# Dwayne Dopsie

Dwayne Rubin, better known by his stage name Dwayne Dopsie, is an American Zydeco musician. He is the accordionist and vocalist for his New Orleans-based band, Dwayne Dopsie and the Zydeco Hellraisers.

## Biography

Dwayne Dopsie was born March 3, 1979, in Lafayette, Louisiana. He is the youngest of accordionist Rockin' Dopsie's eight children, and picked up music in the household from an early age. He began playing washboard at age six and accordion at seven, and performed with his father on stage at Mardi Gras and on television for a Super Bowl halftime during his childhood.
After Rockin' Dopsie died in 1993, Dwayne Dopsie dropped out of high school to pursue zydeco music full-time. He founded his own band, the Zydeco Hellraisers, in 1999 when he was nineteen years old, and that same year was named "America's Hottest Accordionist" in a competition run by the American Accordion Association.
In 2013, Dopsie collaborated with Corey Ledet, Anthony Dopsie and Andre Thierry on the album Nothin' But the Best, which was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Regional Roots Music Album. Dopsie received another nomination in the same category for his 2017 album Top of the Mountain. Dopsie plays regularly at New Orleans events such as Mardi Gras and Jazz & Heritage Festival, has done numerous tours of the United States, and has toured internationally several times, including performances in Canada, Georgia, and China. In 2018, Dopsie signed with Louisiana Red Hot Records, who released Bon Ton in the June, 2019.

## Music

Dopsie's style is grounded in Zydeco but incorporates musical elements from rock and roll, rhythm and blues, blues, and reggae.

## Zydeco Hellraisers members
### Current

* Dwayne Dopsie - accordion, vocal
* Juju Child - guitar
* Brandon David - guitar, vocals
* Percy Walker - drums
* Dion Pierre - bass
* Paul Lafleur - washboard
* Tim McFatter - saxophone

### Former

* Alex MacDonald - washboard, vocals
* Calvin Sam - drums
* Carl Landry - saxophone
* Shelton Sonnier - guitar, vocals
* Vincent Doucet - washboard
* Kipori Woods - guitar
* Dee Fleming - drums
* Kevin Minor - drums
* Reggie Smith Jr. - saxophone

## Awards and honors
### OffBeat's Best of The Beat Awards

| Year | Category | Work nominated | Result |
| 1999 | Best Emerging Zydeco Band or Performer | | Won |
| 2000 | Best Emerging Zydeco Band or Performer | | Won |
| 2003 | Best Accordionist | | Won |
| 2012 | Best Zydeco Band or Performer | | Won |
| 2012 | Best Zydeco Album | Been Good to You | Won |
| 2013 | Best Accordionist | | Won |
| 2014 | Best Zydeco Band or Performer | | Won |
| 2015 | Best Zydeco Band or Performer | | Won |
| 2015 | Best Zydeco Album | Calling Your Name | Won |
| 2016 | Best Zydeco Band or Performer | | Won |
| 2017 | Best Zydeco Band or Performer | | Won |
| 2017 | Best Zydeco Album | Top of the Mountain | Won |
| 2017 | Best Accordionist | | Won |
| 2018 | Best Zydeco Band or Performer | | Won |
| 2019 | Best Zydeco Band or Performer | | Won |
| 2019 | Best Zydeco Album | Bon Ton | Won |
| 2020 | Best Zydeco Band or Performer | | Won |
| 2021-22 | Best Zydeco Band or Performer | | Won |
| 2021-22 | Best Zydeco Album | Set Me Free | Won |
| 2023 | Best Accordionist | | Won |

## Discography
### Studio albums

* Now It Begins (1999)
* Dopsie Strikes (2001)
* Travelin' Man (2006)
* Up In Flames (2009)
* Been Good To You (2011)
* Calling Your Name (2015)
* Top Of The Mountain (2017, Grammy Nominated)
* Bon Ton (2019)
* Set me free ( 2021)

### Live albums

* Get Down! (2011)
* Dopsie's Got It (2014)
* LIVE AT THE 2023 NEW ORLEANS JAZZ & HERITAGE FESTIVAL ( 2023, Grammy nominated)