillo in 1960. After high school he moved to Los Angeles, California, to pursue a career in music.[2][3]

The song "Suspicion", which was released on the Crusader record label and which had previously been recorded by Elvis Presley, made it to number 3 in the U.S. and number 31 in the UK Singles Chart.[1] "Suspicion," with a vocal by Stafford that reminded many listeners of Presley, had the unusual distinction of being at #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 on April 4, 1964 just below The Beatles when they made history by holding down the entire top five. The following week is when Suspicion topped out at #3 with The Beatles holding 3 of the other 4 spots of the top 5. Stafford's recording sold over one million copies.[1] His follow-up, "I’ll Touch a Star" made number 25 in America. Both recordings were produced by Bob Summers (brother-in-law of Les Paul), who played all the instruments on the tracks as well as engineering and recording them. Bob released his own version in the 70's as well as a remake with Ed Greenwald on vocals in 2008.

In 1969, Buck Owens re-wrote Stafford's "Big in Dallas", recording it as "Big in Vegas". Owen's version peaked at number 5 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart.[4] and reached number 1 on the RPM Country Tracks chart in Canada.[5]

Stafford himself continued to record, but had no more hits, although his 1973 release/joint composition, "Amarillo by Morning", was later covered by George Strait on Strait's 1982 album Strait from the Heart. The song was named "#12 country song of all-time" by Country Music Television. Stafford lived most of his life between Los Angeles and Amarillo and died in Amarillo of liver failure.[3]

Discography

Albums

Year Album US Label
1964 Suspicion! 81 Crusader
1973 Say, Has Anybody Seen My Sweet Gypsy Rose — Koch

Singles

Year Single Chart Positions Album
US Country US US AC CAN Country CAN
1964 "I'll Touch a Star" — 25 4 — 10 Suspicion!
"Suspicion" — 3 — — —
1973 "Say, Has Anybody Seen My Sweet Gypsy Rose" 35 — — 46 — Say, Has Anybody Seen My Sweet Gypsy Rose
"Amarillo by Morning" 31 — — 38 —
1974 "Captured" 24 — — 39 —
"Stop If You Love Me" 69 — — — — singles only
1977 "It Sure Is Bad to Love Her" 94 — — — —
1989 "Lonestar Lonesome" 89 — — — —
  • 1964: "Suspicion" /"Judy" Crusader 101
  • 1964: "I'll Touch A Star" /"Playing With Fire" Crusader 105
  • 1964: "Follow The Rainbow" /"Are You A Fool Like Me?" Crusader 109
  • 1964-65: "Hoping" /"A Little Bit Better" Crusader 110
  • 1963: "You Left Me Here To Cry"(Come On Home" /"Heartache On The way" A&M 707
  • 1966: "Out Of The Picture" /Forbidden" Mercury 72538
  • 1966: "Soldier Boy' / "When Sin Stops-Love Begins" Sidewalk 902
  • 1969: "Big in Dallas" / "Will A Man Ever Learn" Warner Bros. 7286
  • 1973: "Amarillo By Morning" / "Say Has Anybody Seen My Sweet Gypsy Rose" Atlantic Country 4006
  • 1974: "Captured" /"It Sure Is Bad To Love Her" Atlantic 4015
  • 1974: "Stop If You Love Me" /"We've Grown Close" Atlantic 4026
  • 1975: "Darling Think It Over" / Same Melodyland 6009
  • 1977: "It Sure Is Bad To Love Her" /same Casino 113
  • 1989: "Lonestar Lonesome" /"Falling" Player 134
  •  ?? : "Deja Vu" / "Texas Moon Palace" Player 113
  •  ?? : "Loves Been Hell On Me" /Long Haul Fever" Player 115

References

  1. ^ a b c Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 523. ISBN 1-904994-10-5. 
  2. ^ Obituaries: Juanita J. Stafford. - Amarillo Globe-News. - June 21, 2001.
  3. ^ a b Collins, Dugg. "Terry LaVerne Stafford" - Dick Shuey's Country Music Stories
  4. ^ "Buck Owens singles". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/buck-owens-p1755/charts-awards/billboard-singles. Retrieved 25 March 2011. 
  5. ^ "RPM Country Singles for January 24, 1970". RPM. http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?brws_s=1&file_num=nlc008388.6127&type=1&interval=24&PHPSESSID=asr9e524nssv6cvm3mqmdta226. Retrieved 25 March 2011. 

External links

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This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

 
 
Related topics:
The Best of Terry Stafford (1996 Album by Terry Stafford)
Then: Totally Oldies, Vol. 2 (2001 Album by Various Artists)
Wild Wheels (1969 Action Film)

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