Vasudevachar was born in an orthodox Madhwa Brahmins family in Mysore and started learning music from Veena Padmanabhiah, the chief musician of the Mysore court.
He then went on to learn from the famous composer-musician Patnam Subramania Iyer supported by the Maharaja's generous stipend and imbibed the music of not only his Guru but also other great maestros of the Thanjavur-Cauvery delta.