Buckwheat Zydeco Performs in a Wisconsin Memorial Union Great Hall Dance Party to Celebrate Mardi Gras

Playing piano since age 9, Buckwheat Zydeco rose to fame in 1984 with "Zydeco Boogaloo," one of the genre’s signature songs. He will be performing in a dance party in the Great Hall at the Memorial Union on Wednesday, February 18th, 2009 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $28 for the general public, $26 for WAA members, Union members, University of Wisconsin (UW) faculty and staff, and non-UW students. As always, UW-Students are only $10!

An exciting performer and expert keyboards and accordion player, Buckwheat is an innovator who crafted a bold new sound for zydeco, the music of the Creole, French-speaking Blacks of Louisiana. In addition to his well-received innovations, Stanley "Buckwheat" Dural Jr. is a pioneer in many ways. He is the first zydeco artist to have been signed to a major record label, the first to have launched his own record label, the first to perform on a national television show, the first to release a children’s album, and the first zydeco artist to win an Emmy award! Most lately, he recorded two Bob Dylan songs with Yo La Tengo for the 2007 film “I’m not there.”

Buckwheat’s performance doubles up as a dance party in Great Hall. Special Louisiana food and drinks will be available for purchase.

Sponsors include the Wisconsin Union Directorate. Support is also given by the Wisconsin Arts Board and the Wisconsin Union Theater Endowment Fund. Media sponsors are The Onion and Wisconsin Public Radio’s Higher Ground.

 Tickets can be purchased by phone (608-265-ARTS)), by fax (608-265-5084), by mail or in person at the box office (Wisconsin Union Theater, 800 Langdon St., Madison, WI 53706) or online at http://uniontheater.wisc.edu.