Yes, Madame: Buckwheat Zydeco and "Madame Pitre"

Buckwheat Zydeco, the late accordion and zydeco player, brings us todays random tune - a zydeco version of an old standard. Buckwheat Zydeco was the stage name of Stanley Dural, Jr. He got the name "Buckwheat" from his childhood resemblance to a character on the Our Gang film shorts. Dural's father was an accomplished Creole accordionist, but Dural preferred rhythm and blues, and actually started out backing artists such as Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown and Joe Tex. He started his own funk band in the early 70s with some success, but then began backing zydeco legend Clifton Chenier as an organist and discovered the popularity of zydeco. His relationship to Chenier led him to take up the accordion, and after a year he felt confident enough to start Buckwheat Zydeco in 1978. Buckwheat Zydeco opened for and collaborated with some of the biggest names in music, and it was one of the few zydeco bands to achieve mainstream success. This song, Madame Pitre, can be found on his 1992 album Turning Point.

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buckwheat_Zydeco

Mama's Got a Squeezebox: Roddie Romero & The Rockin' Cajuns with "Da Big Squeeze"

Today's random song is by Louisiana accordionist Roddie Romero and the Rockin' Cajuns. Roddie Romero is from the town of Lafayette, Louisiana. Influenced early on by his grandfather's accordion playing, he taught himself how to play by reproducing the sounds he heard his grandfather make. Surrounded by his heroes, like Buckwheat Zydeco and other legends, he became a sought-after performer himself while still in high school - the scandal of his performances in nightclubs and bars as a minor led to the Roddie Romero Law in the state legislature, which allowed underage musicians to perform in such settings if accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. Sometime later, after seeing Sonny Landreth in Canada, Romero became enamored of the slide guitar, adding it to his repertoire. While the Rockin' Cajuns was one of his first bands, he now fronts the Hub City All-Stars. This song, Da Big Squeeze, is from the Roddie Romero & The Rockin' Cajuns' 1991 album of the same name, though we found it on the various artists compilation Cajun and Zydeco Mardi Gras (1992).

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

Source: http://roddieromero.com/web/

Put a Spring in Your Steppin: Rockin' Sidney and "Zydeco Mardi Gras"

A little reminder of what happened a month ago is today' random tune, called Zydeco Mardi Gras, or Mardi Gras Zydeco. The tune is performed by the late Rockin' Sydney, the performing name of Sidney Simien of Lebeau, Louisiana. Rockin' Sidney started out as a guitar R&B musician with some minor hits in Louisiana in the 1950s and 1960s. One of his songs from that period, You Ain't Nothin' but Fine, gained some national attention and was later recorded by The Fabulous Thunderbirds on their debut album. In the 1970s, Rockin' Sidney began playing zydeco music. Recognizing the growing popularity of zydeco, he picked up an accordion and formed a band. His stage shows featured parodies of Clifton Chenier and Buckwheat Zydeco, complete with costuming. He became internationally known with his hit My Toot Toot, which has been covered by many well-known musicians. Rockin' Sidney died in 1998. Zydeco Mardi Gras can be found on his 1992 album Mais Yeah Chere! and on the 1992 various artists compilation Cajun and Zydeco Mardi Gras.

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rockin%27_Sidney

Put Up or Shut Up: Lil' Nathan and the Zydeco Big Timers with "Git Yo' Money Up"

Lil' Nathan and the Zydeco Big Timers bring us today's random tune, called Git Yo' Money Up. Lil' Nathan is Nathan Williams Jr., son of Nathan Williams who leads the Zydeco Cha Chas. At the age of 5 he began playing rubboard in his father's band, eventually playing drums and then accordion, eventually becoming a master of both the single note and triple row accordions. He formed the Big Timers at 14 as a freshman in high school in Lafayette, Louisiana, recording his first studio album called Zydeco Ballin'. After recording their second album, the Zydeco Big Timers became an in-demand band on the zydeco circuit. Lil' Nathan and his band have opened for major musicians such as Keith Sweat, Tank, New Edition, and Dru Hill among others. He has also gained a bachelor's degree in jazz studies at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and he plans to become a music and vocal teacher alongside his recording and performing career, and he is currently an instructor for students in the Zydeco Ensemble at Louisiana Lafayette. Git Yo' Money Up can be found on the Lil' Nathan and the Zydeco Big Timers 2015 album Face 2 Face - Nate the Great.

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

Source: https://nathanwilliamsjr.com/

Zydeco Birthday: Keith Frank & the Soileau Zydeco Band with "Co Fa"

Today's random song is dedicated to my spouse and partner in crime, Megan Kamerick, for it's her birthday today. Co Fa is a Louisiana zydeco song, but it almost sounds like it has a reggae feel. Co Fa is by Keith Frank and the Soileau Zydeco Band. Frank is a native of Louisiana, and started his Soileau Zydeco Band in 1990. They have put out thirteen studio albums and one live album. Co Fa first appeared on Keith Frank & The Soileau Zydeco Band's Live at Slim's Y-Ki-Ki album (1999) and can be found on Putumayo World Music's 2000 compilation CD Zydeco.

