Editing Buckwheat Zydeco

{{short description|American accordionist (1947-2016)}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name            = Buckwheat Zydeco
| image           = Buckwheat Zydeco.jpg
| caption         = Buckwheat Zydeco playing on the main stage at the 2006 [[Festival International de Louisiane]]
| image_size      =
| birth_name      = Stanley Dural Jr.
| alias           = Buckwheat Zydeco
| birth_date      = {{Birth date|1947|11|14|mf=y}}
| birth_place     = [[Lafayette, Louisiana]], U.S.
| death_date      = {{Death date and age|2016|9|24|1947|11|14|mf=y}}
| death_place     = Lafayette, Louisiana, U.S.
| origin          =
| instrument      = [[Vocals]], [[accordion]]
| genre           = {{Hlist|[[Zydeco]]|[[Rhythm and blues|R&B]]}}
| occupation      =
| years_active    = 1971–2016
| label           = [[Alligator Records]]<br>Tomorrow Recordings<br>[[Rounder Records|Rounder]]<br>[[Island Records|Island]]/[[PolyGram]]<br>[[Charisma Records|Charisma]]/[[Virgin Records|Virgin]]/[[EMI]]
| associated_acts =
| website         = [http://www.buckwheatzydeco.com www.buckwheatzydeco.com]
| current_members =
| past_members    = 
}}

'''Stanley Dural Jr.''' (November 14, 1947 &ndash; September 24, 2016),<ref name=nytimes>{{cite news|last= Pareles|first= Jon|title= Stanley Dural Jr., Founder of Buckwheat Zydeco, Dies at 68|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/25/arts/music/stanley-dural-jr-founder-of-buckwheat-zydeco-dies-at-68.html |access-date=November 18, 2016|work=The New York Times |date=September 24, 2016 }}</ref><ref name=theguardian>{{cite news|last= Russell|first=Tony|title= Stanley 'Buckwheat' Dural Jr obituary |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/sep/29/stanley-buckwheat-dural-jr-obituary|access-date= November 17, 2016|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|date= September 29, 2016}}</ref> better known by his stage name '''Buckwheat Zydeco''', was an American [[accordionist]] and [[zydeco]] musician. He was one of the few zydeco artists to achieve mainstream success. His music group was formally billed as Buckwheat Zydeco and Ils Sont Partis Band<ref>[https://www.discogs.com/artist/2054192-Buckwheat-Zydeco-Ils-Sont-Partis-Band Buckwheat Zydeco Ils Sont Partis Band Discography]. ''Discogs.com''. Retrieved on September 29, 2016.</ref> ("Ils Sont Partis" being French for "They have left," or a race announcer's "And they're off!"<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Borden |first=Timothy |title=Contemporary Musicians |publisher=[[Gale (publisher)|Gale]] |year=2002 |editor-last=DeRemer |editor-first=Leigh Ann |volume=34 |pages=37–39 |chapter=Buckwheat Zydeco}}</ref>), but they often performed as merely '''Buckwheat Zydeco'''.

''The New York Times'' said: "Stanley 'Buckwheat' Dural leads one of the best bands in America. A down-home and high-powered celebration, meaty and muscular with a fine-tuned sense of dynamics…propulsive rhythms, incendiary performances."<ref name=NYT>Pareles, Jon. ''[[The New York Times]]'', February 15, 2008.</ref> ''USA Today'' called him "a zydeco trailblazer."<ref name=USA>{{Cite web |last=Gundersen |first=Edna |date=April 22, 2009 |title=Can't hit Jazz Fest? Let the music come to you |url=https://www.usatoday.com/life/music/news/2009-04-22-jazzfest-music_N.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090427201353/http://www.usatoday.com:80/life/music/news/2009-04-22-jazzfest-music_N.htm |archive-date=Apr 27, 2009 |website=[[USA Today]]}}</ref>
Buckwheat Zydeco performed with famous musicians such as [[Eric Clapton]] (with whom he also recorded), [[U2]] and the [[Boston Pops Orchestra|Boston Pops]]. The band performed at the closing ceremonies of the [[1996 Summer Olympics]] to a worldwide audience of three billion people. Buckwheat performed for [[Bill Clinton|President Clinton]] twice, celebrating both of his inaugurations.<ref name=":0" /> The band appeared on the ''[[Late Show with David Letterman]]'', ''[[CNN]]'', ''[[The Today Show]]'', ''[[MTV]]'', ''[[NBC News]]'', ''[[CBS Morning News]]'', [[National Public Radio]]'s ''[[Mountain Stage]]'', and ''[[Late Night with Jimmy Fallon]]''.

