“It was a blessing to have my first CD nominated, but when they said we won the Grammy, I said, ‘Oh, my God.’ When they called our name, I was like, wow.”
Buckwheat Zydeco Jr.’s real name is Reginald Masters Dural, ‘Sir Reg’ for short. He’s been fronting his dad’s band since dad died in 2016. New Beginnings is his first album fronting his namesake father’s legendary Ils Sont Partis Band. It won the 2024 Grammy for Best Regional Roots Music Album. He continues a legacy of Creole music played with accordion, washboard, guitar, bass, drums and horns.
“We were blessed to win it for the first CD out of the gate. My CD was out three months and was nominated already. Yeah, the first CD I did since my dad passed, and I’m going to be working on my next CD in 2025. This one is still rolling right now. I’ll be working on the next one in 2025; I don’t want to rush it.”
Zydeco music’s heritage goes back hundreds of years blending French origins through emigration to Nova Scotia and then blending with Caribbean rhythms in Louisiana. Buckwheat Zydeco jr.’s grandfather called it la la music when he played the accordion at home.
“Back then it used to be only house bands, house parties. It wasn’t the way it is today performing in front of thousands of people. They played only for family and friends at home. They used to call it la la music. It changed when Clifton Chenier and my dad came about taking it around the world for everybody.”
Clifton Chenier was known as the King of Zydeco, and Buckwheat Zydeco Sr. played in Clifton’s band before going out on his own. “Clifton Chenier took it around the world to France, different places, different countries, and my dad was with him playing Hammond B3. And then my dad wanted to start his own band, and I said, ‘This is gonna go somewhere. This is really getting big.’
“A lot of people didn’t know about Zydeco music. A lot of people were into blues, jazz, different types of music like that. But Zydeco is one of a kind. You won’t find it anywhere else if you go around the world. You won’t find somebody playing the washboard and the accordion the way we do with the Zydeco music. So, that’s why I’m very determined to keep the tradition going because, like I say, one of a kind. You won’t find it anywhere else in the world.”
Dad died in 2016, and his son took over the band without missing a beat. “I’d been working with my dad for many years, and I wanted to keep things the same. My dad always used to tell me things I used to do when I was coming up. He said, ‘You know how to handle this.’ And my thing was to just keep things going the way that they are – the music I like, the style of the band. And it wasn’t as heavy on my shoulders as I thought it might be.”
It happened fast. “We flew out to Hawaii. We were performing out there for a week and my dad fell sick before we even got there. He fell sick on the plane and I said, ‘Ok, we’re not canceling this. I’m gonna do all the gig.’ And that’s how it started. We landed in Hawaii. My dad went straight to the hospital, and I did all the shows out there, and I’ve been doing them ever since.”
He had been preparing for this knowing his father had cancer. “I was nervous. I was nervous in the beginning because of the difference of playing outside of my dad on the rub boards and him playing the organ to be in the lead then, and I see and understand everything my dad was going through. But I felt I could handle it because I had my brothers, all the guys on stage with me. They all had my back. They were there for me, and it’s been a blessing ever since.”
Sir Reg’s favorite cut on his Grammy-winning album is “Grandma’s Love.”
“I wrote that when my grandmother passed away. She used to talk to me all the time when I used to call and check in at home. We’d talk for hours. She’d ask me how I was doing out there, the weather, and this and that and telling me all the time, ‘Hang in there. Just stick with your dad and take care of your dad out there. It’s gonna be ok. You’re gonna be ok. This is what you have to do. Just stick in there. You know, your dad is with you. Take care of your dad.’ And I did. I did that. I stood by his side, and as time passed took care of my father and kept that in the family. Now, I have my son on the road with me, and we all look out for one another and have a great time.”
Now, Buckwheat Jr. plays accordion in the band, and his son, 35, plays rub board just like his dad. “He’s really into this music. He was originally a drummer. He writes his own music as well, and he always dreamed about coming on the road with me and my father, but he was young at the time. I told him his time is gonna come and he’d love it. All the time, he tells me, ‘Dad, thank you so much. I love being on stage with you, right next to you on stage.’ He takes it very seriously.”
The Ils Sont Partis Band plays the Bayfront Blues Festival in Duluth, Minnesota August 9, 10, and 11.
