Zydeco King Dwayne Dopsie Announces 'Bon Ton'
By: Kaitlin Milligan May. 07, 2019
2018 Grammy award nominee and "America's Hottest Accordion" winner, Dwayne Dopsie plays a high energy zydeco that keeps you wanting more. Dwayne hails from one of the most influential zydeco families in the world, as a child he performed at Mardi Gras and a Super Bowl halftime show with his father, Alton "Rockin' Dopsie" Rubin, a pioneer of the genre, who came to mainstream prominence after his work with Paul Simon on Graceland. Learning from his father gave him a foundation from which to build on, steeped in tradition. Although inspired by previous generations, he has developed his own super-charged style that defies existing stereotypes and blazes a refreshingly distinct path for 21st century zydeco music, earning him the right to assume his father's crown as the king of the accordion. Lousiana Red Hot Records is proud to announce their first release with Dopsie, Bon Ton, out May 24th.
Dwayne Dopsie and his band, the genre defying Zydeco Hellraisers have thrilled audiences over 40 countries and hundreds of cities since his debut at age 19. Dopsie and the Zydeco Hellraisers have enjoyed national exposure with outlets like Rolling Stone, Good Morning America, CBS This Morning, Food Network, and The Jamie Kennedy Experiment, and his last release was nominated for a Grammy in 2018.
To put it plainly, his latest release, Bon Ton hits hard. The familiar, unrelenting rhythms of zydeco are met with a virtuosity unmatched by any of his peers. The old soul in his vocals powers through searing guitars and the perfect assemblage of horns, yielding a particularly potent brand of rhythm and trance that only zydeco in it's purest form can deliver. Listeners get the heart and soul of Dopsie with stand out solo tracks like "Chain Gang Worker" but all in all, the album is exactly what it professes to be: a high impact Bon Ton from one of Acadiana's most masterful lineage bearers.
Born March 3, 1979 in Lafayette, Louisiana, was the last of eight children of Rockin' Dopsie, Sr. To this day, Dwayne attributes his passion and prodigious abilities to his father, but the truth is he was simply born to play this music. "This is my calling - Zydeco music is in my blood and it is my heart and soul."
Dwayne Dopsie & The Zydeco Hellraisers Tour Dates
May 18-19 Lake Charles, LA L'Auberge Casino
May 25-26 Simi Valley, CA Simi Valley Cajun & Blues Fest
May 31 Truckee, CA Truckee Craw Thaw Festival
June 8 College Station, TX Wolf Pen Creek Amphitheater
June 13 Henderson, KY W.C. Handy Blues & BBQ Fest
June 14 Jackson, MI Jackson Blues Festival
June 21-22 Bay St Louis, MS Silver Slippers Casino
June 23 New Orleans, LA Louisiana Zydeco Festival
July 19 Harrison, BC Harrison Festival of the Arts
July 25 Middlesboro, KY Middlesboro Concert Series
July 27 Waterville, OH Blues & Brews Fest
Aug 9 Hubbard, OH Truck World Appreciation Day
Aug 10 Reston, VA Reston Concerts on the Town
Aug 16 Helena, MT Lewis & Clark Brewery Blues Fest
Aug 17 Big Sky, MO Moonlight Music Festival Sept 21 Denton, TX Denton Blues Festival
Oct 13 New Iberia, LA World Championship Gumbo Cook Off
Comments
Videos