When Jimmy Gaudreau moved from his native Rhode Island to the Washington, DC area in 1969, the region was becoming a hotbed for bluegrass music. Jimmy joined the legendary Country Gentlemen and launched a career which has since included stints with numerous nationally known bands and artists, including Emmylou Harris and the Tony Rice Unit.

Moondi Klein was raised in New York City and relocated to the DC area in 1984 after graduating from college. Moondi was classically trained and performed with the New York Metropolitan Opera Children’s Chorus at a young age. His classical training was a strong, if somewhat unusual, foundation for his ambitions to start a career in bluegrass music.

Jimmy and Moondi crossed paths in 1990 during a picking party at a mutual friend’s house. After singing a few tunes together, it quickly became evident that they were a great fit. In 1992 they joined forces with Seldom Scene members Mike Auldridge and T. Michael Coleman to form the group Chesapeake. This part-time band eventually became a full-time entity, yielding three highly acclaimed recording projects on the Sugar Hill label.

After the disbanding of Chesapeake, both Jimmy and Moondi went on to pursue their individual endeavors. It wasn’t until a call a few years later that they reunited. Back together again, they are now performing as a duo and are making big waves on the acoustic music scene. Although influenced by their bluegrass backgrounds, their sound has moved on to new levels. The tight harmonies, “hot” instrumental arrangements and heart-felt lyrics lend themselves to just about any style or genre of acoustic music.

Their first CD as a duo, 2:10 Train on Rebel Records, has gained international acclaim. From this release came many a tour of the US and Canada as co-bill and opening artists for bluegrass superstar Emmylou Harris.

Several years in the making, their second duo CD on Rebel Records, Home from the Mills, is another eclectic mix of instrumental and vocal tracks. This CD also features guest performer Lauren Klein, who adds a beautiful third voice to the vocal harmonies. Their third release for Rebel, 2014’s If I Had A Boat, continued their trend of expanding the boundaries and blurring the lines between genres of acoustic music in a heartfelt, thoroughly moving way.