The New York Times described Auldridge as "one of the most distinctive dobro players in the history of country and bluegrass music while widening its popularity among urban audiences".

[2] Auldridge was born in Washington, D.C., United States,[3] and grew up in the suburban town of Kensington, Maryland.

[4] Inspired by his uncle, steel guitarist Ellsworth T. Cozzens who had performed with Jimmie Rodgers during the 1920s,[4] Auldridge started playing guitar at the age of 13.

[6] Past bands include The Country Gentlemen, Emerson and Waldron, Cliff Waldron and the New Shades of Grass, Seldom Scene (of which he was a founding member), Chesapeake, The Good Deale Bluegrass Band, and John Starling and Carolina Star (which featured three original members of The Seldom Scene).

Auldridge died on December 29, 2012, one day prior to his 74th birthday, at home under hospice care in Silver Spring, Maryland, after a lengthy battle with prostate cancer.