Buckwheat Zydeco
by Seth Rogovoy

(WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass., Feb. 27, 1998)THE BEAT It's been almost eight years since Buckwheat Zydeco last performed in the Berkshires. But in those eight years awareness of zydeco has exploded, says the reigning king of the Louisiana-based party music.

"The popularity of zydeco has advanced a great deal, among all generations," said Stanley "Buckwheat" Dural Jr., in a recent phone interview from a motel somewhere on the road. "Eight years ago, you had to explain to people what `zydeco' meant. Now all over the place, you say `zydeco' and they know what you're talking about."

What he's talking about when he says "zydeco" is the Creole fusion of Cajun melodies with African rhythms by way of New Orleans rhythm and blues, an infectious, rootsy dance music that Buckwheat Zydeco brings to The Studio in Pittsfield tonight, in a show to benefit the Pittsfield Parade Committee. Doors open at 7; music begins at 9.

Since Buckwheat Zydeco and his Ils Sont Partis band played at the Berkshire Performing Arts Center in Lenox in July, 1990, the group has enjoyed an incredible string of achievement, touring and recording with the likes of U2, Eric Clapton, Willie Nelson, Dwight Yoakam and Los Lobos, performing at both of President Clinton's inaugurals as well as the Atlanta Summer Olympics, and appearing numerous times on national TV programs including David Letterman's show, "The Today Show" and "CBS Morning News."

But of all he has accomplished, Dural is proudest of his 1994 children's album, "Choo Choo Boogaloo" (Music for Little People), which has introduced zydeco to a whole new generation of youngsters, thereby insuring its long-term legacy. The album features zydeco originals as well as catchy versions of Louisiana classics like "Iko Iko," "Cotton Fields," "Little Red Caboose" and "Skip to My Lou."

"My manager told me I've started a problem between parents and kids," laughed Dural, who understands that when children latch onto an album they like, they can listen to it relentlessly. Indeed, this critic with young children can attest to the infectious quality of "Choo Choo Boogaloo" -- it may well have been the most-played album in my household since first arriving here four years ago.

Dural himself was exposed to zydeco from an early age. "I listened to my father playing zydeco music all my life," said Dural, who began playing piano at age 4.

By the age of 9, Dural had graduated to playing organ and formed his first band, Stanley and the Untouchables. By the early '70s, he was fronting the Hitchhikers, a funk band modeled after Earth, Wind and Fire.

It wasn't until Dural got a call from Clifton Chenier, the father of modern zydeco, who was looking for a keyboard player to join his band, that the musician played zydeco professionally.

"Clifton showed me that these were my roots and that I shouldn't be ashamed of them," Dural told the Eagle back in 1990. "He did himself what my father couldn't do. If it hadn't been for him, me and the others wouldn't be doing what we're doing today."

One way that Dural has succeeded in spreading the zydeco gospel is by playing zydeco versions of popular songs. His 1987 album, "On a Night Like This," took its title cut from a Bob Dylan song. He has also covered material by Eric Clapton, the Rolling Stones and Hank Williams.

While zydeco may have a down-home, rootsy image, Dural is ready to take the music into the 21st century. His group is the first major zydeco band to have its own dedicated web site -- www.buckwheatzydeco.com -- where fans can shop for music and merchandise, read articles about the group, and even send E-mail messages to Dural himself, who turned 50 last year.

[This column originally appeared in the Berkshire Eagle on Feb. 27, 1998. Copyright Seth Rogovoy 1998. All rights reserved.]