The New York Times said,: “Stanley ‘Buckwheat’ Dural leads one of the best bands in America. A down-home and high-powered celebration, meaty and muscular with a fine-tuned sense of dynamics…propulsive rhythms, incendiary performances.” USA Today called him “a zydeco trailblazer.” Buckwheat Zydeco performed with a large number of famous musicians from Eric Clapton (with whom he also recorded) and U2 to the Boston Pops. The band performed at the closing ceremonies of the 1996 Summer Olympics to a worldwide audience of three billion people. Buckwheat performed for President Clinton twice, celebrating both of his inaugurations. The band appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman, CNN, The Today Show, MTV, NBC News, CBS Morning News, National Public Radio’s Weekend Edition.
Dural was born in Lafayette, Louisiana. He acquired his nickname as a youth, because, with his braided hair, he looked like the character Buckwheat from Our Gang/The Little Rascals movies. His father, a farmer, was an accomplished amateur traditional Creole accordion player, but young Dural preferred listening to and playing rhythm and blues.
Dural became proficient at the organ, and by the late 1950s he was backing Joe Tex, Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown and many others.
In 1971, he founded Buckwheat & the Hitchhikers, a funk band that he led for five years before switching to zydeco. They were a local sensation and found success with the single, “It’s Hard To Get,” recorded for a local Louisiana-based label.
He began backing Clifton Chenier, one of the most legendary zydeco performers. Though not a traditional zydeco fan when growing up, Buckwheat accepted an invitation in 1976 to join Clifton Chenier’s Red Hot Louisiana Band as organist. He quickly discovered the popularity of zydeco music, and marveled at the effect the music had on the audience. “Everywhere, people young and old just loved zydeco music,” Dural says. “I had so much fun playing that first night with Clifton. We played for four hours and I wasn’t ready to quit.”
Dural's relationship with the legendary Chenier led him to take up the accordion in 1978. After practicing for a year, he felt ready to start his own band under the name Buckwheat Zydeco. They debuted with One for the Road in 1979 on the Blues Unlimited label and then recorded for New Orleans’ Black Top label. In 1983, they were nominated for a Grammy Award for Turning Point and in 1985 for Waitin’ For My Ya Ya after switching to the Rounder Records label. The band then signed to Island Records, becoming 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 appeared in the movie The Big Easy in 1987.
In 1988, Eric Clapton invited the band to open his North American tour as well as his 12-night stand at London’s Royal Albert Hall. As even more doors opened, Buckwheat found himself sharing stages and/or recording with Keith Richards, Robert Plant, Willie Nelson, Mavis Staples, David Hidalgo, Dwight Yoakam, Paul Simon, Ry Cooder, the Cherry Poppin' Daddies and many others, including indie music stalwarts Yo La Tengo on the soundtrack to the Bob Dylan bio-pic, I'm Not There. His music has been featured in films including The Waterboy, The Big Easy, Fletch Lives and Hard Target. BET’s show Comic View, used his live version of “What You Gonna Do?” as theme music for the program’s 10th anniversary “Pardi Gras” season. He also wrote and performed the theme music for the PBS television series Pierre Franey’s Cooking In America. Buckwheat won an Emmy for his music in the CBS TV movie, Pistol Pete: The Life And Times Of Pete Maravich.
Buckwheat Zydeco has played many major music festivals, including the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival (numerous times), Newport Folk Festival, Summerfest, San Diego Street Scene, Bumbershoot, Montreux Jazz Festival, the Voodoo Experience, and countless others.
During the 1990s and early 2000s Buckwheat recorded for his own Tomorrow Recordings label and maintained an extensive touring schedule. Buckwheat Zydeco's latest album, Lay Your Burden Down, was released on May 5, 2009 on the Alligator Records label. It was produced by Steve Berlin of Los Lobos and included guest appearances by guitarists Warren Haynes and Sonny Landreth, Trombone Shorty, JJ Grey and Berlin himself. The album was nominated for a Grammy Award. Sonicboomers.com says, “The CD is a vastly entertaining and appealingly diverse package. Bandleader Dural remains an ever-engaging vocalist and a whiz on any keyboard he touches. So, for Buckwheat Zydeco fans, Lay Your Burden Down finds the maestro and his group near the top of their form. For listeners with less interest in the ol' accordion get-down, the collection supplies enough interesting wrinkles to get the good times rolling."
