Jerry Embree

Jerry Embree Band is a variety band with a distinctive New Orleans flair. Hailing from Metairie, LA (adjacent to New Orleans), the band has a dedicated following of energetic dancers of all ages, always eager to heat up the floor to the many dance rhythms being pumped out by the band.

The multi-talented Jerry Embree and his band of instrumentalists/singers are known for their incredible variety of repertoire, including: Swing, Oldies, Party Music, Latin, R&B, Love Songs, and New Orleans Jazz.

The dancers enjoy the band because they play songs that work for these specific dances: East Coast and West Coast Swing, Lindy Hop, Waltz, Cha Cha, Tango, Rhumba, Fox Trot, Jamaica, Hustle, Slow Dancing and Line Dances.

Listening audiences love the band because they play to the crowd and put on a GREAT SHOW! Each instrumentalist in the group also sings, offering an unparalleled variety of voices and fullness of sound. And is there a more passionate instrument than the saxophone? Jerry will play it for you with all his heart and soul.

The Jerry Embree Band plays private parties, weddings, corporate shows, clubs, dances, and engagements of all types. The size of the group can be customized for each engagement.

The band uses a top of the line Bose PA system for maximum clarity of sound.

Saxophonist Jerry Embree has recorded with Fats Domino, Bobby Charles, and Coco Robicheaux. He has performed with Art Neville, Frankie Ford, Johnny Adams, and Frank Sinatra, Jr. As a producer, he has produced albums for Beau Jocque, Rockin’ Dopsie, Jr. Rebirth Brass Band, and many others.

In addition to his regular gigs in and around New Orleans, Jerry has performed at venues including the Umbria Jazz Festival in Orvieto, Italy, the Festivale de Clarinette on the Island of Martinique, Jazzland Theme Park, and the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival.

Jerry Website: http://www.jazzman.net

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Marva Wright

If you haven’t heard her music yet, the name is Marva Wright. Whether performing on stage at concerts, niteclubs, riverboats, hotel ballrooms, casinos, conventions, television and radio, Marva sings from her heart and soul. It seems that she’s singing just for you as familiar Blues, R&B, Jazz Standards, Traditional Jazz and Gospel, as well as her own compositions come to life with her sultry style. You can’t help but snap your fingers, tap your feet, clap your hands and/or get up and dance. Audiences all over the world are overwhelmed by her electrifying performances and give her prolonged ovation and acclaim throughout the whole world.

Born and raised in New Orleans, Marva is among the growing number of versatile and talented female vocalists emerg- ing from the city known for the birth of the Blues. Her musical roots are in Gospel. Marva has performed at Jazz and Blues Festivals, concerts and cruises all over the world. Some of them are the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, North Sea Festival in Holland, Umbria Festival in Italy, Jazz and Blues Festivals in Vienne, Mantauban, Nimes, Villeneuve-Sur-Lot, Bordeaux, Paris, Printemps de Bourg, Antibes in France; Geneva, Bern, Basel, Zurich, Luzern, Schaffhausen, Zug in Switzerland; Germany, Sweden, Norway, Brazil, and Russia. Marva has performed nationally in California, New York, Colorado, Philadelphia, Chicago, Florida, Vermont, Texas, etc.

Marva started performing pro- fessionally in 1987, has seven (7) released solo CDs and has made cameo performances on many more. In 1999 she will have another cd released on a major label (Pointblank-Virgin) France.

From all of her experiences, one can only gather that she is definitely a “Show Stopper.”

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Rockin' Dopsie Jr.

"When Rockin' Dopsie, Sr. unexpectedly passed away in 1993, the Dopsie family vowed to keep his memory alive, mainly in the incarnation of this band, Rockin' Dopsie, Jr. & The Zydeco Twisters. In doing so, it's become its own phenomenon. No other zydeco band has ever been fronted by a washboard player. It's usually the accordionist, and it's also a safe bet that there's never been such a flamboyant personality as Rockin' Dopsie, Jr., who can turn a house upside down on a moment's notice."

- Offbeat Magazine, September 2000

The word zydeco is derived from the French les haricots (which translated means string beans), and which is pronounced "lay zah ree' co." One supposes that this music must have been played during the harvesting of the bean crop. Little by little, "zah ree' co" evolved into zydeco.

Zydeco music is a bubbling, melodic gumbo concocted from Cajun/Acadian music, Afro-Caribbean rhythms and melodies, and blues. Over the past few years, this funky and highly danceable music has broken out of its Southern Louisiana breeding ground to enjoy widespread popularity throughout the world.

Rockin' Dopsie, Jr. (pronounced Doop' see) & The Zydeco Twisters are the greatest living practitioners of this music. Dopsie, Jr. presents zydeco with the conviction and authenticity of its rich heritage. His earliest musical memories are of his father's accordion playing. Dopsie, Jr. was given a basic accordion by his father at the age of nine. He taught himself to play, as had his father, by listening to and playing along with the radio.

"I really loved that sound, but I needed more mobility so I could jump up and down and do my splits, you know. I must've inherited my love for the blues from my father 'cause I still listen to BB King, Jimmy Reed, the Vaughn Brothers and Bobby Bland, but when I was growing up, the Jackson Five, Sly Stone and James Brown were really happening." Both genres are evident in Dopsie, Jr.'s performances.

He played in several bands in his early teens, but at age 21 was given his first rub board, a must for the authentic presentation of zydeco. The rub board was his ticket to joining his father's band, in which he became an official member in 1982. Dopsie, Jr. was then able to play the music that he loved, while dancing like the psychedelic stars of the time.

The team of father and son netted the band international notoriety. Today the Zydeco Twisters' sole leader is Rockin' Dopsie, Jr. His brother, Tiger Dopsie, is the band's drum virtuoso and maintains the highly danceable beat. Anthony Dopsie, a great accordion player, replaced his father in the band playing the button accordion in a manner similar to his father's, but with the fervor of youth.

Rockin' Dopsie, Jr. and The Zydeco Twisters have continued to develop in their own right. The junior Dopsie is considered to be the best rub board player in the world, and is a charismatic and electrifying stage performer. His dancing, splits, and audience participation antics make the band's performances exciting and keep listeners involved and dancing.

Besides having performed extensively on their own tours, the band has shared the stage with Tina Turner, Bonnie Raitt, BB King, The Neville Brothers, Dr. John, and Jimmy Buffet. In 1978 they performed on the song That Was Your Mother (Standing On The Corner In Lafayette, Louisiana), which was released on Paul Simon's multi-platinum Grammy award-winning album Graceland. The band has also recorded with Cindy Lauper and Bob Dylan (Oh, Mercy&emdash;1989.)

In 1994, Rockin' Dopsie, Jr. & The Zydeco Twisters performed at the Smithsonian in Washington, DC, on the occasion of the presentation of the late Rockin' Dopsie's crown (he was indeed "the King of Zydeco") for permanent exhibit. Rockin' Dopsie, his band, and zydeco music were honored by this historic event as they had never been honored before.

Rockin' Dopsie, Jr. & The Zydeco Twisters, still referred to as "Zydeco's Royal Family," have performed in Australia, Italy, France, Germany, Switzerland, Holland, Belgium, Sweden, and many other countries as well as throughout the United States. They have appeared at the most prestigious music festivals and fairs at home and abroad.