Terry LaVerne Stafford was an American singer and songwriter, best known for his 1964 hit "Suspicion" and the 1973 country music hit "Amarillo by Morning".
Born in Hollis, Oklahoma, in 1941, Stafford grew up in Amarillo, Texas, and graduated from Palo Duro High School in Amarillo in 1960. After high school he moved to Los Angeles, California, to pursue a career in music. The song "Suspicion", which was released on the Crusader record label and which had previously been recorded by Elvis Presley, made it to #3 April 1964. "Suspicion," with a vocal by Stafford that reminded many listeners of Presley, had the unusual distinction of being at #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 on April 4, 1964, just below The Beatles when they made history by holding down the entire top five. The following week "Suspicion" topped out at #3 with The Beatles holding three of the other four spots in the top 5. Stafford's recording sold over one million copies. His follow-up, "I’ll Touch a Star", peaked at #25 in June 1964. Stafford continued to record but had no more hits, although his 1973 release/joint composition, "Amarillo by Morning", was later covered by George Strait on Strait's 1982 album "Strait from the Heart". The song was named the #12 country song of all-time by Country Music Television. Terry Stafford lived most of his life between Los Angeles and Amarillo and died in Amarillo of liver failure in 1993 at the age of 54.
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