The Folk Alliance International Conference is coming to New Orleans this year and WWOZ is partnering with the good people at the conference to give a special shoutout to the Louisiana-based Official Showcase artists and the work they’re doing to strengthen the arts community in Louisiana. This week's Louisiana Artist Spotlight shines on Dwayne Dopsie & the Zydeco Hellraisers.

Dwayne Dopsie is easily one of the most prolific accordionists in the USA, if not the world. Inspired by his father, Rockin’ Dopsie, Sr., a pioneer of Zydeco music, Dwayne keeps the spirit of the Zydeco tradition alive with new energy and style for the 21st century. His award-winning, GRAMMY-nominated band Dwayne Dopsie and The Zydeco Hellraisers is a culmination generations of Zydeco tradition, while charting a new path for the genre.

Crowds the world over– from the US, Europe, Brazil, Panama, Canada–have cheered the singer/songwriter/accordionist on, ever since his band’s debut at 19. Since then, Dwayne Dopsie and The Zydeco Hellraisers have been featured in Rolling Stone magazine, on the cover of Big City Blues magazine, Good Morning America, CBS This Morning, The Travel Channel, Food Network, The Jamie Kennedy Experiment, Soul Bag magazine, and OffBeat magazine.

Here they are playing 'Hey Hey Hey' at WWOZ in November 2015.