Terry Stafford

Terry LaVerne Stafford (22 November, 1941 – 17 March, 1996), was an American singer and songwriter, best known for his 1964 U.S. Top Ten hit "Suspicion".

Stafford was born in Hollis, Oklahoma.

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. "Suspicion," with a vocal by Stafford that reminded many listeners of Presley, had the unusual distinction of being at #6 on the Hot 100 on 4 April 1964, just below the Beatles when they made history by holding down the entire top 5. His follow-up, "I’ll Touch a Star" made number 25 in America.

He continued to record, but had no more hits, although his composition "Amarillo by Morning" was later recorded 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. Another hit for Stafford was "Big in Vegas" recorded by Buck Owens.

Stafford lived most of his life between Los Angeles and Amarillo, Texas, and died in Amarillo of liver failure.

External links

* [http://www.dickshuey.com/stories/story101.html Story by Amarillo DJ and Stafford friend Dick Shuey]
* [http://keepkey.yochanan.net/terry.htm Terry Stafford Suspicion Home Page]
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