We want to thank everyone, near and far, who expressed their love for Christopher over the past two months. The amount of tributes has been overwhelming; each one touching and greatly appreciated. As many of you know, fellow musician and friend Wilson Savoy created a GoFundMe campaign to assist with funeral expenses, which raised more than the needed amount for our beloved bandleader’s services. The Staffords were blown away by this generosity from his fans, family, and friends and decided to establish The Christopher Stafford Memorial Foundation, a nonprofit aimed at supporting musicians. Stay tuned for further updates coming very soon. We cannot express enough gratitude for the overwhelming love and support during this incredibly difficult time. Prends courage.

Chris Stafford: A door between universes by Christiaan Mader for the Current. a href=”https://thecurrentla.com/2024/chris-stafford-a-door-between-universes/”>Read here

photo by Jo Vidrine

A Message From LafayetteTravel.com

This week’s Lafayette Weekly is bittersweet for everyone who knew and loved Chris Stafford and his music. Chris transcended the label of musician, a true pioneer of the musical culture we hold so dear to this area, and above all else, a caring friend and musical mentor to many established and up-and-coming musicians in the area. Local music lovers and fans have watched Chris grow up on stages across the world, performing, perfecting, and experimenting with multiple instruments since the age of 12 when he formed the groundbreaking Cajun band Feufollet. As he grew into adulthood, he became a highly sought-after collaborator and producer for some of Lafayette’s most memorable bands and albums. The Lafayette music community will never be the same, but we honor Chris’s spirit, music, and lasting impact on everyone who ever had the pleasure of meeting, playing, or watching him perform in this week’s playlist. Compiled by close friend and bandmate Philippe Billeaudeaux, we hope these songs can serve as solace for those who loved him and his music near and far.

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This week’s playlist features over four hours of music Chris Stafford wrote, sang, played on, and/or produced. Listen for his soulful singing, smooth pedal steel, swinging fiddle, telecaster bends, tasteful keyboard work, and masterful accordion playing in this incredible body of work.

It kicks off with his first recording with La Bande Feufollet, followed by a live tribute to his loving mother, and then moves through all of the genres that moved him deeply: Cajun, zydeco, blues, rock n’ roll, and country. You’ll hear his nod to the dancehall French music that he loved on tracks like Feufollet’s “Dans le magasin,” (featuring band co-founder Chris Segura on fiddle and harmony vocals), “Moi pour toi” by the Daiquiri Queens, The Red Stick Ramblers’ “Laisse les Cajuns danser,” and “Separation Two Step” by Kyle Huval and the Dixie Club Ramblers.

Hear him contribute lead guitar to nouveau zydeco mainstay Lil Nathan and Creole music master, close collaborator, and friend Cedric Watson on tunes like “Lose U” and “Sud de la Louisiane.” Explore his contributions to Lafayette’s indie rock scene with recordings by The Amazing Nuns, Makers Reel, the Viatones, the Conrads, and The Color Sessions, the newly re-released split cover EP by Feufollet and Brass Bed. All of that and, of course, his iconic garage rock rendition of “Parlez nous à boire,” with mutual admiration society members Givers’ frontwoman and current Shania Twain drummer Tif Lamson and legendary sax master Dickie Landry.

Stafford often pushed the boundaries of Cajun music with examples of tracks he produced for Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys, Megan Brown, and, of course, Feufollet, many of which feature co-lead vocalist Anna Laura Edmiston and brother Michael Stafford on drums. Classic and progressive country sounds can be heard with longtime musical partner K.C. Jones (aka Kelli Jones), swamp pop legend Tommy McLain, and Julie Aubé of Les Hay Babies.

On top of the work he contributed to South Louisiana, music made with admirers from abroad is also included. Listen to tracks by Acadian singer-songwriter Thomé Young (aka Pascal Lejeune), ex-Les Breastfeeders guitarist Sunny Duval, Austin-based indie rockers Star Parks, and one of the most revered and prolific artists to come out of France, Charlelie Couture.

There are so many great memories behind these records, many of which I was lucky enough to be a part of at his world-famous Staffland Studio, that it would take a book to tell the whole story. For now, enjoy the incredible music and beautiful voice of our beloved brother Chris, whom I adored with all my heart and will miss forever.

Obituary for Christopher Forest Stafford

Christopher Forest Stafford passed away on May 2, 2024, at the early age of 36, removing one of the brightest stars from Louisiana’s musical constellation. A child prodigy and multi-instrumentalist hailed from an early age as one of the region’s most promising talents, he was revered for his mastery of traditional instruments and styles, as well as his ability to innovate and reinvent his musical heritage from within.

Stafford first gained renown for his collaborations with fellow child prodigy and lifelong friend Chris Segura, with whom he founded La Bande Feufollet, one of Cajun music’s best-known and most well-respected groups. Despite their youth, Feufollet earned an early reputation for sterling musicianship, a deep and wide command of traditional styles, as well as a tendency to push the boundaries of tradition with taste and finesse. With various incarnations of Feufollet as expressions of his creativity in Cajun music, Chris toured the world, often with his younger brother Mike on drums, made many Grammy-nominated albums, and essentially blew peoples’ minds for 25 years. He was scheduled to perform with Feufollet at the New Orleans Jazz Fest on Saturday, May 4, 2024.

