Stanley Dural, Jr. (November 14, 1947 – September 24, 2016), better known b… Read Full Bio ↴Stanley Dural, Jr. (November 14, 1947 – September 24, 2016), better known by his stage name Buckwheat Zydeco, was an American accordionist and zydeco musician. He was one of the few zydeco artists to achieve mainstream success. His music group was formally billed as Buckwheat Zydeco and Ils Sont Partis Band, but they often performed as merely Buckwheat Zydeco.

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.

Don't Leave Me
Buckwheat Zydeco Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Oh baby don't leave me in the nighttime
Oh baby don't leave me in the day
Just tell me that you love me for a lifetime
And you'll never ever go away

I remember on the day I met you
I was looking for a one night stand
Bet you knew it when you let me catch you

I would never go a-looking again

I believe if you ever left me
I would be a broken hearted man
All the girls in the world couldn't help me
Put my heart back together again

I believe and I don't mean maybe
I believe you were heaven sent
I believe you're the gift God gave me
One hundred and one percent

I believe if you ever left me
I would be a broken hearted man

All the girls in the world couldn't help me
Put my heart back together again

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Buckwheat Zydeco's song "Don't Leave Me" express a deep fear of abandonment and a desperate plea for love and commitment. The singer implores his partner not to leave him, both in the nighttime and in the day, highlighting the constant fear of being left alone. He longs for the reassurance that their love is for a lifetime and that she will never leave him.

The lyrics also touch upon the origin of their relationship, as the singer recalls the day they met. He confesses that he initially sought a casual encounter, but the connection they had was undeniable, and he knew he would never go searching for another. This suggests that their meeting was unexpected and perhaps even transformative for the singer, as the encounter opened his eyes to the possibility of true love instead of temporary satisfaction.

The chorus emphasizes the singer's belief that if his partner were to ever leave, he would be left brokenhearted. He asserts that no other women in the world could help him mend his heart. This highlights the deep emotional reliance he has on his partner and the devastating impact her absence would have on him.

Overall, the lyrics convey a sense of vulnerability and an intense desire for love, security, and long-lasting commitment. The singer expresses a deep belief in the bond they share and the importance of his partner in his life.

Line by Line Meaning

Oh baby don't leave me in the nighttime
Please don't abandon me during the darkest moments

Oh baby don't leave me in the day
Please don't abandon me when things are tough and challenging

Just tell me that you love me for a lifetime
Simply assure me that your love will endure forever

And you'll never ever go away
And you'll always remain by my side

I remember on the day I met you
I recall the moment we first crossed paths

I was looking for a one night stand
I was seeking a temporary, casual relationship

Bet you knew it when you let me catch you
I'm sure you understood my intentions when you allowed me to pursue you

I would never go a-looking again
I would no longer search for fleeting connections

I believe if you ever left me
I firmly believe that if you ever departed from my life

I would be a broken hearted man
I would become a deeply saddened and devastated individual

All the girls in the world couldn't help me
No other women could console or heal my emotional wounds

Put my heart back together again
Mend the shattered pieces of my heart and make it whole once more

I believe and I don't mean maybe
I wholeheartedly believe without a doubt

I believe you were heaven sent
I believe you were a divine gift sent from heaven above

I believe you're the gift God gave me
I believe you're the precious blessing bestowed upon me by God

One hundred and one percent
With absolute certainty and devotion

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: DON SCHLITZ, PAUL OVERSTREET

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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