Buckwheat’s 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.
Buckwheat's version of Memphis Minnie and Kansas Joe McCoy's "When the Levee Breaks" appeared on 2011's Alligator Records 40th Anniversary Collection. It originally appeared on the 2009 Buckwheat Zydeco album Lay Your Burden Down.
Stanley “Buckwheat” Dural Jr. died on September 24, 2016, at Our Lady of Lourdes Regional Medical Center. Dural, who had lung cancer, was 68.
Beast Of Burden
Buckwheat Zydeco Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
My back is broad but it's a hurting
All I want is for you to make love to me
I'll never be your beast of burden
I've walked for miles my feet are hurting
All I want is you to make love to me
Am I hard enough
Am I rich enough
I'm not too blind to see
I'll never be your beast of burden
So let's go home and draw the curtains
Music on the radio
Come on baby make sweet love to me
Am I hard enough
Am I rough enough
Am I rich enough
I'm not too blind to see
Oh little sister
Pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty, girl
You're a pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty girl
Pretty, pretty
Such a pretty, pretty, pretty girl
Come on baby please, please, please
I'll tell ya
You can put me out
On the street
Put me out
With no shoes on my feet
But, put me out, put me out
Put me out of misery
Yeah, all your sickness
I can suck it up
Throw it all at me
I can shrug it off
There's one thing baby
That I don't understand
You keep on telling me
I ain't your kind of man
Ain't I rough enough, ooh baby
Ain't I tough enough
Ain't I rich enough, in love enough
Ooh! Ooh! Please
I'll never be your beast of burden
I'll never be your beast of burden
Never, never, never, never, never, never, never be
I'll never be your beast of burden
I've walked for miles, my feet are hurting
All I want is you to make love to me,
Yeah
I don't need no beast of burden
I need no fussing
I need no nursing
Never, never, never, never, never, never, never be
The Buckwheat Zydeco cover of the Rolling Stones' "Beast of Burden" is a soulful and upbeat take on the original song. The lyrics speak of a man who refuses to be someone's heavy burden or "beast of burden." He has a tough exterior, but deep down, all he wants is to be loved and have a connection with his partner. He questions whether he is "hard enough," "rough enough," and "rich enough," but ultimately realizes that he doesn't need to prove anything to anyone.
The song speaks to themes of independence and empowerment, and the way that society often places unrealistic expectations on individuals. The singer is tired of being judged and forced into a certain mold, and instead wants to be appreciated for who he truly is. The repetition of "never, never, never, never, never, never, never be" at the end of the song only reinforces this message of refusing to conform to societal norms.
Overall, the Buckwheat Zydeco version of "Beast of Burden" adds a fresh, funky vibe to the classic Rolling Stones track, while still maintaining its meaningful lyrics and empowering message.
Line by Line Meaning
I'll never be your beast of burden
I refuse to be the one who bears all your burdens in our relationship
My back is broad but it's a hurting
I may seem strong, but I'm tired and worn out from carrying too much weight
All I want is for you to make love to me
I don't want to be your servant anymore, I want intimacy and affection in our relationship
I've walked for miles my feet are hurting
I've put in a lot of effort and hard work in this relationship, but I'm tired and exhausted
Am I hard enough
Do I have enough backbone and resilience to withstand your demands and expectations?
Am I rough enough
Can I handle the rough edges of life and still be the partner you want?
Am I rich enough
Do I have enough wealth and resources to meet your standards?
I'm not too blind to see
I'm not ignorant or naïve, I understand the situation clearly
So let's go home and draw the curtains
Let's retreat to our private space and have some intimate time together
Music on the radio
Let's set the mood for romance and relaxation with some music
Oh little sister
Hey girl, I'm trying to connect with you on a personal level
Pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty, girl
You're a beautiful and attractive person
You're a pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty girl
I can't stress enough how beautiful and precious you are to me
You keep on telling me I ain't your kind of man
No matter what I do or say, you don't see me as the man you want in your life
Ain't I rich enough, in love enough
Can't my love and devotion make up for my lack of wealth or material possessions?
