Radiators superhero guitarist Camile Baudoin celebrates his 75th Birthday on Tuesday, June 27, 2023. Michael Allen Zell connected with Baudoin to talk about his 75 years on the planet…

What’s a great memory you occasionally go back to from growing up along Bayou Lafourche?
That would be the point when my uncle Alton, who is my godfather as well, played guitar with the Dufrene Brothers, and he taught me beyond what my father did. OST [Old Spanish Trail] in Raceland was a family place that had bands and a skating rink. One night I was asked to go sit in with the band. They thought I was ready. I was 10 years old. When I got up on the stage to play the songs with them, it felt good and was familiar.

Camile Baudoin, Photo: OffBeat/Kim Welsh

By the mid-1960s, you were playing in the clubs on Bourbon Street. What do you recall about that era?
A lot of us started a year or two before we probably should have been in those clubs. Depending on the crowd and the tourists on the street, you would play anywhere from two to seven sets a night into the wee hours. If they were making money, then you worked.

You’ve been described as a walking jukebox. How does that make you feel?
That my mind’s very crowded! I was playing originals as well, but to get the gigs and keep them, you had to play what was popular on the radio. Thank you, WWOZ. You were playing a lot of covers and songs from a lot of genres. A pretty good eclectic mix. With the Radiators we were good at grabbing more obscure songs and making them our own. By that point in time, they were songs we wanted to cover, not that we needed to get gigs.

To paraphrase astronaut John Glenn, “Too many people when they get older, think they have to live by the calendar.”
I did that for a while because of touring so long. I’m now in semi-retirement in spurts, if you will. I like to take a little time to do what I want, but I still enjoy playing music. In 2011 the band stopped touring, so I can’t say “broke up.” Too stupid to stop, and I guess we are. We just had our 45-year reunion at Tipitina’s with all the original members.

May God give you the strength to blow out 75 candles.
Yeah! I ride the stationary bike most days. It has been a great run of three-quarters of the century. Looking back, it’s been a blast and I’m still blessed. It’s all good.