Dwayne Dopsie

My earliest memory of music is at the age of four, being able to watch videos and watch my brother (Rockin' Dopsie Jr.) and my father (Rockin' Dopsie Sr.) play music, and growing up in the house. That was my earliest memory of me starting to love, fall in love with zydeco music.

My first instrument growing up was the washboard, or rubbing board, like how we used to call it. My brother, Rockin' Dopsie Junior, I was a fan of his, watching his performance, how he played, and the sound of the washboard. So that was my first instrument, but I always had another love for accordion, and I didn't know how to transition from washboard to accordion. And one day it just happened. It just took me a few years.

My first musical gig was at the age of 16. I remember after my father died, Rockin’ Dopsie Senior, my brothers kept his band, and they wanted to incorporate me into the band. I was still young, still kind of in school. That was the first, I would consider, real musical gig that I had, that I got paid for.

Music makes me feel good. Music makes me happy. It brings out my inner soul.

My passion and lyrics for my music come from everyday life, from the life that I grew up living to the life that I have now. The passion comes from never giving up in what I believe in. And the lyrics come from just everyday life, from things I've been through, things I go through, things I see – stuff like that.

When I'm playing my zydeco music, I want people to feel happy. I want people to feel joy. I want people to let whatever problems they have go for that hour or two hours that my show’s going on because zydeco is happy music. It's music that brings people together. Young, old, creeds, all races, whatever. It's music that speaks to your soul.

I love to collaborate with different artists, especially in different genres. Like when I did the collaboration with Raphael Saadiq on the Beyoncé Cowboy Carter record. I did a collaboration with the Rolling Stones. I was able to bring my zydeco music into their world, and they were able to bring their music into my world, and to be able to sit down and have a conversation with these people about music, the thing that I grew up on, it spoke volumes to where I came from, who I am, and what music means.

When I'm on the road promoting Lafayette, Louisiana, I tell people all the time it's a place that you want to go, that you should go. It's a place that when you go, you always want to return, from the music to the food to the culture to the tight-knit community. It's a place that you can't find anywhere else but Lafayette.

I am Dwayne Dopsie, leader of Dwayne Dopsie and The Zydeco Hellraisers. I'm a four-time GRAMMY® nominee, one-time GRAMMY® winner, and I am a zydeco musician.