==Early life==
Dural was born in [[Lafayette, Louisiana|Lafayette]], [[Louisiana]]. He was one of 13 children; he had six brothers and six sisters. As a five-year-old boy, he worked on a farm picking cotton.<ref name=nytimes/><ref name=OBIT/> He also worked as a delivery boy and cared for chickens.<ref name=":0" /> He acquired his nickname as a youth, because, with his braided hair, he looked like the character [[Billie Thomas|Buckwheat]] from ''[[Our Gang|Our Gang/The Little Rascals]]'' movies. His father, a farmer, was an accomplished amateur traditional [[Louisiana Creole people|Creole]] accordion player, but young Dural preferred listening to and playing [[rhythm and blues]].<ref name=OBIT/>

==Career==
Dural became proficient at the [[organ (music)|organ]], and by the late 1950s he was backing [[Joe Tex]], [[Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown]] and many others.<ref name=AMG>{{Cite web |last=Ankeny |first=Jason |title=Buckwheat Zydeco Biography |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/buckwheat-zydeco-mn0000636106 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230910033146/https://www.allmusic.com/artist/buckwheat-zydeco-mn0000636106/biography |archive-date=Sep 10, 2023 |website=AllMusic}}</ref> As a teenager, he played piano for [[Little Richard]], [[Fats Domino]], and [[Ray Charles]].<ref name=":0" /> Two Lafayette-based bands that he played in during his teens and twenties were Sammy and the Untouchables and Lil' Buck and the Top Cats.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last1=Billington |first1=Scott |title=Making tracks: a record producer's Southern roots music journey |last2=Guralnick |first2=Peter |date=2022 |publisher=[[University Press of Mississippi]] |isbn=978-1-4968-3915-2 |series=American made music series |location=Jackson}}</ref> 

In 1971, he founded Buckwheat & the Hitchhikers, a [[funk]] band that he led for five years before switching to zydeco. They were a local sensation and found success with the single, "It's Hard To Get", recorded for a local Louisiana-based label.<ref name=AMG />

He began backing [[Clifton Chenier]], one of the most legendary zydeco performers. Though not a traditional zydeco fan when growing up, Buckwheat accepted an invitation in 1976 to join [[Clifton Chenier]]'s Red Hot Louisiana Band as organist. He quickly discovered the popularity of zydeco music, and noted the effect the music had on the audience. "Everywhere, people young and old just loved zydeco music," Dural says. "I had so much fun playing that first night with Clifton. We played for four hours and I wasn't ready to quit."<ref name=OBIT>{{Cite web |date=2016-09-24 |title=Louisiana accordionist Buckwheat Zydeco, who embodied music genre, dies at age 68 |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/music/ct-accordionist-buckwheat-zydeco-dies-20160924-story.html |access-date=September 29, 2016 |agency=Associated Press |website=Chicago Tribune |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161001005945/http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/music/ct-accordionist-buckwheat-zydeco-dies-20160924-story.html |archive-date= Oct 1, 2016 }}</ref>

