NYS Music 20​16

Tag: obituaries

  • Louisiana Legend Buckwheat Zydeco Dead at 68

    Stanley “Buckwheat” Dural, Jr., the performer who brought the unique sounds of Louisiana zyedco music to the world, passed away early Saturday morning in Lafayette, LA at the age of 68. Dural had been battling lung cancer since 2013. His long time manager Ted Fox confirmed the death in a Facebook post today.

    Dural, given the nickname “Buckwheat” in his youth due to his hair resembling that of the Little Rascals character, became synonymous with the regional music that he championed. He performed at the closing ceremonies of the 1996 Olympics as well as both of President Bill Clinton’s inaugurations.

    buckwheat zydeco
    Stanley “Buckwheat” Dural Jr. of Buckwheat Zydeco died Saturday morning from lung cancer. He was 68.

    Buckwheat Zydeco performed at the 2015 Syracuse Jazz Fest and provided one of the most entertaining and rollicking sets of the weekend. He had been scheduled to perform at the Earlville Opera House on Sept. 16 but was forced to cancel due to a recurrence of his lung cancer. In announcing the cancellation, Dural stated:

    I hope everyone knows I truly believe ‘the show must go on’ and I’ve always tried to make that happen. But, I’ll need to fight this off first. So I’m sorry to say we will need to cancel or postpone some shows. But, you can’t beat the Wheat! I will be back. Soon. And, you can take that to your best bank.

    Dural was born in Lafayette, LA in 1947. His father, Stanley Dural, Sr., was a farmer and Cajun accordionist. The younger Dural resisted his father’s music at first, gravitating towards playing the organ in the funk band he formed in 1971.

    Syracuse Jazz Festival
    Dural and his son, Sir Reginald, performing at the 2015 Syracuse Jazz Fest

    While performing with famed zydeco bandleader Clifton Chenier in the late ’70s, Dural took up his father’s instrument, eventually venturing out on his own to form Buckwheat Zydeco.

    Dural and his band were the first zydeco band signed to a major label, signing with Island Records in 1987 for the Grammy nominated On a Night Like This. Throughout his career, he performed with Eric Clapton, U2, Ry Cooder, Keith Richards and Robert Plant.

    Dural is survived by his wife, Bernite Dural; two sons, Sir Reginald M. Dural  and Stanley Paul Dural III and three daughters, April Germain Dural, Stacie Durham and Tomorrow Lynn Dural.

  • Composter and Bassist Rob Wasserman Passes Away at 64

    Rob Wasserman, Grammy award winning bassist and composer, known for playing with artists such as Ani di Franco, Lou Reed, and Bob Weir, has passed away at the age of 64.

    rob wassermanMere hours after Weir announced via Facebook that Wasserman was hospitalized and facing a health struggle, a second post followed confirming his passing. Weir posted, “I’m devastated to pass along that Rob Wasserman lost his struggle today, and we have lost a beautiful friend and artist. I can still hear the sound of his bow playing those strings unamplified and pure. It’s one of the most glorious sounds I’ve ever heard, and the music and warmth he gave us will live on in the hearts of everyone he touched.”

    Wasserman attended the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, studying composing and the double bass, though he began playing violin as a teenager. He was known for his trilogy of albums: Solo, Duets, and Trios. In the latter two albums, Wasserman worked with Jerry Garcia, Elvis Costello, and Lou Reed, among numerous others.

    Wasserman is perhaps best known for founding RatDog with Bob Weir after the death of Jerry Garcia in 1995. Previous to RatDog, Wasserman and Weir toured for several years as Scaring the Children. RatDog toured until 2014, performing Dead covers and some original songs. They released one studio album, Evening Moods, in 2000.

    Wasserman’s most recent album was Cosmic Farm in 2005.

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