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

Sources: http://www.keithfrank.com/

You See Gallup New Mexico: Buckwheat Zydeco and "Route 66"

Buckwheat Zydeco, the late accordion and zydeco player, brings us todays random tune - a zydeco version of an old standard. Buckwheat Zydeco was the stage name of Stanley Dural, Jr. He got the name "Buckwheat" from his childhood resemblance to a character on the Our Gang film shorts. Dural's father was an accomplished Creole accordionist, but Dural preferred rhythm and blues, and actually started out backing artists such as Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown and Joe Tex. He started his own funk band in the early 70s with some success, but then began backing zydeco legend Clifton Chenier as an organist and discovered the popularity of zydeco. His relationship to Chenier led him to take up the accordion, and after a year he felt confident enough to start Buckwheat Zydeco in 1978. Buckwheat Zydeco opened for and collaborated with some of the biggest names in music, and it was one of the few zydeco bands to achieve mainstream success. This song, Route 66, can be found on his 2005 album Where There's Smoke There's Fire. He performs the song on the video with David Hidalgo of Los Lobos.

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buckwheat_Zydeco

Baby It's Cold Outside: Buckwheat Zydeco and "On a Night Like This"

Today's random tune is by the late, legendary Buckwheat Zydeco. On a Night Like This is the title track of his 1989 album On a Night Like This. Buckwheat Zydeco was the stage name of Stanley Dural, Jr. He got the name "Buckwheat" from his childhood resemblance to a character on the Our Gang film shorts. Dural's father was an accomplished Creole accordionist, but Dural preferred rhythm and blues, and actually started out backing artists such as Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown and Joe Tex. He started his own funk band in the early 70s with some success, but then began backing zydeco legend Clifton Chenier as an organist and discovered the popularity of zydeco. His relationship to Chenier led him to take up the accordion, and after a year he felt confident enough to start Buckwheat Zydeco in 1978. Buckwheat Zydeco opened for and collaborated with some of the biggest names in music, and it was one of the few zydeco bands to achieve mainstream success.

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buckwheat_Zydeco

Love Hurts: Wayne Toups and Zydecajun with "True Love (Don't Leave Me Blue)"

Today's nice random tune is a waltz by Wayne Toups and Zydecajun. Songwriter and accordionist Wayne Toups is a well-known Cajun musician from Crowley, Louisiana. He started playing accordion at 13 and soon was winning local contests. He later began to combine Cajun music, zydeco, R&B and rock into a genre he labeled Zydecajun. Though he released his first album in the 1970s, his first album with the Zydecajun sound was 1986's Zydecajun. Besides releasing 16 albums and providing soundtracks for movies such as Steel Magnolias, Toups has also collaborated with such artists as Mark Chestnutt, Sammy Kershaw, Alan Jackson, George Jones and Garth Brooks. This song, True Love (Don't Leave Me Blue), is from his 1991 album Fish Out of Water.

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayne_Toups; http://www.waynetoups.com/

Hurry It Up: Buckwheat Zydeco and "Time is Tight"

The late, legendary Buckwheat Zydeco performs today's random tune. Time is Tight is off of his 1989 album On a Night Like This. Buckwheat Zydeco is the stage name of Stanley Dural, Jr. He got the name "Buckwheat" from his childhood resemblance to a character on the Our Gang film shorts. Dural's father was an accomplished Creole accordionist, but Dural preferred rhythm and blues, and actually started out backing artists such as Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown and Joe Tex. He started his own funk band in the early 70s with some success, but then began backing zydeco legend Clifton Chenier as an organist and discovered the popularity of zydeco. His relationship to Chenier led him to take up the accordion, and after a year he felt confident enough to start Buckwheat Zydeco in 1978. Buckwheat Zydecoopened for and collaborated with some of the biggest names in music, and it was one of the few zydeco bands to achieve mainstream success.

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

Fork it Over: L'il Nathan and the Zydeco Big Timers with "Git Yo' Money Up"

Lafayette, Louisiana's Nathan James Williams, Jr., or L'il Nathan, started in zydeco music at the age of 5 playing the rub board in Nathan and the Zydeco Cha-Cha's, his father's (Nathan Williams) band. His father later taught him the accordion and drums. L'il Nathan recorded his first CD at the age of 14, playing songs written by his father. He is currently fronting his own band, L'il Nathan and the Zydeco Big Timers. You can find this song, Git Yo' Money Up, on their album Face 2 Face - Nate the Great (2015).