Dural's relationship with Chenier led him to take up the [[accordion]] in 1978. After practicing for a year, he felt ready to start his own band under the name Buckwheat Zydeco. They debuted with ''One for the Road'' in 1979 on the Blues Unlimited label and then recorded for [[New Orleans]]' [[Black Top Records|Black Top]] label. In 1983, they were nominated for a [[Grammy Award]] for ''Turning Point'' and in 1985 for ''Waitin' For My Ya Ya'' after switching to the [[Rounder Records]] label.<ref name=":0" /> [[Scott Billington]] of Rounder wrote that Buckwheat "played the large [[piano accordion]], like Clifton, but delivered his music with the flair of a [[rhythm and blues]] star like [[Joe Tex]], and with the precision of [[James Brown]]. He performed [[Creole music|Creole]] dance music, but it was also Southern [[soul music]] and Louisiana funk, with a Caribbean edge, all in one package."<ref name=":1" />

The band then signed to [[Island Records]], becoming the first zydeco act on a major label, and released ''On a Night Like This'', a critically acclaimed album that was nominated for a Grammy as well. 

In 1988, [[Eric Clapton]] invited the band to open his North American tour as well as his 12-night stand at London’s [[Royal Albert Hall]]. Buckwheat subsequently shared stages and/or recording with [[Keith Richards]], [[Robert Plant]], [[Willie Nelson]], [[Mavis Staples]], [[David Hidalgo]], [[Dwight Yoakam]], [[Paul Simon]], [[Ry Cooder]], the [[Cherry Poppin' Daddies]] and many others, including indie music band [[Yo La Tengo]] on the soundtrack of the [[Bob Dylan]] bio-pic, ''[[I'm Not There]]''. His music has been featured in films including ''[[The Waterboy]]'', ''[[The Big Easy (film)|The Big Easy]]'', ''[[Fletch Lives]]'' and ''[[Hard Target]]''. [[Black Entertainment Television|BET]]'s show ''[[Comic View]]'' used his live version of “What You Gonna Do?” as theme music for the program's 10th anniversary "Pardi Gras" season. He also wrote and performed the theme music for the [[Public Broadcasting Service|PBS television]] series ''[[Pierre Franey]]'s Cooking In America''. Buckwheat won an [[Emmy Award|Emmy]] for his music in the [[CBS]] TV movie, ''[[Pistol Pete: The Life and Times of Pete Maravich]]''.<ref name=OBIT/>

Buckwheat Zydeco played many major music festivals, including the [[New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival]] (numerous times), [[Chicago Blues Festival]], [[Newport Folk Festival]], [[Summerfest]], [[Street Scene (San Diego music festival)|San Diego Street Scene]], [[Bumbershoot]], [[Montreux Jazz Festival]], the [[Voodoo Experience]], and countless others.<ref name=OBIT/>

During the 1990s and early 2000s Buckwheat recorded for his own Tomorrow Recordings label and maintained an extensive touring schedule. Buckwheat Zydeco's last album, ''Lay Your Burden Down'', was released on May 5, 2009 on the [[Alligator Records]] label. It was produced by [[Steve Berlin]] of [[Los Lobos]] and included guest appearances by guitarists [[Warren Haynes]] and [[Sonny Landreth]], [[Trombone Shorty]], [[JJ Grey & MOFRO|JJ Grey]] and Berlin himself. The album was nominated for a [[Grammy Award]]. ''Sonicboomers.com'' says, "The CD is a vastly entertaining and appealingly diverse package. Bandleader Dural remains an ever-engaging vocalist and a whiz on any keyboard he touches. So, for Buckwheat Zydeco fans, ''Lay Your Burden Down'' finds the maestro and his group near the top of their form. For listeners with less interest in the ol' accordion get-down, the collection supplies enough interesting wrinkles to get the good times rolling."<ref name=SB>{{cite web |last1=Morris |first1=Chris |url-status=dead |website=SonicBoomers |url=http://www.sonicboomers.com/albumreviews/buckwheat-zydeco |title=Album of the Week - Lay Your Burden Down |archive-url=https://archive.today/20090518095444/http://www.sonicboomers.com/albumreviews/buckwheat-zydeco |archive-date=2009-05-18 |date=May 15, 2009}}</ref>

