Buckwheat Zydeco

Buckwheat leads one of the best party bands in America; he can pump out zydeco two-beats or shift into rolling 12-bar blues, steaming all the way.
- The New York Times -
Buckwheat Zydeco Hits The Jackpot! Buck's First Studio Disc in Eight Years
"With (Jackpot!) the first studio recording in eight years, the long wait has been rewarded. Buck has never sounded better, a brilliantly dexterous musician belting it out with a terrific set of pipes while exuding consummate showmanship. From beginning to end, Buck throws it down and slams it sideways, delivering the ultimate nonstop party ride..."
- Offbeat Magazine (New Orleans) -
Contemporary zydeco's most popular performer, accordionist Stanley "Buckwheat" Dural was the natural successor to the throne vacated by the death of his mentor Clifton Chenier; infusing his propulsive party music with strains of rock and R&B, his urbanized sound - complete with touches of synthesizer and trumpet - married traditional and contemporary zydeco with uncommon flair, in the process reaching a wider mainstream audience than any artist before him. Dural was born in Lafayette, Louisiana on November 14, 1947; with his braided hair, he soon acquired the nickname "Buckwheat" (an homage to the Our Gang character), and by the age of four was already touted as a piano prodigy. Although often exposed to traditional zydeco as a child, he preferred R&B, and by the mid-1950s was playing professionally with Lynn August; Dural's notoriety as a keyboardist quickly spread, and he also backed notables including Joe Tex and Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown.
In 1971, Dural founded Buckwheat and the Hitchhikers, a 16-piece funk band which he led for the next half-decade; however, in 1976 he finally fell under zydeco's sway when recruited to back Chenier - a friend of his father - on tour. Originally brought on as an organist, Dural picked up the accordion within two years and began learning from the master himself; rechristening himself Buckwheat Zydeco, he formed his own combo by 1979, the Ils Sont Partis Band (translated as "They're off!, " so named in honor of the cry heard at the beginning of each horse race at the Lafayette track).