I find that as time goes on and my musical scope broadens, I'm still reminded of a bit of advice that was given to me by my good friend, the late, great John Duffey. this was back in 1969 when I moved to the Washington, DC area from my native Rhode Island, a young kid in a strange town with no aspirations of being able to fill his shoes. He had given me what he thought was enough time to settle-in and then decided it was time to catch the new configuration at the Shamrock, a club in Georgetown that was a weekly regular gig for The Gents. After abandoning thoughts of escaping out the back door, I took a deep breath and headed to the stage and after shaking uncontrollably for the first couple of tunes, I began to calm down and perform at the level to which Charlie and Eddie lifted me. At the end of the first set, so as not to prolong the agony, I went directly to the table where John was sitting and was invited to sit down. The tension eased immediately when he flashed a broad smile and shook my hand then said, "Yeah, I think you can make it in this business. Your tenor voice blends well and your mandolin style is interesting and fresh, but ... remember that you are on that stage to entertain. Not saying that you have to be less of a technician, but concentrate on being more of an entertainer." Words to live by if you are going to try to make it in the music business, from the man who will be remembered as one of the greatest entertainers to ever grace a stage.

Well it's 35+ years and several bands later, and although there have been times that I haven't exactly stuck with that advice, I've managed to seek out a living being able to do the thing I love most. Most recently I've had the opportunity to work with my good friends Robin & Linda Williams who, along with Jim Watson on bass, have been in the music business for roughly as long as I have and have reminded me what it is to go out on a stage and entertain. In my short time onboard, I've grown to appreciate their awesome songwriting ability and their gorgeous, soulful harmony vocals, which I like to compare to a fine wine that has aged to perfection over the years. But beyond this I can bear witness to their ability to connect with, and their dedication to entertain their audience and night after night I'm seeing overwhelming appreciation by audience members who are seeing the group for the first time, as well as their loyal following of long-time fans. After a performance, there is always a feeling of pride and accomplishment in the air and sometimes when I stop to reflect on this, my thoughts drift back to John Duffey and I think, "yeah, that's what he was talking about."

Recording projects by Jimmy Gaudreau

Visit Jimmy's homepage to order these CDs

Mandolin Artistry Live in Holland Rising Tide Full Sail

Pier Pressure This Old Town Blue Lonesome Wind River of Memories