The International Bluegrass Music Association in Nashville has announced that Tim Stafford will deliver the Keynote Address on the opening day of the 2026 World of Bluegrass Convention in Chattanooga, TN (October 19).
Stafford is among the most celebrated songwriters in our genre, and has spent the past three decades on guitar with Blue Highway. Prior to that he was guitarist with Alison Krauss & Union Station, appearing on their Everytime You Say Goodbye album, and earlier as a member of Dusty Miller alongside Adam Steffey Tammy Rogers, and Barry Bales. As a solo artist, he has several albums under his name, as well as duo projects with other songwriters like Steve Gulley and Thomm Jutz.
He is also recognized as an instructor of particular note, working on the faculty of Miami University, East Tennessee State University, where he also served as an Artist in Residence, and Appalachian State University. As a guitarist and songwriter Tim has taught at workshops and camps across the US and Canada, and in the UK.
A book he co-authored with Caroline Wright, Still Inside, the Tony Rice Story, is recognized as the definitive biography of the guitar hero, told through discussions with Tony’s peers and contemporaries.
The topic of this address, which is scheduled for a 4:00 p.m. start on October 19, is From AI to G-Runs, and is expected to deal with all that has changed in the bluegrass industry since Stafford last spoke in this capacity in 1994. A performance from Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen will precede the talk.
Attendance is limited to those registered for the World of Bluegrass convention. Full or one-day registration can be accomplished online.
