At the age of 13 (1971), Wayne Toups began entertaining audiences in the venues around the Southwest Louisiana area. By the mid-seventies, his first album, Wayne Toups and the Crowley Aces had already been released in Europe. With a new band in 1987, Wayne popularized "Zydecajun," a fusion of black zydeco with Cajun flavorings. 

 

Wayne regularly performs in the U.S. and has appeared in over 26 countries. He also played at the 1990 Super Bowl. The Cajun French Music Association has awarded him their 1991 Song of the Year Award for "Late in Life." Three of his songs, including wedding favorite "Take My Hand," were featured in the movie Dirty Rice, and his work is also featured in the movie Steel Magnolias and the television show Broken Badges. His 1995 album Back to the Bayou, steadily advanced up the charts to become the fastest-selling record ever for Swallow Records, a South Louisiana record label. 

 

A master of the diatonic accordion, Toups’ skills have been featured in the songs of Mark Chesnutt, Alan Jackson, Sammy Kershaw, and Thomas Dolby. In addition to his own recordings, Toups has written for many other performers. Wayne is one of the most commercially successful American Cajun singers working today. He has received numerous awards and honors throughout his career, including 2010 Festivals Acadians et Creoles (dedicated in his name), Offbeat Magazine Album of the Year, induction into The Louisiana Music Hall of Fame, Museum of the Gulf Coast Hall of Fame, and Cajun French Music Hall of Fame. He received a Grammy at the 55th Annual Grammy Award ceremony for Best Regional Roots Music Album, The Band Courtbouillon in 2012.