Oran "Doc" Guidry
"Doc" Guidry - King of the Cajun Fiddlers
Background information
Also known asKing of the Cajun Fiddlers[1]
Born(1918-04-28)April 28, 1918[2]
Lafayette, Louisiana, U.S.
DiedNovember 10, 1992(1992-11-10) (aged 74)[2]
Lafayette, Louisiana, U.S.
GenresCajun
Occupation(s)Musician, fiddle player
Instrument(s)Cajun fiddle

Oran "Doc" Guidry (April 28, 1918 – November 10, 1992)[1] was an American Cajun and country music fiddler. Some of his best known recordings include "Wondering", "Colinda", "Crowley Two Step", and "Chere Cherie".

Biography

Born April 28, 1918 in Lafayette, Louisiana, Oran Guidry learned to play the fiddle from his father, Cleopha.[1]

Career

Early on, in 1936, he began recording with Happy Fats' Rayne-Bo Ramblers and Hackberry Ramblers' Joe Werner. There, they recorded a slew of recordings for Bluebird. By 1938, he had scored a chance to record with David Kapp's Decca Records and formed the "Sons of Acadians" band.

After World War II, he would continue performing, recording and broadcasting with Happy Fats forming the group "Happy, Doc and the Boys" (or sometimes listed "Hadacol Boys"). These would be featured on J. D. "Jay" Miller's new Fais Do Do label.[3] However, other groups would also use Doc's fiddle and electric mandolin in their recordings. Bill Hutto had him playing on his recordings during the 1950s. He even toured the country with Jimmie Davis[4] where he would make his signature 1953 recording of "Chere Cherie" with L. J. Blanc at a session in Nashville, TN. Together, they played on the Louisiana Hayride[5] and the Grand Ole Opry. In May of that year, Billboard Magazine stated the song was a "pretty ballad, sung in English and French by the Cajun folk artist, is presented gracefully. Might earn some regional action".[6]

In 1962, Vin Bruce had him recording at a session at the KLFT radio station. He jumped in with Aldus Roger and his Lafayette Playboys at the La Louisianne studio in 1964 and 1965. In 1966, La Louisianne had him record a solo album. By 1968 in his last recordings, he joined Vin Bruce again in New Orleans at the Cosimo Matassa recording studio. In his later years, he would play blues, jazz and even some popular lounge music.[1] At some point in the early 1980s, he toured Asia with Cajun legend D. L. Menard.[3]

  • Chere Cherie (1966)

Legacy

Guidry would eventually be entered into the Cajun French Music Hall of Fame and the Country Music Hall of Fame.[2][7]

Discography

Chere Cherie, Decca Records
  • Chere Cherie / The Little Fat Man (9-28678 Decca, 1953)
  • Doc Guidry: King Of The Cajun Fiddlers (LL-115 LaLouisianne, ca.1966)

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Yule, Ron (2009). Louisiana Fiddlers. University Press of Mississippi. pp. 152–157. ISBN 978-1604732955.
  2. 1 2 3 "COUNTRY MUSIC HALL OF FAME AND MUSEUM. DOC GUIDRY". Retrieved April 13, 2015.
  3. 1 2 Koster, Rick (2002). Louisiana Music: A Journey From R&b To Zydeco, Jazz To Country, Blues To Gospel, Cajun Music To Swamp Pop To Carnival (1st ed.). Da Capo Press. p. 174. ISBN 978-0306810039.
  4. ↑ Weill, Gus (1998). You Are My Sunshine: The Jimmie Davis Story. Pelican Publishing. p. 65. ISBN 978-0882896601.
  5. ↑ Laird, Tracey E. W. (1999). "Country Chameleons: Cajuns on the Louisiana Hayride". Flklife in Louisiana: Louisiana's Living Traditions. Retrieved April 13, 2015.
  6. ↑ "C&W Record Reviews". The Billboard (May 30, 1953): 45. May 30, 1953.
  7. ↑ "CFMA – The Cajun French Music Association – Dedicated To Promote & Preserve Cajun Music and Culture". Archived from the original on May 28, 2010. Retrieved April 13, 2015.
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