Meet Casper’s Singing Firefighter, Who Burned Up The Stage At Chris Ledoux Days

Patrick W. Stafford has no issues with standing on the top rungs of a Casper Fire Department ladder truck a few dozen feet above the earth or on a stage behind a six-string guitar playing a country song before a huge crowd.

The stage is exactly where Stafford and his band were in Kaycee, Wyoming, as they opened for Kyle Park and late country artist Chris LeDoux’s son, Ned, during Chris LeDoux Days, which was held June 14 - 15, 2024.

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

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

“We were very pleased to go up and Peggy LeDoux and all of her family were very kind to have us play,” he said. “It was a great time.”

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

Living The Dream

The 50-year-old says he is living his dream as both firefighter and a musician. Originally a drummer in his youth, he started focusing more on the guitar and began playing cover songs wherever people would listen. He wrote his own songs.

Along the way, he became a firefighter, something he dreamed of becoming since a boy. 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 doing a song every month and I threw it up on YouTube. I started doing that and in the process of doing one song at a time I started writing again,” he said. “I had 12 songs at the end of the end of the year.”

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

In August 2017, he released his first album called “Full Tilt.” That also is the name of his band. One of the songs from that album “Ride of Vengeance” was recognized by online KB Country Radio of Ontario, Canada, as the number one song for 2022.

Kix 96.5 Wyoming Country in Buffalo, Wyo., and Jeff Rickett host of CBJ Radio in Sheridan have played his music and been very kind, Stafford said. Casper’s Shawn “DJ-Nyke” Jackson has also written some nice reviews on his music — though the station does not play country, he added.

Musical Influences

Stafford considers himself a product of several genres. He characterizes 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 heavy metal music he listened to when he was young.

“I am not a music snob, there is not one genre that I love. There are many genres that I love,” he said. “I can listen to Bing Crosby on vinyl in one second and be listening to Van Halen or Sammy Hagar” the next.

Because of his schedule as a firefighter and the work schedules of his band, he said his recording efforts involve online collaboration – two of his band’s members live in Denver— as well as some recording in Casper-area studios.

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

“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 on this grand idea of releasing music on a record like a real record.”

The Band

He said he is limiting gigs this summer to spend time with his sons, but he has some dates lined up with the band. The band includes drummer Ty Moore, bassist Tyler Patick and guitarist Michael Trott.

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

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

While he treasures the Chris Ledoux Days opportunity, he said he also had the opportunity to open for longtime Country rock mainstays the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band at Wyoming Ford Center during their visit a few years back. He remembers that gig, because he almost lost his life afterward.

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

“I played that gig and like a week later went in for 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 did CPR on me and of course the fire department had to come. I ended up waking up in the ICU at Wyoming Medical Center. The surgery had been done somewhere else.”

He said a lot of people who have their heart stop on a surgical table, don’t come back. He felt blessed — but he had to learn to play the guitar again.

“It was a slow transition of coming back for another year or two,” he said. “But I wanted to keep making music and that was the whole thing, not to give up.”

‘Bunch Of Brothers’

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

“They tease me and that’s cool,” he said. “I am a fireman who plays music, that’s who I am. I have guys on the job, they listen to my music, and they share it with their family, and they share it with their friends.”

As a firefighter, he characterizes the department “as a bunch of brothers.” He is the current senior firefighter at Station Two in Casper and especially enjoys the challenges of “vehicle extrication.” He teaches first-aid and CPR and is a certified technician in hazardous materials and installing child car seats.

Stafford said he has enough years at the department to retire but still loves his job. He would love to do music full-time, but his main gig as a firefighter provides for the family and keeps him serving the community.

“My whole dream was to become a fireman … and I’ve done that,” he said. “I love people to listen to my music, I am super proud of it. I’m super proud of the guys that we make music with, my band. It’s been a great experience, and I am so glad that I get a chance to do it, have a chance to share it.”

Contact Dale Killingbeck at dale@cowboystatedaily.com