Rockin' All The Time
He's boogied with James Brown, packed the House of Blues, performed at the White House, traveled to more cities than a Greyhound bus, and performed with some of the top names in contemporary music, in addition to leading his own band. Music critics hail him as one of the zydeco music genre's most notable personalities, and one critic even stated that "a party seems to break out whenever and wherever he and his band show up." Who is this legendary musician and showman?
His birth name is David Rubin, but he is best known by his stage moniker Rockin' Dopsie Jr. He has recently released his 11th CD with his band, titled More Fun With Rockin' Dopsie Jr. and the Zydeco Twisters, and the legacy goes on. He is continuing the heritage of his father, the late, legendary zydeco accordionist and singer Alton Jay Rubin, AKA Rockin' Dopsie.
Growing up in a musical household in the heart of Cajun Country around Lafayette, Dopsie Jr. played congas, drums, and accordion from an early age. His three brothers play instruments, as well. The oldest brother, Alton Jr., nicknamed "Tiger," plays drums, and Dopsie Jr.'s younger brothers, Anthony and Dwayne, both play accordion. Tiger and Anthony are current members of the Zydeco Twisters, while Dwayne has enjoyed a successful solo career with his own band, the Zydeco Hellraisers. Collectively, the performing Rubins are known as "The First Family of Zydeco" and "Zydeco's Royal Family."
"I grew up around this music," Dopsie Jr. said. "All these guys used to come over to the house. B.B. King, Bobby Bland, Gatemouth Brown, Johnnie Taylor, and lots of others," including Clifton Chenier, who is often referred to as "The King of Zydeco" and with whom the original Rockin' Dopsie frequently performed. "When these guys came over, my momma would cook up a gumbo or my daddy would barbecue," Dopsie Jr. fondly recalled. "I got to know a lot of them as a young kid. As time grew and I got to perform with my dad, I played with these guys. It was amazing."
At his father's urging, Dopsie Jr. took up the rub board when Dopsie Sr.'s cousin, Chester "Shorty" Zeno, had to leave the band for health reasons. "I was always my dad's entertainer. I'd perform and dance while he was playing," Dopsie Jr. said.
The years to come would bring Dopsie Jr. even greater fame. Assuming leadership over the Zydeco Twisters after his father's sudden, unexpected death in 1993, Dopsie Jr. went on to perform all over the U.S. and abroad. He has played with the Rolling Stones, Jimmy Buffett, Billy Joel, Beyoncé, Bonnie Raitt, Cyndi Lauper, the Chicks, Dolly Parton, and other rock and country stars, as well as recorded on albums by Paul Simon and Bob Dylan.
Dopsie Jr. and the Zydeco Twisters were also the house band for TV shows hosted by Gayle King, Regis Philbin and Kathie Lee, and the Wheel of Fortune game show. In February 2002, they performed with Britney Spears and Mystikal on MTV Mardi Gras 2002, a two-hour special.
Under Dopsie Jr.'s leadership, the band also performed in New York City's prestigious Carnegie Hall and in the White House for President Bill Clinton. A year after his father's passing, he played at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C., when Dopsie Sr.'s accordion and other memorabilia were donated to the museum's permanent collection.
The torch that was metaphorically passed on to Dopsie Jr. remains with him and he carries it proudly. Now in his early 60s, Dopsie Jr. is still an energetic whirlwind onstage during his performances. In addition to singing and playing the rub board strapped across his chest, he also does splits and other gymnastic moves and shouts into a microphone his signature call-out, "Somebody scream."
"That's my signature," Dopsie Jr. explained. "That's what people know me for. Somebody told me the other day I should patent it. It's so funny because when I walk into stores and other places and people recognize me, they just look at me and say, 'Somebody scream.'"
In addition to Dopsie Jr. and his brothers, the Zydeco Twisters also include lead and rhythm guitarists, a bass guitarist, a keyboardist, a saxophonist, and a trumpeter. The band's latest CD, like their previous releases, contains a balanced mix of original pieces and cover versions of other performers' hits, but they all feature the distinctive zydeco style that the band has become widely known for. Some of the songs were previously written and performed by his father's band.
Over the years, Dopsie Jr. has been racking up the honors, including nine "Best of the Beat" Awards, and he has twice been nominated for a Grammy Award. Most recently, he was selected as one of eight winners of a prestigious Fessy Award, named after the late pianist Professor Longhair, whose nickname was "Fess." Founded and headed by Grammy Award winner Cyril Neville, previous and current Fessy Award winners represent some of the top performers in the New Orleans musical community.
Always in demand, Rockin' Dopsie Jr. and the Zydeco Twisters have been closing out the French Quarter Festival for most of the festival's 40-plus years of existence. For this year's Jazz Fest, they will be performing on the Sunday of the first weekend and at the Zurich Golf Classic on the same weekend.
Rockin' Dopsie Jr. had this to say about the music he loves and performs to the delight of audiences all across the globe:
"You know, sometimes people ask me, 'What is zydeco?' I tell them that zydeco is something that you may not have heard before but you should have heard a long time ago. Because it's good-time music. It's fun to dance to. So turn this album up, and come out and see us play."
Rockin' Dopsie Jr. and the Zydeco Twisters will be performing at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival on Sunday, April 26, at the Festival Stage from 2:05 p.m. to 3:05 p.m.
