Rockin' Dopsie

Rockin' Dopsie earned recognition as the crown prince of zydeco for his unmatched command of the button accordion, just as Clifton Chenier held the title of king. Like Chenier, he committed himself to keeping alive the traditional French songs at the genre's core. Born Alton Rubin in the small Louisiana town of Carencro near Lafayette, he passed much of his youth harvesting cotton and laboring in sugarcane fields. His father, an accordionist who played weekend house parties in the area, often brought the boy along to performances. At age fourteen the elder Rubin handed over a small accordion and instructed his son to master it on his own. Playing left-handed and upside down, young Rubin absorbed melodies from the radio and soon performed at parties himself, quickly earning a stronger local reputation than his father. He later relocated to Lafayette, where he appeared in blues clubs during the 1950s alongside cousin Chester Zeno on washboard while holding a daytime job as a hod carrier. He adopted the stage name Rockin' Dopsie from a Chicago dancer who had appeared locally; like that dancer, Rubin also enjoyed a reputation for skillful hoofing, and the added nickname "Rockin'" reflected his energetic style. Despite advice from Chenier, he maintained regular day employment even as he played zydeco in clubs, eventually establishing himself as an electrical contractor. Through the 1950s and 1960s he cut occasional sides for independent labels. His first full album, made with Sam Charters, appeared on Sweden's Sonet imprint, and over the following decade he recorded five additional albums for the same company. Issued primarily in Europe, those releases brought him widespread popularity there, prompting twice-yearly tours beginning in 1979. Stateside notice arrived only in the mid-1980s, boosted when he contributed the track "That Was Your Mother" to Paul Simon's landmark Graceland album. He later collaborated with other mainstream artists such as Cyndi Lauper and Bob Dylan, appeared in television commercials, and took small roles in films including Delta Heat. Rubin continued performing and recording until his death in 1993. His son David Rubin became a noted metal washboard player, while another son, Alton Rubin, Jr., worked as a drummer; both performed in their father's band.