Tim Stafford

From Kingsport, Tennessee, Grammy winner Tim Stafford co-founded the group Blue Highway, which is celebrating its 31st year in 2025. Tim is a prolific songwriter with over 300 cuts and several #1 Bluegrass songs. He has been named the IBMA Songwriter of the Year three times (2014, 2017, 2023) and the SPBGMA Guitar Player of the Year twice (2001, 2015). With Steve Gulley, he co-wrote the 2008 IBMA Song of the Year, "Through the Window of a Train" as well as the most-played song of 2023 in Bluegrass, “Lonesome State of Mind.” (with Bobby Starnes) In 2010, he co-wrote (with Caroline Wright) the highly-acclaimed authorized biography Still Inside: The Tony Rice Story. Tim has released five solo records and five duet records along with his recordings with Blue Highway and Alison Krauss. He’s currently the Artist in Residence at ETSU’s famed Bluegrass, Old-Time and Roots Music program.