Buckwheat Zydeco

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Buckwheat Zydeco (born Stanley Dural, Jr. on November 14, 1947) is an American accordionist and zydeco performer. He is one of the few to achieve mainstream success.


In 1971, he founded Buckwheat & the Hitchhikers, a funk band that he led for five years before switching to zydeco. He began backing Clifton Chenier, one of the most legendary zydeco performers. He set out on his own with The Ils Sont Partis Band; they debuted with One for the Road in 1979 and were nominated for a Grammy Award for "Turning Point" and "Ya Ya" (1985) after switching to the Rounder Records label. He soon signed to Island Records, and became 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. The band soon appeared in The Big Easy.


During the 1990s, Buckwheat Zydeco was less commercially successful than before, and switched labels frequently. However, the band remains a popular live draw, and continues recording today. Buckwheat's latest album, Lay Your Burden Down, was released on May 5, 2009 on the Alligator Records label.


His especially powerful and haunting 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."