Celebrating the Birthday of Buckwheat Zydeco
John Dunlop
Legendary accordionist and zydeco musician Stanley “Buckwheat Zydeco” Dural, Jr, was born on November 14, 1947, in Lafayette, Louisiana. One of 13 children, he worked on a farm picking cotton at age five, and got his nickname due to his braided hair resembling that of the “Our Gang/The Little Rascals” character Buckwheat. His father was a skilled amateur Creole accordion player, but young Dural preferred rhythm and blues. He became proficient at the organ, and by the late 1950s he was backing Joe Tex, Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown and many others. He originally led a funk band for five years before joining iconic zydeco performer Clifton Chenier’s Red Hot Louisiana Band as organist in 1976. After that, he was enthusiastic about zydeco, took up the accordion in 1978, and started his own band under the name Buckwheat Zydeco a year later. By 1983, they were nominated for a Grammy, and another in 1984, 1985, and 1986, finally winning in 2009 for Best Zydeco or Cajun Music Album, “Lay Your Burden Down”, his final album.
Dural performed with numerous musicians including Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, Robert Plant, Willie Nelson, Mavis Staples, Paul Simon Dwight Yoakam and Ry Cooder. His music has been featured in films and television, and he won an Emmy for his music in the CBS TV movie Pistol Pete: The Life And Times Of Pete Maravich. He maintained an extensive touring schedule, and played many major music festivals, including the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival (numerous times), Chicago Blues Festival, Newport Folk Festival, San Diego Street Scene, Montreux Jazz Festival, the Voodoo Experience, and countless others. Sadly, Dural died of lung cancer at age 68 on September 24, 2016. This day we celebrate the birthday of a legend of Louisiana music, Buckwheat Zydeco!
Photo by: HorsePunchKid