Rockin' to the East and West: Buckwheat Zydeco and "Tutti Frutti"

Today's tune is by Buckwheat Zydeco, a zydeco riff on an old rock standard, Tutti Frutti. Buckwheat Zydeco was the stage name of Stanley Dural, Jr. He got the name "Buckwheat" from his childhood resemblance to a character on the Our Gang film shorts. Dural's father was an accomplished Creole accordionist, but Dural preferred rhythm and blues, and actually started out backing artists such as Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown and Joe Tex. He started his own funk band in the early 70s with some success, but then began backing zydeco legend Clifton Chenier as an organist and discovered the popularity of zydeco. His relationship to Chenier led him to take up the accordion, and after a year he felt confident enough to start Buckwheat Zydeco in 1978. Buckwheat Zydeco opened for and collaborated with some of the biggest names in music, and was one of the few zydeco bands to achieve mainstream success. Unfortunately, Stanley Dural, Jr. died of lung cancer in September, 2016 at the age of 68 - one of many of a long line of musicians that died in their late 60s last year. Tutti Frutti is on his 1992 album Turning Point.

I'm Getting Up There: Wayne Toups and Zydecajun with "Late in Life"

Today's tune, Late in Life, is by Wayne Toups and Zydecajun. Songwriter and accordionist Wayne Toups is one of the most successful Cajun musicians in America. He was born in Crowley, Louisiana and started playing accordion at 13. He was soon winning local contests, and later began to combine Cajun music, zydeco, R&B and rock into a genre he labeled Zydecajun. Though he released his first album in the 1970s, his first album with the Zydecajun sound was 1986's Zydecajun. Besides releasing 16 albums and providing soundtracks for movies such as Steel Magnolias, Toups has also collaborated with such artists as Mark Chestnutt, Sammy Kershaw, Alan Jackson, George Jones and Garth Brooks. Late in Life is from his 1991 album Fish Out of Water.

Et Je Suis Rentré Tard: Beausoleil and "J'ai Été au Zydeco"

Our random tune today is by Beausoleil and is called J'ai Été au Zydeco. Founded in 1975, Beausoleil released its first album in 1977 and became one of the most well-known groups from playing traditional and original music in the Creole tradition of Louisiana. They have also gone beyond the traditional, incorporating rock and roll, jazz, blues, calypso and other genres. They are an extensive touring band, and they sing in both English and Colonial Louisiana French. The band takes its name from Joseph Broussard dit Beausoleil, who led the Acadian resistance to British deportation from Canada and led 193 exiles to safety in Louisiana. The band almost didn't come to be - Michael Doucet, one of the founders, was going to New Mexico to study Romantic Poets, but he won a Folk Arts Apprenticeship sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts. As he puts it: "I traded William Blake for Dewey Balfa," and he sought out every living Cajun/Creole performer to learn what he could about Cajun music and their techniques. He even encouraged some to resume performing. They are one of the few Creole/Cajun groups to win a Grammy. J'ai Été au Zydeco, which means I Went to the Zydeco, can be found on their 1997 compilation The Best of Beausoleil. The tune is inspired by an older tune called J'ai Été au Bal (I Went to the Dance) and uses a chorus lifted from an even older song called Z'haricots Sont Pas Salé (The Beans are not Salty) from which the name "Zydeco" derived ("Z'haricots"), according to Chuck Taggert in the liner notes to the album.

King of Zydeco: Clifton Chenier and "Johnny Can't Dance"

Today's random tune is by Clifton Chenier from Opelousas, Louisiana, a native Louisiana-French speaker who was known as "King of Zydeco" and "King of the South." A legendary performer of zydeco on accordion, he won a Grammy award in 1983 and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award posthumously in 2014. He is also inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame. He started his musical career in the 1950s, and began to reach a national audience in 1976 with an appearance on Austin City Limits. His popularity peaked in the 1980s. He was also an innovator, and is credited with redesigning the washboard used in zydeco music into the "vest frottoir," that hangs from the shoulders - he also introduced using bottle caps to give it its distinctive sound. Chenier died of diabetes-related kidney disease in December, 1987. This song, "Johnny Can't Dance," can be found on numerous compilation albums such as The Best of Clifton Chenier (2003).

Making Changes: Buckwheat Zydeco and "Turning Point"

Buckwheat Zydeco comes rockin' in to our page with the random tune of the day. Buckwheat Zydeco is the stage name of Stanley Dural, Jr., who got the name "Buckwheat" from his childhood resemblance to a character on the Our Gang film shorts. Dural's father was an accomplished Creole accordionist, but Dural preferred rhythm and blues, and started out backing artists such as Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown and Joe Tex. He started his own funk band in the early 70s with some success, but then began backing zydeco legend Clifton Chenier as an organist and discovered the popularity of zydeco. His relationship to Chenier led him to take up the accordion, and after a year he felt confident enough to start Buckwheat Zydeco in 1978. Buckwheat Zydeco has opened for and collaborated with some of the biggest names in music, and it is one of the few zydeco bands to achieve mainstream success. This song, Turning Point, is on his 1992 album of the same name.

