The Jimmy Gaudreau / Orrin Star Duo

Bios & Blurbs
Jimmy Gaudreau has long been regarded as one of the top bluegrass performers in the world. Since getting the call at age 23 in 1969 to move to the Washington, DC area from his native Rhode Island and join the legendary Country Gentlemen, he has performed with a veritable Who's Who of bluegrass bands and earned a reputation as a mandolin maverick with a sound and a style all his own.

In addition to two stints with the Country Gentlemen Gaudreau has also performed with JD Crowe and the New South, with The Tony Rice Unit (for 9 years), and with his own bands Spectrum (with Bela Fleck), Chesapeake, and Auldridge, Bennett & Gaudreau. He also now performs regularly with songwriters/ Prairie Home Companion regulars Robin & Linda Williams.

Gaudreau's considerable impact as a performer and picker was thrice acknowledged in the past couple years: in January 2005 he was featured in a Mandolin Magazine cover story; in February, he was inducted into the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music in America's "Hall of Greats"; and in March 2006 "In Good Company", a retrospective CD of recordings with a wide range of performers over three decades was released on the CMH label.

He is on the web at www.jimmygaudreau.com
Orrin Star is an award-winning guitar, banjo and mandolin
player who’s also funny. With music ranging from fiddle tunes
to topical ballads to western swing, and storytelling both sharp
and droll, he has been described as ‘Arlo Guthrie-meets-Doc Watson’.

Playing professionally since the early seventies, his history
includes three bluegrass bands, a summer with banjo great Bill
Keith, and winning the 1976 National Flatpicking Championship
(the largest bluegrass guitar contest in the country). He has toured throughout the U.S. and Europe, been on A Prairie Home Companion, and recorded three albums for Flying Fish Records. He also worked for five years as a stand-up comic in New England.

Star is also recognized as one of the top bluegrass guitar instructors/workshop leaders in the country, with a popular book (Hot Licks for Bluegrass Guitar), two highly regarded instructional videos/DVDs, and a column in Flatpicking Guitar magazine since 1996.

He performs solo, duo, and with his band Orrin Star & the Sultans of String. He is on the web at www.orrinstar.com.
Blurbs

The full duo blurb appears under our photo on the homepage.

Here's a more concise version:

Gaudreau is a household name in bluegrass, having performed with a veritable Who’s Who of the genre; Star is a former National Flatpicking Champion once described as 'Arlo Guthrie-meets-Doc Watson.' Together they offer great picking, sweet singing, dry humor, and a repertoire ranging from original instrumentals to bluegrass standards, little-known folk gems to choice mandolin duets. Their website is www.jimmyandorrin.com.
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