Wayne Toups
Born: Oct. 2, 1958 in Crowley, La.
Wayne Toups began singing at age 13 in the southwest Louisiana Cajun community. By the early 1970's his first album, "Wayne Toups and the Crowley Aces," had been released in Europe. With a new band in 1987, Wayne popularized the "Zydecajun" music, created from fusing black zydeco with Cajun flavoring. He then turned to the Mercury label and by the early 1990's, Wayne was regularly performing in the U.S. as well as overseas, making appearances in South and Central America, Canada, Europe, and the "Far East." He played at the 1990 Super Bowl and the Cajun French Music Association's awarded him their "Song of the Year" Award in 1991 for his song "Late in Life." Three of his songs, including wedding favorite "Take My Hand", were featured in the movie Dirty Rice, and some of his work is also featured on the soundtracks for the movie Steel Magnolias and the television show "Broken Badges".
His more recent hit, "Back to the Bayou," steadily advanced up the charts to become the fastest-selling record ever for the South Louisiana independent, "Swallow Records."
A master of the diatonic accordion, Toups has been featured such standouts as Mark Chesnutt, Alan Jackson, Sammy Kershaw and Thomas Dolby. In addition to his own recordings, Toups has written for a number of other performers and some of his works have been selected for motion-picture soundtracks. From Beaumont to Biloxi, Toups is known as an energetic musician whose rhythms will make "you smile, dance, and fall in love."
Wayne Toups and Zydecajun perform live.