Yes, Please Do: Wayne Toups and Zydecajun with "Please Explain"

Today's tune, Please Explain, is by Wayne Toups and Zydecajun. Songwriter and accordionist Wayne Toups is one of the most successful Cajun musicians in America. He was born in Crowley, Louisiana and started playing accordion at 13. He was soon winning local contests, and later began to combine Cajun music, zydeco, R&B and rock into a genre he labeled Zydecajun. Though he released his first album in the 1970s, his first album with the Zydecajun sound was 1986's Zydecajun. Besides releasing 16 albums and providing soundtracks for movies such as Steel Magnolias, Toups has also collaborated with such artists as Mark Chestnutt, Sammy Kershaw, Alan Jackson, George Jones and Garth Brooks. Please Explain is from his 1991 album Fish Out of Water.

Good for the Blood Pressure: Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys featuring Sonny Landreth with "Zarico Est Pas Salé"

Zarico Est Pas Salé is a zydeco tune that Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys perform with Sonny Landreth. A Cajun band from Southern Louisiana, Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys were founded in 1988. The band takes its inspiration from Cajun traditional legends Dewey Balfa, Belton Richard and Walter Mouton. However, the music of Steve Riley & the Mamou Playboys has grown into a style that is distinctly Cajun but also personal to them. They sing almost exclusively in Cajun French. They have been nominated twice for Grammys in the Best Traditional Folk Album category and have released 11 albums to date as well as one compilation album. Sonny Landreth is an American blues guitar player especially known for his slide guitar method and of whom Eric Clapton said that he is one of the most advanced and under-appreciated guitarists in the world. He is known as The King of Slydeco. He has released twelve albums. Zarico Est Pas Salé can be found on The Best of Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys (2008).

Ready to Take Her Home: Wayne Toups and ZydeCajun with "Ooh La La"

Today's tune, Ooh La La, is by Wayne Toups and Zydecajun. Songwriter and accordionist Wayne Toups is one of the most successful Cajun musicians in America. He was born in Crowley, Louisiana and started playing accordion at 13. He was soon winning local contests, and later began to combine Cajun music, zydeco, R&B and rock into a genre he labeled ZydeCajun. Though he released his first album in the 1970s, his first album with the ZydeCajun sound was 1986's ZydeCajun. Besides releasing 16 albums and providing soundtracks for movies such as Steel Magnolias, Toups has also collaborated with such artists as Mark Chestnutt, Sammy Kershaw, Alan Jackson, George Jones and Garth Brooks. Ooh La La is from his 1991 album Fish Out of Water.

Not Your Ordinary Ice Cream: Buckwheat Zydeco and "Tutti Frutti"

Today's tune is by Buckwheat Zydeco, a zydeco riff on an old rock standard, Tutti Frutti. Buckwheat Zydeco is the stage name of Stanley Dural, Jr. He got the name "Buckwheat" from his childhood resemblance to a character on the Our Gang film shorts. Dural's father was an accomplished Creole accordionist, but Dural preferred rhythm and blues, and actually started out backing artists such as Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown and Joe Tex. He started his own funk band in the early 70s with some success, but then began backing zydeco legend Clifton Chenier as an organist and discovered the popularity of zydeco. His relationship to Chenier led him to take up the accordion, and after a year he felt confident enough to start Buckwheat Zydeco in 1978. Buckwheat Zydeco has opened for and collaborated with some of the biggest names in music, and it is one of the few zydeco bands to achieve mainstream success. Tutti Frutti is on his 1992 album Turning Point.

Hurry Up!: Buckwheat Zydeco and "Time is Tight"

The random tune for today is brought to us by Buckwheat Zydeco. Time is Tight is off of his 1989 album On a Night Like This. Buckwheat Zydeco is the stage name of Stanley Dural, Jr. He got the name "Buckwheat" from his childhood resemblance to a character on the Our Gang film shorts. Dural's father was an accomplished Creole accordionist, but Dural preferred rhythm and blues, and actually started out backing artists such as Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown and Joe Tex. He started his own funk band in the early 70s with some success, but then began backing zydeco legend Clifton Chenier as an organist and discovered the popularity of zydeco. His relationship to Chenier led him to take up the accordion, and after a year he felt confident enough to start Buckwheat Zydeco in 1978. Buckwheat Zydeco has opened for and collaborated with some of the biggest names in music, and it is one of the few zydeco bands to achieve mainstream success.