Dopsie Salutes Father's Zydeco Legacy
Legacy of the “Crown Prince of Zydeco,” Rockin’ Dopsie
to be Honored on Saturday, October 15, 2016 at the
Liberty Theater in Eunice, Louisiana
October 12, 2016
by Herman Fusilier
The Advertiser
The world knew the late Rockin’ Dopsie as the “Crown Prince of Zydeco,” Carencro native Alton Rubin who frequently toured Europe and recorded “That Was Your Mother” on Paul Simon’s landmark “Graceland” album. “Graceland” became the 1987 Grammy Album of the Year on its way to selling 16 million copies worldwide.
But to Dwayne Dopsie, the Crown Prince was Daddy. Dwayne wanted to be like his father, the left-handed accordion player who played the instrument upside down.
Unable to shake what he calls “that burning sensation” to play music, Dwayne left school in the ninth grade. The move has made the world his stage.
“My plan was to get the diploma, make everybody happy and stick with music,” said Dwayne, who was born in 1979 in Lafayette. “Then my father died, and that changed everything for me. I just sat down and said, ‘I really don’t need what I’m doing right now in school to play music.’
“I’ve been to 23 different countries, and I’ve never had anybody ask me about my social studies. I tell people I’ve been to the country of Georgia and they’re like, ‘What part? Atlanta?’ No, this Georgia is way across the other side of the world.”
Dwayne Dopsie and the Zydeco Hellraisers host a Tribute to Rockin’ Dopsie during the weekly Rendez-Vous des Cajuns radio and TV show Saturday at the Liberty Theater in Eunice. Alonzo Johnson and Paul “Lil Buck” Sinegal, original guitar players in Rockin’ Dopsie’s Zydeco Twisters band, will be part of the show.
Dwayne’s brothers Anthony, David and “Tiger,” who perform internationally as Rockin’ Dopsie Jr. and the Zydeco Twisters, are unable to attend because of a booking in Conroe, Texas. But Dwayne is looking forward to sharing the family’s rich musical legacy.
“I’m going to do all of my dad’s music,” said Dwayne. “From start to finish, they’re going to get to enjoy a lot of the songs my daddy used to play that people remember. A lot of people listening to the music now never heard of these songs.
“If it wasn’t for his music, I wouldn’t know where I would be. I’ve been around the world 11 times and still counting. It’s because of what my daddy instilled in me and my brothers that gave us the opportunity and the freedom to play something, not only that we always would hear. But it was something we were passionate about.”
That passion has allowed Dwayne to develop a fiery squeezebox style that earned him the title, “The Jimi Hendrix of the Accordion.” In 1999, the year he started his band, Dwayne was crowned America’s Hottest Accordionist in a contest sponsored by the American Accordion Association.
Dwayne continues to play worldwide, with upcoming gigs stretching from New Jersey to a first-time tour of China. He continues to credit his father for allowing him to live his dream.
But musical life has its challenges, too.
“If you’re a band that’s makes money by traveling, things happen. I’ve missed flights and had to sleep in the London airport on the floor. We slept in the Chicago airport a bunch of times.
“We went to a Mardi Gras festival in Winnipeg and the flight back was canceled because it was too much snow. We didn’t get home for two days. Once the airport shuts down after 11, you can’t get nothing to drink, nothing to eat. Talk about brutal.
“But this is what I want to do.”
Legacy of the “Crown Prince of Zydeco,” Rockin’ Dopsie
to be Honored on Saturday, October 15, 2016 at the
Liberty Theater in Eunice, Louisiana
October 12, 2016
by Herman Fusilier
The Advertiser
 |
| Dwayne Dopsie, right, and Paul LaFleur of the Zydeco Hellraisers perform at Music & Market in Opelousas. (Photo Credit: David Simpson) |
But to Dwayne Dopsie, the Crown Prince was Daddy. Dwayne wanted to be like his father, the left-handed accordion player who played the instrument upside down.
Unable to shake what he calls “that burning sensation” to play music, Dwayne left school in the ninth grade. The move has made the world his stage.
“My plan was to get the diploma, make everybody happy and stick with music,” said Dwayne, who was born in 1979 in Lafayette. “Then my father died, and that changed everything for me. I just sat down and said, ‘I really don’t need what I’m doing right now in school to play music.’
“I’ve been to 23 different countries, and I’ve never had anybody ask me about my social studies. I tell people I’ve been to the country of Georgia and they’re like, ‘What part? Atlanta?’ No, this Georgia is way across the other side of the world.”
Dwayne Dopsie and the Zydeco Hellraisers host a Tribute to Rockin’ Dopsie during the weekly Rendez-Vous des Cajuns radio and TV show Saturday at the Liberty Theater in Eunice. Alonzo Johnson and Paul “Lil Buck” Sinegal, original guitar players in Rockin’ Dopsie’s Zydeco Twisters band, will be part of the show.
Dwayne’s brothers Anthony, David and “Tiger,” who perform internationally as Rockin’ Dopsie Jr. and the Zydeco Twisters, are unable to attend because of a booking in Conroe, Texas. But Dwayne is looking forward to sharing the family’s rich musical legacy.
“I’m going to do all of my dad’s music,” said Dwayne. “From start to finish, they’re going to get to enjoy a lot of the songs my daddy used to play that people remember. A lot of people listening to the music now never heard of these songs.
“If it wasn’t for his music, I wouldn’t know where I would be. I’ve been around the world 11 times and still counting. It’s because of what my daddy instilled in me and my brothers that gave us the opportunity and the freedom to play something, not only that we always would hear. But it was something we were passionate about.”
That passion has allowed Dwayne to develop a fiery squeezebox style that earned him the title, “The Jimi Hendrix of the Accordion.” In 1999, the year he started his band, Dwayne was crowned America’s Hottest Accordionist in a contest sponsored by the American Accordion Association.
Dwayne continues to play worldwide, with upcoming gigs stretching from New Jersey to a first-time tour of China. He continues to credit his father for allowing him to live his dream.
But musical life has its challenges, too.
“If you’re a band that’s makes money by traveling, things happen. I’ve missed flights and had to sleep in the London airport on the floor. We slept in the Chicago airport a bunch of times.
“We went to a Mardi Gras festival in Winnipeg and the flight back was canceled because it was too much snow. We didn’t get home for two days. Once the airport shuts down after 11, you can’t get nothing to drink, nothing to eat. Talk about brutal.
“But this is what I want to do.”
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