Jimmy Gaudreau
Musician · b. 1946 · Wakefield, Rhode Island
Best known for
Mandolin
Jimmy Gaudreau is one of the most-recorded bluegrass mandolinists of the past half-century, defined by his guitar-style fingering approach and his work across the Country Gentlemen, J.D. Crowe and the New South, the Tony Rice Unit, and Chesapeake.
Assisted by AI.
Spot something off? Help us fix it.
- Born James Arnott Gaudreau on July 3, 1946 in Wakefield, Rhode Island; began on electric guitar in the teen band Jimmy G & the Jaguars and switched to mandolin during the early-1960s folk boom.
- Moved to the Washington, D.C. area in 1969 to join the Country Gentlemen, replacing John Duffey alongside Charlie Waller, Eddie Adcock, and Ed Ferris.
- Co-led II Generation with Eddie Adcock through the 1970s, then played with J.D. Crowe and the New South in the late 1970s — appearing on You Can Share My Blanket, My Home Ain't In the Hall of Fame, and Live in Japan.
- Was a charter member of Spectrum (1979–1981) with Béla Fleck and Mark Schatz before returning to a second Country Gentlemen stint (1981–1985), recording Good as Gold!.
- Joined the Tony Rice Unit in 1985 and stayed eleven years; recorded Me and My Guitar (1986), Native American (1991), and Tony Rice Plays and Sings Bluegrass (1993).
- Co-founded Chesapeake in 1992 with Mike Auldridge, T. Michael Coleman, and Moondi Klein; the Sugar Hill quartet ran through 1999.
- Recorded the Auldridge / Bennett / Gaudreau trio albums This Old Town (Rebel, 1999) and Blue Lonesome Wind (Rebel, 2001) with guitarist Richard Bennett.
- Performs and records as a duo with Moondi Klein since 2008; inducted into the SPBGMA Hall of Greats in 2005.
-
The Country GentlemenPlayed on recordings with The Country Gentlemen
-
J.D. Crowe and the New SouthPlayed on recordings with J.D. Crowe and the New South
-
Tony RicePlayed on recordings with Tony Rice
-
The Tony Rice UnitPlayed on recordings with The Tony Rice Unit
-
James KingPlayed on recordings with James King
-
Bill EmersonPlayed on recording with Bill Emerson
-
Bill Emerson and Sweet DixiePlayed on recording with Bill Emerson and Sweet Dixie
-
Jimmy Gaudreau and Moondi KleinPlayed on recording with Jimmy Gaudreau and Moondi Klein
