Stafford was born on January 1, 1950. and grew up in the rural country town of
Meander in northern Tasmania. In 1962, at the age of 12, Stafford made her first television appearance on a program called
ShowTime a popular series from
TNT-9 Launceston, Tasmania at that time. After leaving school in Meander, Stafford worked at a hotel as a kitchen hand in a nearby town of
Deloraine, Tasmania, while performing at local dances on weekends, she began to learn her craft as a professional singer. Stafford began her recording career in 1965, teaming up with Australian country music pioneer Dusty Rankin. Stafford recorded several tracks with Rankin including “Promised To John” for Hadley Recording Company owned and operated by Eric Scott in Tamworth. In 1970, Stafford recorded two tracks on a special mixed artists L.P. (Country Music Around Australia Volume 1) with Hadley “The Hands You’re Holding Now” and “I Thought Of You”. and at the
APRA Music Awards of 1987, the song won Most Performed Australasian Country Work. At the inaugural ARIA Music Awards in 1987, Stafford received two nominations. She was the sole female nominee in the Best Country Album category and the only country artist nominated for Best Female Artist, becoming the first female country artist to be nominated at the ARIA Awards and breaking new ground for future women in Australian country music.
1990s In 1990, Stafford released the album
Classic Jean Stafford before heading to
Nashville, Tennessee where she recorded the album,
That Says it All; it was released in 1991. On June 8, 2025, Stafford released a self-penned single titled Wild Hearts, which explores the theme of
adversity underlying
Cyber Bullying and
Domestic Violence. Produced by Matt Fell. ==Discography==