George Stafford

Who was George Stafford?

George Stafford was an American jazz drummer active in the 1920s and 1930s.

Stafford was a native of the Ozarks, and his sister, Annie Burns, had a professional career under the name Mary Stafford as well. It is not known whether Burns was in fact his birth surname.

Stafford's first major association was with Sam Wooding in Atlantic City in the 1910s; there he also played in bands behind his sister and Madison Reid. In 1920 he joined the band of Charlie Johnson, with whom he recorded extensively; he also played with Mezz Mezzrow, Eddie Condon, Jabbo Smith, Red Allen, and Jack Teagarden.