Personnel includes: Stanley "Buckwheat" Dural Jr. (vocals, accordion, organ, melodica, keyboards); Dwight Yoakam (vocals); Eric Clapton, Melvin Veazie, Robert James Ahearn, Michael Melchione, Paul Senegal (guitar); Althony Bulter (alto saxophone); Dennis Taylor (tenor & baritone saxophones); Kevin Harris (tenor saxophone); Roger Lewis, Steve Berlin (baritone saxophone); James "Sax Appeal DuRant (saxophone); Greg Davis, Efrem Towns, Curtis Watson, Jr., Calvin Landry (trumpet); Steven "Coolbone" Johnson (trombone); Lee Allen Zeno (bass); Kevin Menard, Herman "Rat" Brown, Nathaniel Jolivette, Carlo Nuccio (drums); Wilbert Willis, Patrick Landry, Elijah Cudges (rubboard); Mark Linett (tambourine); Lisa Mednick, Allison Young (background vocals).

Producers include: J.D. Miller, Scott Billington, Hammond Scott, Ted Fox, David Hidalgo.

Compilation producers: Jeff Hannusch, Dana G. Smart.

Includes liner notes by Jeff Hannusch.

Digitally remastered by Erick Labson (Universal Mastering Studios West, North Hollywood, California).

Personnel: Dwight Yoakam (vocals); Eric Clapton, Melvin Veazie, Robert James Ahearn, Michael Melchione, Paul Senegal, Selwyn Cooper (guitar); Anthony Butler (alto saxophone); Dennis Taylor (tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone); Kevin Harris (tenor saxophone); Roger Lewis, Steve Berlin (baritone saxophone); Efrem Towns, Calvin Landry, Gregory Davis , Lee Thornburg (trumpet); Nathaniel Jolivette (drums, percussion); Herman Brown, Kevin Menard, Carlo Nuccio (drums); Elijah Cudges, Wilbert Willis, Patrick Landry (rub-board); Mark Linett (tambourine).

Photographers: Joanne Savio; Paul Harris .

Hip-O's 2000 retrospective The Ultimate Collection may fall short of the promise of the title, but it comes damn close, offering 19 tracks of prime Buckwheat Zydeco from the late '70s, '80s, and '90s. Sure, there are some great tracks missing, and it could be argued the label-specific compilations give a more focused listening experience, but this is the best-available overview of his entire career and nearly as good an overview as could be hoped for. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine