Oran "Doc" Guidry

Oran "Doc" Guidry for his lifetime commitment to Cajun music and its revival. A true legend of Cajun music, Doc Guidry was an extraordinary Cajun fiddler for over fifty years and set the standard for Cajun fiddlers to come. His recordings of "Colinda" and "Chere Cherie" are still the cornerstones of today's Cajun music. During his career Doc was sought by many Cajun bands and played with the best including Joe Werner, Leroy "Happy Fats" LeBlanc, Vin Bruce, Aldus Roger, Marc Savoy and Governor Jimmie Davis. His recordings on 78s, 45s and LPs spanned the years 1936 through 1980 and are sought by collectors worldwide. During the post-WWII years hardly a South Louisiana radio was not tuned to the "Happy Fats and Doc Guidry Show". On several occasions Doc played the Louisiana Hayride, steppingstone to the Grand Ole Opry. Doc Guidry was instrumental in the resurgence of Cajun music in the 1970s as he made the fiddle popular among young Cajun musicians. Always a gentleman and willing to help the younger musician, Doc Guidry was an inspiration to generations of young fiddlers. The Louisiana Division of the Arts in 1988 awarded Doc Guidry a Folklife Fellowship and in 1997 Oran "Doc" Guidry was posthumously inducted as a charter member into the Cajun French Music Association Hall of Fame.