I'll never be your beast of burden
I'm not willing to be your slave or servant anymore
All I want is you to make love to me
I want to be loved and cherished, not just used and abused
I don't need no beast of burden
I don't need anyone to carry my load, I can handle my own responsibilities
I need no fussing
I don't want anyone to constantly nag me or criticize me
I need no nursing
I don't want anyone to coddle or pamper me, I can take care of myself
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Keith Richards, Mick Jagger
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
accskaguy
I'm a fellow accordionist from Calgary, and This song reminds me of a fantastic memory of actually getting to meet Mr. Dural in person on stage.
He of course had no idea that I previously that day signed myself up for a very long running race (61.1 km - ~ 38 mi.) that started at 6 AM. Crossed that finish line a handful of minutes before 11:30 that morning. Then I went home and had a very short nap before getting myself set to head towards our local folk music festival, and he was not only doing the final closing set on the main stage that Sunday evening, but I found out was set to go straight to the after party (meant mostly for the fellow musicians and volunteers) on a stage at a nearby hotel hall for larger events.
I actually took along my own box to the little island show grounds, and that meant I saw the shows mostly from one side, but close enough in that it worked well enough for me. Natalie MacMaster also did a set earlier that evening, as well as an African folk ensemble that was also very great to hear. Anyways, I brought my box because I wanted to be at the after party jams. I had attended in previous years, and was invited to be back by a few people who remembered me from before.
So I did my usual thing where I did a little busking right after the show ended in my spot not too far away, and waited to see some festival volunteers drag their tired bodies in my general direction. Eventually I saw this couple who weren't looking like they were up to partying after at all, so I ended up becoming that fellow and had his lanyard badge to get in to the after party. (There is another story with them after too where I ended up playing music for a short film she was making later) Then the time had come to get my speed on, and rush to take in as much of Buckwheat's 2nd (shorter) set as possible.
They actually charged 8$ to get in to that! I even had my box with me of course, but i guess that didn't count. ;)
Anyways, I did get in and with my box in tow. I was actually bold enough to take it out and jam along in the audience for a bit. I got ushered to the stage, and that was when Buckwheat began to play THIS tune. So we did it together. The look on his face as he saw another accordion guy get on stage with him is one I will never forget. What a great guy. :)
We had a nice little conversation afterwards. It was short, but it is still a fond memory. (that was his last tune for the evening, and he was TIRED. Still happy and enthusiastic, but he had a day already too.)
I was still filled with endorphins so I hung out with the jammers who were still up for even more after that until the dawn of the next morning. What a day! Never to be forgotten. Never. :D
Bill Niland
Judging from the look on faces, they all knew Buckwheat was facing the beast of cancer. There is a quiet pall on the session, as if putting it away for safe-keeping. Thanks to all who helped infect us with the joy of zydeco and Buckwheat...RIP!!!
x x
My Pops had this cd in his music collection, to Mr.buckwheat may the heavens rejoice the sound of your music, blessings in peace my brother.
Kenny Moore
Yes sir !
Jerry Whitmire
He makes me smile every time I hear his music.
bumpdunlop
I had the privilege of opening for many great acts over the past 25 years. Delbert McClinton 3 times, Tommy Castro 3 times, Anson Funderberg a couple times. The list goes on. The VERY BEST show that I ever saw (in that capacity) was Buckwheat Zydeco. I would say one of the best shows I ever saw.
maynardmoleman
I saw buckwheat at Antone's back in the 90's and yeah,one of the greatest shows I ever saw
Leo R. LaBarge
I got to open for him once, in the 1980's. We came off after our set and Mr. Dural handed me a beer. "You look like you could use a cold one." Made me feel great! Met Mr. Herman Brown that night too. Another beautiful humble man.
Frankie Daszczuk
Another great musical artist gone..but not forgotten...
SECRET AMERICA !!! YouTube Channel with L.D. BRITE
TO BE LISTENED to on Saturday Night or special occasion only+! SO GOOD
Jason Carpp
Awesome version of "Beast of Burden".