Since his death on Christmas Day, James Brown has been hailed as the founding father of soul, funk and rap. Zydeco music could almost be added to that list. Stanley Dural, Jr.—Buckwheat Zydeco—said everything from his hairstyle to his band’s funky horn breaks were influenced by the Godfather of Soul.

“He was my mentor, since way back in the early ’60s,” said Dural, a resident of Carencro, Louisiana. “James has always been the man. He was the master. He’s not ...