Roy "Chubby" Carrier Jr. was born in 1967 in Church Point, Louisiana, into a family of zydeco legends. His grandfather Warren and father Roy Carrier Sr. were both premier zydeco accordionists, and his cousins Bebe and Calvin Carrier carried the tradition forward as well. Watching his family perform captivated him from an early age, and he knew immediately he wanted to be part of it. He started out playing drums in his father's band as a young teenager, catching attention for his skills behind the kit before the accordion — the instrument he's known for today — became his signature.
By age 17, Carrier was playing drums with Terrance Simien from 1986 to 1989, then formed a group of his own with his brothers Troy and Kevin. His third album, 1993's Dance All Night, became his breakout success. Over the decades since, Carrier and the Bayou Swamp Band have released more than a dozen albums, and Carrier has made guest appearances on records by Tab Benoit, Doug Kershaw, Calvin Owens, and Jimmy Thackery.
In 2011, the band's 2010 album Zydeco Junkie — featuring guest appearances from Jamie Bergeron and Geno Delafose — won the Grammy Award for Best Zydeco or Cajun Music Album, one of only four recordings to ever win that short-lived category before it was folded into the broader Best Regional Roots Music Album award. The band appeared as performers in Jambalaya, the Musical, a stage production celebrating Louisiana culture that premiered at New Orleans' Orpheum Theater in 2016. Carrier continues to tour widely, describing his mission as spreading joy, love, and the gospel of zydeco to audiences worldwide.
