Meet the singing firefighter from Casper, who burned…

Patrick W. Stafford has no problem standing on the upper rungs of a Casper Fire Department ladder truck, a few dozen feet above the ground, or on a stage behind a six-string guitar playing a country song in front of a huge crowd.

The stage is exactly where Stafford and his band were in Kaycee, Wyoming, opening for Kyle Park and the late country artist Chris LeDoux’s son, Ned, at Chris LeDoux Days, which took place on the 14th and June 15, 2024.

“As far as concerts in Wyoming go, it’s a big deal,” Stafford said. “They called me in January and asked if I wanted to open up. I grew up listening to Chris LeDoux’s music and listening to songs on vinyl, like “The Yellow Stud.”

Stafford and his band played 11 of his original songs during a 45-minute set.

“We were very happy to go up and Peggy LeDoux and her whole family were very nice to have us play,” he said. “It was a nice time.”

Stafford recently released a new album “County 16” and has a single called “Johnson County.”

Living the dream

The fifty-year-old says he is living his dream both as a firefighter and a musician. Initially a drummer in his youth, he began to focus more on the guitar and began playing covers wherever people listened. He wrote his own songs.

Along the way, he became a firefighter, something he dreamed of becoming since childhood. Twenty-three years ago he joined the Casper Fire Department. There was also his marriage to Shireen and the birth of two sons, Conner and Colin.

But even as his life expanded, music never left him. In 2015, he made a New Year’s resolution to push himself more in the artistic side of his life.

“I basically started making a song every month and putting it out on YouTube. I started doing that and doing one song at a time, I started writing again,” he said. “I had 12 songs at the end of the year.”

Stafford began learning how to better share his music online, record, mix and find available outlets. He released his first song called “Wyoming Way”.

In August 2017, he released his first album entitled “Full Tilt”. It’s also the name of his group. One of the songs from this album, “Ride of Vengeance”, was recognized by online radio station KB Country Radio in Ontario, Canada as the number one song of 2022.

Kix 96.5 Wyoming Country in Buffalo, Wyo., and Jeff Rickett, host of CBJ Radio in Sheridan, played his music and were very nice, Stafford said. Casper’s Shawn “DJ-Nyke” Jackson has also written nice reviews of his music — although the station doesn’t play country, he added.

Musical influences

Stafford considers himself a product of many genres. He describes his sound as “traditional country.”

Country influences include Travis Tritt, Randy Travis, Chris LeDoux, Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson. He was also influenced by Van Halen, Sammy Hagar and the heavy metal music he listened to when he was young.

“I’m not a music snob, there’s not one genre I like. There are a lot of genres that I like,” he said. “I can listen to Bing Crosby on vinyl one second and listen to Van Halen or Sammy Hagar” the next.

Because of his firefighting schedule and his band’s work schedules, he said his recording efforts involved online collaboration — two of his band members live in Denver — as well as recording in studios from the Casper area.

His album “Country 16” is the result of six years of work and his goal was to put the songs on vinyl. He received a shipment of 300 classic orange records with five songs on each side just in time for his Chris Ledoux Days concert.

“I’ve always loved vinyl, I love retro stuff, I love old stereo systems and I love listening to vinyl records,” he said. “So these songs are my singles and then three new songs about this big idea of ​​releasing music on a record like a real record.”

The group

He said he’s limiting concerts this summer to spend time with his sons, but he has a few dates planned with the band. The band includes drummer Ty Moore, bassist Tyler Patick and guitarist Michael Trott.

A new song called “Old King Ranch” represents the group’s fusion of funk and country.

“The guys I play music with are incredible musicians. They’re all better than me,” Stafford said. “We are not held to any standards. I’m an independent artist, so I can play whatever I want and I love it. The music I play is my kind of Wyoming country. And that’s all I’ve brought with me over the years.

While he cherishes the Chris Ledoux Days opportunity, he said he also had the opportunity to open for longtime country rock stalwarts the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band at the Wyoming Ford Center during their visit a few years ago. He remembers this concert because he almost lost his life afterwards.

“I had torn my distal bicep (fighting) a structure fire,” he said. Stafford said he convinced his surgeon to wait until after the concert so he could play guitar.

“I played that show and about a week later I had surgery and they lost me,” he said. “It was a crazy thing; it was supposed to be “in and out” and they lost me on the table. They gave me CPR and of course the firefighters had to come. I ended up waking up in the ICU at Wyoming Medical Center. The operation had been performed elsewhere.

He said many people whose hearts stop on an operating table don’t come back. He felt blessed, but he had to learn to play the guitar again.

“It was a slow transition before coming back for another year or two,” he said. “But I wanted to keep making music and that was it, don’t give up.”

“Band of Brothers”

He also had to retake the physical agility test to keep his job with the fire department. Stafford praises his colleagues and agrees that “they keep it real for me.”

“They tease me and it’s cool,” he says. “I’m a firefighter who plays music, that’s what I am. I have guys at work, they listen to my music and share it with their family and with their friends.

As a firefighter, he describes the department “like a band of brothers.” He is currently a lead firefighter at Station 2 in Casper and particularly enjoys the challenges of “vehicle extrication.” He teaches first aid and CPR and is a certified hazardous materials and child car seat installation technician.

Stafford said he has enough years in the department to retire, but he still loves his job. He would love to pursue music full time, but his main job as a firefighter supports the family and allows him to serve the community.

“My dream was to become a firefighter…and I did it,” he said. “I love that people listen to my music, I’m super proud of it. I’m super proud of the guys we make music with, my band. It has been a great experience and I am very happy to have the chance to do it and share it.

Contact Dale Killingbeck at [email protected]