(WHTM) — A winner of a Grammy award this past weekend has deep ties to the Midstate.
John Leopold won in the category of best regional roots musical album. He was the executive producer for “A Tribute to the King of Zydeco.”
Thanks for signing up!
Watch for us in your inbox.
Subscribe Now
“Not too many people know what Zydeco music is, but everybody knows what a Grammy is, and so my phone is blown up,” Leopold said. “I’ve received more texts, email messages and phone calls from people, some that I haven’t heard from in decades, to wish me congratulations about this win.”
Zydeco is a high-energy music genre from French-speaking Creole communities in Louisiana. For the project, Leopold paired nationally-recognized artists with accordion players in southwest Louisiana. More than 40 musicians worked on the album.
All proceeds from physical purchases of the album benefit the Clifton Chenier Memorial Scholarship at the University of Louisiana Lafayette, which supports Zydeco players in the school’s traditional music program, Leopold said.
John Leopold, from left, Kam Franklin, and A.J. Haynes accept the award for best regional roots music album for “A Tribute to the King of Zydeco” during the 68th annual Grammy Awards on Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
Joel Savoy, from left, Kam Franklin, A.J. Haynes, and John Leopold accept the award for best regional roots music album for “A Tribute to the King of Zydeco” during the 68th annual Grammy Awards on Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
John Leopold, left, and Joel Savoy pose in the press room with the award for best regional roots music album for “A Tribute to the King of Zydeco” during the 68th annual Grammy Awards on Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)
The album shows “that Zydeco is not something that we just talk about that happened in the past, but it’s still going on, and it’s a vibrant tradition today,” he said.
But when thinking about the past, Leopold looks on his time in the Midstate very fondly. He grew up in Harrisburg.
“My mother was a proud Harrisburg resident, and she was born and lived her entire life there,” Leopald said. He recalled she hosted a radio show, was an educator and held a grandma camp in the city.
As a toddler, Leopold appeared on “Romper Room” with his twin brother. His siblings’ teachers rolled out a TV cart so they could watch him from school.
Leopold said his career path has generally been politics by trade and arts as a hobby. Meanwhile, his twin brother has had art as his profession and politics as his hobby. The two merged when they got Mayor Stephen Reed to once declare a “Grateful Dead Day” when the band played City Island.
While growing up in the city, he and his siblings attended what is now The Silver Academy. They went to many Saturday morning services at Kesher Israel, where his grandfather was an active member. Leopold also attended Beth El Temple, where his family was a member.
“The Jewish community is tight-knit in Harrisburg,” he said. “I really love the Jewish community that I grew up in.”
Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC27.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.yahoo.com ’