Buckwheat Zydeco's version of the classic "Cryin' in the Streets" appears on the benefit album for [[Hurricane Katrina]] recovery, ''[[Our New Orleans: A Benefit Album for the Gulf Coast]]''.<ref>"[http://www.allmusic.com/album/our-new-orleans-a-benefit-album-for-the-gulf-coast-mw0000351963 Our New Orleans: A Benefit Album for the Gulf Coast]". ''AllMusic''. Retrieved on September 29, 2016.</ref> His version of [[Memphis Minnie]] and [[Kansas Joe McCoy]]'s "[[When the Levee Breaks]]" appeared on 2011's Alligator Records 40th Anniversary Collection. It originally appeared on the 2009 Buckwheat Zydeco album ''Lay Your Burden Down''.

==Death==
Dural died of [[lung cancer]] at age 68 on September 24, 2016, at [[Our Lady of Lourdes Regional Medical Center]].<ref name="Advertiser'">{{cite news|last= Fusilier|first= Herman |title= Stanley 'Buckwheat' Dural, leader of Buckwheat Zydeco, dies
|url= http://www.theadvertiser.com/story/news/2016/09/24/dural-leader-buckwheat-zydeco-passes-away/90910752/ |access-date=November 17, 2016|newspaper=The Advertiser|date=September 24, 2016}}</ref> He was funeralized at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Lafayette.

==Discography==
* 2010 ''Bayou Boogie'' (Music for Little People)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.buckwheatzydeco.com/buckwheat-zydecos-bayou-boogie/|title=Buckwheat Zydeco's "BAYOU BOOGIE"|author=<!--Not stated--> |date= |website = Buckwheat Zydeco|publisher= |accessdate=October 8, 2021}}</ref>
* 2009 ''Let the Good Times Roll: Essential Recordings'' ([[Rounder Records]])
* 2009 ''[[Lay Your Burden Down]]'' ([[Alligator Records]])
* 2006 ''The Best of Buckwheat Zydeco: 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection'' ([[Island Records]]/UMe)
* 2005 ''Jackpot!'' (Tomorrow Recordings)
* 2003 ''Classics'' (Rounder Records)
* 2001 ''Down Home Live'' (Tomorrow Recordings)
* 2000 ''The Ultimate Collection'' ([[Hip-O Records]])
* 1999 ''Buckwheat Zydeco Story: A 20 Year Party'' (Tomorrow Recordings)
* 1997 ''Trouble'' (Tomorrow Recordings)
* 1996 ''The Best of Louisiana Zydeco'' (AVI Entertainment)
* 1994 ''[[Five Card Stud (album)|Five Card Stud]]'' (Island Records)
* 1994 ''Choo Choo Boogaloo'' (Music For Little People)
* 1993 ''Menagerie: The Essential Zydeco Collection'' (Mango Records)
* 1992 ''Buckwheat's Zydeco Party'' (Rounder Records)
* 1992 ''On Track'' ([[Atlantic Records]])
* 1990 ''[[Where There's Smoke There's Fire]]'' (Island Records)
* 1988 ''[[Taking It Home]]'' (Island Records)
* 1987 ''On a Night Like This'' (Island Records; reissued on MCA Special Products)
* 1985 ''Waitin’ For My Ya Ya'' (Rounder Records)
* 1984 ''Ils Sont Partis'' (Blues Unlimited Records)
* 1983 ''Turning Point'' (Rounder Records)
* 1983 ''100% Fortified Zydeco'' ([[Black Top Records]]; reissued on [[Shout! Factory|Shout Factory Records]])
* 1982 ''People's Choice'' (Blues Unlimited Records)
* 1980 ''[[Take It Easy, Baby (album)|Take It Easy, Baby]]'' (Blues Unlimited Records)
* 1979 ''[[One for the Road (Buckwheat Zydeco album)|One for the Road]]'' (Blues Unlimited Records; 1991 reissued on Paula Records)

