Rockin' Dopsie

b. Alton Jay Rubin, 10 February 1932, Carencro, Louisiana, USA, d. 26 August 1993. Following the death of Clifton Chenier, Dopsie was acclaimed the new King Of Zydeco and crowned as such by the mayor of Lafayette in January 1988. He taught himself accordion at the age of 14, and in 1955 teamed up with scrubboard player Chester Zeno to work the local club circuit, adapting his name from that of ‘Doopsie’, a Chicagoan dancer. In 1969-70 he recorded for the Bon Temps and Blues Unlimited labels, and in 1973 began a successful collaboration with Sonet Records and producer Sam Charters. In 1986, Paul Simon featured Dopsie on his classic GRACELAND, and three years later, Bob Dylan hired him for another much-acclaimed set, OH MERCY. In 1987, he made CROWNED PRINCE OF ZYDECO for Maison De Soul and in 1990 was rewarded with a major three-year contract with Atlantic. His band, the Twisters, featured his sons Alton (drums) and David Rubin (rub-board), and the legendary zydeco saxophone player John Hart. After his father's death in 1993 from a heart attack, David became known as Rockin' Dopsie, Jnr.