Zydeco accordion superstar Stanley Joseph Dural, Jr. was from Lafayette, Louisiana. He was the son of a Creole musician, but he wasn't interested in traditinal music until the 1970s. He didn't start out on the accordion, but rather played organ in funk and blues bands. He got a job playing organ in Clifton Chenier's band, and that's how zydeco became his main genre.
"Buckwheat Zydeco" was the name of the band but also a stage name for Dural, who was nicknamed "Buckwheat" after the "Our Gang" character because his hair was braided.
Dural did a tremendous job of bringing crossover audiences over to learn about and to enjoy zydeco music. He was a true showman, with a strong stage presence and tremendous skill and talent.
Here's a nice clip of Stanley Dural playing live.
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