In addition to Feufollet, Chris’s talents were in demand from a revolving host of bands. He performed on albums by Cedric Watson, Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys, Johnny Nicholas, the Daiquiri Queens, Courtney Granger, Tommy McLain, April Verch, Brass Bed, the Red Stick Ramblers, and many more. He played in a wide variety of bands well known over the years, including (to name a few) The Bucks, Racines, the Viatones, Cedric Waston et Bijou Creole, Trouble Down Teche, and with his little sister’s newly formed group, Chère Elise. Musicians from across Louisiana and beyond also turned to Chris for his gifts as a producer and studio engineer, and his Staffland Studio was celebrated as a nexus of creativity within the region’s musical community. Recently, the poetic lyrics to his song “Les jours sont longs” were included in the Anthology of Louisiana French Literature.

Beyond his incredible talents, Chris is remembered for being a kind, loving, and humble person, both on stage and off. Anyone who knew him well knew that his kindness, humility, curiosity, and intelligence were intertwined with his musical genius, from the time he was a young boy to the day he left the earth. He will be remembered for being a devoted son to his adoring mother Lisa, a loving brother to Mike and Elise, and an inspiration to the many musicians who shared stage or studio with him, not to mention the many fans and admirers his music reached across cultures and across national and international boundaries.

Chris Stafford is survived by his loving partner Kaitlyn “Kat” Elizabeth Usey, and extensive family network, including his mother, Lisa Ratliff Stafford, his sister, Mary Elise Riley, and his brother Michael Ross Stafford, and along with his sister-in-law Konner Viator Stafford, and his nephew and Godson Rex Timothy Stafford. He is also survived by his grandparents, Deanna Savoy Ratliff and Howard Chris Ratliff (Mamaw and Papaw), as well as Valerie Bordelon Stafford. Chris leaves behind his Uncle Keith Ratliff, Aunt Julie Ratliff, and their daughters, Laurie Reavis and Anna Ratliff. He is also mourned by his Aunt Kim Ratliff Pope and her sons Brennan Pope and Dillan Pope. Additionally, Chris is survived by his Aunt Pamela Ratliff, his Great-Uncle Jerry Bordelon, Great-Aunt Joey Bordelon, and his Uncle Mark Stafford, Aunt Mary Stafford, and their daughters Alexandra Stafford and Blair Stafford Alankar. Chris’s memory will live on through the cherished bonds he shared with each member of his family.

Chris was preceded in death by his father, Timothy Leslie Stafford; paternal grandfather, Thomas Lee Stafford, and his first cousin, Clayton Thomas Stafford.

The Stafford family requests that gifts in memory of Chris, in lieu of flowers, be made to a GoFundMe established in his name: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-honor-chris-staffords-memory. In addition to defraying funeral expenses, funds will go toward creating an endowment that will honor Chris’s extraordinary creative legacy.

Funeral services will be held Sunday, May 5th at 1:30 PM in Delhomme Chapel of the Flowers.

The family requests that visiting hours be observed in Delhomme Chapel of the Flowers on Sunday, May 5, 2024 from 12:30 PM until the time of service.

The honorary pallbearers will be Brennan Pope, Dillan Pope, Chris Segura, Emile Ancelet, Chas Justus, Daniel Coolik, Philippe Billeaudeaux, and Andy Bianculli.

Personal condolences may be sent to the Stafford family at: www.delhommefuneralhome.com

A celebration of life will be held at Warehouse 535, 535 Garfield St, Lafayette, LA 70501, from 3:30 PM – 8:00 PM.

We’re hitting the road for a Midwest tour in February. Check out our “tour” page for more info and to purchase tickets.

We’re excited to return to the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival this spring! Come see us at the Fais Do Do stage on Friday, May 6! Jazz Fest takes place April 29 – May 8 and features 500+ bands, amazing foods, parades and more. Tickets and info at www.nojazzfest.com 

Kelli Jones aka K.C. Jones, along with Chris Stafford and Trey Boudreaux will be on tour this month promoting Queen of the In Between. See if the trio will make a stop in a town near you.

Kelli’s first solo album, Queen of the In Between, is set for release on June 18 via Free Dirt Records. Check out K.C. Jones’ new website HERE for more information including recent press and reviews from No Depression, Rolling Stone, and more! 

Check out Kelli’s latest recording project, Spirited Melancholy. The new EP is a collaboration with Daniel Coolik of the Revelers and was released on Valcour Records earlier this year. Click HERE to download the album and read more about it.

It’s always an honor to be recognized by our peers in New Orleans. We’re happy to announce we are nominated for Best Cajun Artist for the upcoming Best of the Beat Awards. Click the link below to vote and check out the rest of the nominees for OffBeat Magazine’s award show.

The complete list of nominees for the 2019 Best of the Beat Awards