Buckwheat Zydeco

Having appeared on stage and occasionally recorded with the likes of Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, Paul Simon, U2, Robert Plant, Willie Nelson and Ry Cooder, Stanley Dural Jr., aka Buckwheat Zydeco, can be credited with promoting the regional Creole music known as zydeco and putting it on the world stage. Originally an organ player, Dural led a funk band known as Buckwheat And The Hitchhikers until in 1976 he appeared as a sideman on keyboards for the legendary Clifton Chenier, one of Louisiana's most successful zydeco performers. Dural was captivated by the audience's enthusiastic response to Chenier's music and it inspired him to begin practising the accordion. After a year he felt he was ready to reinvent himself as a zydeco artist and his band, now called Buckwheat Zydeco released their debut album One For The Road in 1979. By 1983 they were nominated for a Grammy Award and by 1985 they were signed to Chris Blackwell's Island label, the first zydeco band to be contracted to a major label. Tours with established bands and appearances at major festivals followed along with film and TV work. Dural enjoyed worldwide acclaim and success recording 25 zydeco albums in a 30-year recording career. He died from lung cancer in September 2016.