==Music videos==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year
! Video
! Director
|-
| 1990
| "[[Hey Good Lookin' (song)|Hey Good Lookin']]" <small>(with [[Dwight Yoakam]] and [[David Hidalgo]])</small>
|
|-
| 2002
| "New Orleans Is a Mighty Good Town" <small>(with [[Eddy Raven]])</small>
| Peter Lippman
|}

== Awards and honors ==

=== [[Grammy Awards]] ===
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Year
!Category
!Work nominated
!Result
!Ref.
|-
|[[27th Annual Grammy Awards|1985]]
|[[Grammy Award for Best Ethnic or Traditional Folk Recording|Best Ethnic or Traditional Folk Recording]]
|''100% Fortified Zydeco''
|{{nom}}
|<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=Buckwheat Zydeco |url=https://grammy.com/artists/buckwheat-zydeco/2076 |access-date=2024-03-01 |website=[[Grammy Awards]]}}</ref>
|-
|[[28th Annual Grammy Awards|1986]]
|[[Grammy Award for Best Ethnic or Traditional Folk Recording|Best Ethnic or Traditional Folk Recording]]
|''Turning Point''
|{{nom}}
|<ref name=":2" />
|-
|[[29th Annual Grammy Awards|1987]]
|[[Grammy Award for Best Traditional Folk Album|Best Traditional Folk Album]]
|''Waitin' for my Ya Ya''
|{{nom}}
|<ref name=":2" />
|-
|[[30th Annual Grammy Awards|1988]]
|[[Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Blues Album|Best Contemporary Blues Album]]
|''On a Night Like This''
|{{nom}}
|<ref name=":2" />
|-
|[[52nd Annual Grammy Awards|2010]]
|[[Grammy Award for Best Zydeco or Cajun Music Album|Best Zydeco or Cajun Music Album]]
|''Lay Your Burden Down''
|{{won}}
|<ref name=":2" />
|}

=== [[OffBeat (music magazine)|''OffBeat'']]'s Best of The Beat Awards ===
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Year
!Category
!Result
!Ref.
|-
| rowspan="2" |2001
|Best Zydeco Band or Performer
|{{won}}
|<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |date=2011-09-08 |title=Best of the Beat Award Winners: Complete List |url=https://www.offbeat.com/best-of-the-beat-award-winners-complete-list/,%20https://www.offbeat.com/best-of-the-beat-award-winners-complete-list/ |access-date=2024-03-01 |website=[[OffBeat (music magazine)|OffBeat Magazine]] |language=en-US |archive-date=2023-08-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230814182218/https://www.offbeat.com/best-of-the-beat-award-winners-complete-list/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>
|-
|Best Accordionist
|{{won}}
|<ref name=":3" />
|-
|2002
|Best Accordionist
|{{won}}
|<ref name=":3" />
|-
|2004
|Best Accordionist
|{{won}}
|<ref name=":3" />
|-
|2010
|Best Zydeco Band or Performer
|{{won}}
|<ref name=":3" />
|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.buckwheatzydeco.com/ Official website]
*{{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p716}}
*[https://www.namm.org/library/oral-history/buckwheat-zydeco Buckwheat Zydeco] NAMM Oral History Program Interview (2006)

{{Buckwheat Zydeco}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Buckwheat Zydeco}}
[[Category:1947 births]]
[[Category:2016 deaths]]
[[Category:American accordionists]]
[[Category:Black Top Records artists]]
[[Category:Deaths from lung cancer in Louisiana]]
[[Category:Island Records artists]]
[[Category:Charisma Records artists]]
[[Category:Musicians from Lafayette, Louisiana]]
[[Category:Rounder Records artists]]
[[Category:Zydeco accordionists]]
[[Category:20th-century African-American musicians]]
[[Category:21st-century African-American musicians]]
[[Category:African-American Catholics]]
[[Category:American Roman Catholics]]
[[Category:Grammy Award winners]]
[[Category:Zydeco musicians]]