Jim Stafford

Kurt L Moore

“Swamp Witch,” a broken duct taped guitar, “Wildwood Weed,” aliens, “My Girl Bill,” flying saucers, 3-D glasses, “Spiders and Snakes,” twin pianos, harmonicas, wet flying cow patties and 15 years on a Branson stage. What do all these seemingly unrelated things have in common? Jim Stafford.

In the early fifties Jim Stafford started as a porch-picking guitar player alongside his father at their home in Florida. He literally has not stopped playing since that time. Jim Stafford is an enigma wrapped in a mystery, nuzzled inside a puzzle and surrounded by a maze. His mind does not travel well-worn roads, but, rather, takes off on paths, lanes and a pasture or two, known only to him and the voices, he surely hears. His mind traveling the ‘blue highways’ of life, gives us entertainment, music and comedy we would never otherwise have had. Jim marches to a somewhat odd and slightly off-center drummer. How fortunate for all of us.

At one time, Jim had a band called the Legends that played everywhere, from Elks Clubs to weddings, and anywhere someone would listen to them. From there, straight from high school, he went to Nashville to begin a multi-decade, super-successful career. Jim had a national TV show, dabbled in movies, wrote songs, recorded music, sold millions of records and did all the one-night gigs on the road.

To make a long story short, Jim came to Branson in 1990, got stuck in traffic, loved the area, bought a home, bought a theater and stayed. Jim is one of the most successful businesspeople in Branson. He and his wife Ann, operate one of the most attended theaters and shows in town. All of these achievements have been based on the talent of Jim Stafford himself. Jim basically runs a one-man show, but has gotten help in recent years from his two children, who are becoming multi-talented in the musical field and have taken to the stage, with their father, as easily as Jim had taken to his own porch, in Florida, picking guitar with his dad.

Since moving to Branson, Jim has dabbled in various projects. He now has a trolley company, was the main instigator in forming “Hot Winter Fun,” is a community leader, lends his support whenever possible, wherever needed and has loaned out his theater for countless benefits. Jim and Ann Stafford are the next door neighbors that everyone dreams of having, and we in Branson, do have them as our neighbors.

I am not going to tell you a lot about the “Jim Stafford Show.” I want you to experience one of the most unusual shows on the strip for yourself. I will tell you this much, you will be in for crazy surprises on top of bewildered wonderment throughout the show. Defining genius is an elusive and oft-times impossible task. Jim has a brand of humor that can only come from a person with a true genius for comedy and inspired voices directing him. Jim has been known for his wacky, off-the-wall, out of the box thinking and you will get a two hour dose of pure Jim ‘Staffordism’ when you take in his show.

I went backstage and asked Jim a few questions. This was the wrap-up of that interview:

KURT: “Jim, when it is all said and done, the last guitar strummed and the last curtain drawn, how do you want to be remembered?”
JIM: “I might have made some people’s lives a little easier for a couple of hours. That’s not too bad.”

You too will agree, “That’s not too bad.”

So, grab a ticket, get some popcorn, take your seat, fasten your seat belt and be sure to duck for low flying objects. That, in a nutshell, is the zany, off-the-wall, out-of-the-box treat that awaits you with the “Jim Stafford Show.”