Buckwheat Zydeco facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Buckwheat Zydeco
Buckwheat Zydeco playing on the main stage at the 2006 Festival International de Louisiane
Background information
Birth name	Stanley Dural Jr.
Also known as	Buckwheat Zydeco
Born	(1947-11-14)November 14, 1947 Lafayette, Louisiana, U.S.
Died	September 24, 2016(2016-09-24) (aged 68) Lafayette, Louisiana, U.S.
Genres	Zydeco, R&B
Instruments	Vocals, accordion
Years active	1971–2016
Labels	Alligator Records Tomorrow Recordings Rounder Island/PolyGram Charisma/Virgin/EMI

Stanley Dural Jr. (born November 14, 1947 – died September 24, 2016) was a famous American accordion player. He was much better known by his stage name, Buckwheat Zydeco. He was a master of zydeco music. Zydeco is a lively type of music that comes from Louisiana. It mixes R&B, blues, and traditional Creole music.

Buckwheat Zydeco was one of the few zydeco artists who became very popular. His band was called Buckwheat Zydeco and Ils Sont Partis Band. "Ils Sont Partis" is French for "They have left." But most people just called them Buckwheat Zydeco.

The New York Times newspaper once said that Buckwheat Zydeco led "one of the best bands in America." They called his music a "high-powered celebration." USA Today newspaper described him as a "zydeco trailblazer."

Buckwheat Zydeco played with many famous musicians. These included Eric Clapton and the band U2. He also performed with the Boston Pops Orchestra. His band played at the closing ceremony of the 1996 Summer Olympics. Billions of people around the world watched this event. Buckwheat also performed for President Clinton two times. He played at both of President Clinton's inauguration parties. The band appeared on many TV shows. These included Late Show with David Letterman and The Today Show. They were also on MTV and CNN.

Early Life

Stanley Dural Jr. was born in Lafayette, Louisiana. He grew up in a big family. He was one of 13 children. He had six brothers and six sisters. When he was only five years old, he worked on a farm. He helped pick cotton.

He got his nickname "Buckwheat" when he was young. This was because his braided hair made him look like a character named Buckwheat. This character was from the Our Gang/The Little Rascals movies. Stanley's father was a farmer. He was also a good accordion player. But young Stanley liked listening to and playing rhythm and blues music more.

Music Career

Stanley Dural Jr. became very good at playing the organ. By the late 1950s, he was playing with famous musicians. These included Joe Tex and Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown.

In 1971, he started his own funk band. It was called Buckwheat & the Hitchhikers. He led this band for five years. They were very popular in their local area. They had a hit song called "It's Hard To Get."

In 1976, something changed his path. He was invited to join Clifton Chenier's Red Hot Louisiana Band. Chenier was a legend in zydeco music. Even though Buckwheat wasn't a big zydeco fan growing up, he joined as the organist. He quickly saw how much people loved zydeco music. "Everywhere, people young and old just loved zydeco music," Dural said. He had a lot of fun playing with Clifton that first night.

This experience made Dural want to learn the accordion. In 1978, he started practicing. After a year, he felt ready to start his own band. He named it Buckwheat Zydeco. Their first album was One for the Road in 1979.

His band became very successful. They were nominated for a Grammy Award several times. This was for albums like Turning Point and Waitin' For My Ya Ya. Then, they signed with Island Records. This was a big deal. They were the first zydeco band to sign with a major record label. Their album On a Night Like This was also nominated for a Grammy. The band even appeared in the movie The Big Easy in 1987.

In 1988, Eric Clapton asked Buckwheat Zydeco to open his North American tour. They also played for 12 nights at London’s Royal Albert Hall. Buckwheat played and recorded with many other stars. These included Keith Richards, Robert Plant, and Willie Nelson. His music was also used in movies. Some of these were The Waterboy and Fletch Lives. He even won an Emmy Award for his music. This was for a TV movie called Pistol Pete: The Life and Times of Pete Maravich.

Buckwheat Zydeco played at many big music festivals. These included the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and the Montreux Jazz Festival.

In the 1990s and early 2000s, Buckwheat released music on his own label. It was called Tomorrow Recordings. He also toured a lot. His last album was Lay Your Burden Down. It came out in 2009. This album was also nominated for a Grammy Award. Critics loved it. Sonicboomers.com said the album was "vastly entertaining." They also said Buckwheat was "a whiz on any keyboard he touches."

Buckwheat Zydeco's music was also used to help others. His song "Cryin' in the Streets" was on an album. This album helped people after Hurricane Katrina.

Death

Stanley Dural Jr. passed away on September 24, 2016. He was 68 years old. He died from lung cancer in Lafayette, Louisiana.

Discography

• 2010 Bayou Boogie (Music for Little People)
• 2009 Let The Good Times Roll: Essential Recordings (Rounder Records)
• 2009 Lay Your Burden Down (Alligator Records)
• 2006 The Best of Buckwheat Zydeco: Millennium Collection (Island Records)
• 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 (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 (MCA Special Products)
• 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 Records)
• 1982 People's Choice (Blues Unlimited Records)
• 1980 Take It Easy, Baby (Blues Unlimited Records)
• 1979 One For The Road (Blues Unlimited Records; 1991 reissued on Paula Records)

Music Videos

See also

In Spanish: Stanley Dural para niños