Louis Beaudoin (2)

Louis Beaudoin (1921-1980) was a Northeast American old time fiddler who played in the French Canadian tradition. Born in Lowell, Massachusetts, Beaudoin moved with his family to Burlington, Vermont in 1937 at the age of 16 and began training under French Canadian fiddler Joe Danis. When World War II broke out, Beaudoin served in both Africa and Europe as part of the tank division. On returning to Vermont in the 1950s, he served at the Burlington police department until 1964 when he quit to open an automotive radiator shop. Beaudoin joined the Northeast Fiddlers' Association in 1966 and served as chairman of the board of trustees, regularly performing in the Oldtime Fiddle Contests throughout the late 1960s and 1970s. In 1977 Beaudoin was selected by the Smithsonian Institution to perform a square dance for the inauguration of Jimmy Carter. Beaudoin died in 1980 at the age of 59. He was the brother of Wilfred Beaudoin and father of Sylvia Beaudoin Blaise.