James Arnott “Jimmy” Gaudreau is an American bluegrass, acoustic, and country singer-songwriter and mandolinist born on July 3, 1946, in Wakefield, Rhode Island. During high school, Gaudreau performed with Jimmy G & the Jaguars before adopting mandolin techniques influenced by his guitar background. In 1969, Gaudreau joined The Country Gentlemen, contributing to the albums New Look, New Sound and One Wide River to Cross. He later formed the progressive bluegrass group II Generation with Eddie Adcock in 1971. Gaudreau was a member of the bands Country Store, J. D. Crowe and the New South, and Spectrum with Béla Fleck. In 1985, Gaudreau began an 11-year tenure with the Tony Rice Unit. He co-founded the band Chesapeake in 1992 and performed with the Skylighters. In 2005, Gaudreau was inducted into the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music in America’s “Hall of Greats”. His solo discography includes The Gaudreau Mandolin Album (1978) and In Good Company (2006).
