Produced by Steve Berlin (Los Lobos) with guests Sonny Landreth, Warren Haynes, Steve Berlin, JJ Grey, and Trombone Shorty.
Features five originals and songs by Memphis Minnie (as popularized by Led Zeppelin), Gov’t Mule, Bruce Springsteen, Jimmy Cliff, Captain Beefheart, JJ Grey & Mofro.
Alligator Records has set a May 5, 2009 release date for Lay Your Burden Down
LAY YOUR BURDEN DOWN is a remarkably conceived album featuring five new Buckwheat originals and complete reinventions of songs by Memphis Minnie (When The Levee Breaks, made famous by Led Zeppelin), Bruce Springsteen (Back In Your Arms), Gov’t Mule (Lay Your Burden Down), Captain Beefheart (Too Much Time), Jimmy Cliff (Let Your Yeah Be Yeah) and JJ Grey & Mofro (The Wrong Side). Guests on the album include Sonny Landreth, Warren Haynes, Steve Berlin, JJ Grey and Trombone Shorty. With LAY YOUR BURDEN DOWN, Buckwheat Zydeco’s large and loyal fan base will have to make room for a massive influx of new converts.
Over the course of its celebrated career, Buckwheat Zydeco has played for President Clinton, performed at the closing ceremonies of the 1996 Summer Olympics (to a worldwide audience of three billion people), and gigged with everyone from Eric Clapton (with whom Buckwheat also recorded) and U2 to The Boston Pops. Buckwheat Zydeco’s music has appeared in a number of theatrical films and on too many television programs to mention, including The Late Show With David Letterman, CNN, The Today Show, MTV, NBC News and many others.
According to Alligator Records president Bruce Iglauer, the addition of Buckwheat Zydeco to the label is huge. “Buckwheat is the iconic figure of Louisiana zydeco music worldwide. It’s a thrill to bring an artist of this stature to Alligator. More important, he still tears it up at every show. His energy level and accordion chops are just amazing, and he’s a terrific, soulful singer. Plus, he’s a thrilling Hammond organ player. I’m also excited to reunite Buckwheat with Steve Berlin of Los Lobos as producer. Berlin produced Five Card Stud
Stanley “Buckwheat” Dural, Jr. was born in Lafayette, Louisiana in 1947. He acquired his nickname because, with his braided hair, he looked like Buckwheat from The Little Rascals. His father was an accomplished, non-professional traditional Creole accordion player, but young Buckwheat preferred listening to and playing R&B. He became proficient at the organ, and by the late 1950s was backing Joe Tex, Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown and many others. In 1971 he formed a 16-piece funk band, Buckwheat and The Hitchhikers. Never a traditional zydeco fan when growing up, Buckwheat nonetheless accepted an invitation in 1976 to join Clifton Chenier’s Red Hot Louisiana Band as organist. He quickly discovered the joy and power of zydeco music, and marveled at the effect the music had on the audience. “I was shocked to find out how popular zydeco really was,” Buckwheat says. “Everywhere, people young and old just loved zydeco music. I had so much fun playing it that first night with Clifton. We played for four hours and I wasn’t ready to quit.”
Buckwheat’s relationship with the legendary Chenier led him to take up the accordion in 1978. After woodshedding for a year, he felt ready to start his own band under the name Buckwheat Zydeco, and began his recording career with the small Blues Unlimited label. By the mid-1980s there were more offers to perform than he could possibly accept. Recordings for Black Top and Rounder followed before Buckwheat befriended New York-based journalist Ted Fox (who would later become his manager). Fox championed Buckwheat to Chris Blackwell at Island Records, and Buckwheat soon received a five-record deal.
As more doors opened, Buckwheat found himself sharing stages and/or recording with Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, Robert Plant, Willie Nelson, Mavis Staples, David Hidalgo, Dwight Yoakam, Paul Simon, and many others, including indie music darlings Yo La Tengo on the soundtrack to the Bob Dylan bio-pic, I’m Not There
During the 1990s Buckwheat continued recording for his own Tomorrow Records label and never slowed down his touring schedule. With his new relationship with Alligator and LAY YOUR BURDEN DOWN, his massive instrumental and vocal talents and boundless energy, Buckwheat remains the most popular zydeco artist in the world, and will find the largest and most enthusiastic audience of his long and storied career.
Submitted by Alligator Records
