Biography
Queen Ida holds the distinction of being the first woman to front a zydeco ensemble on accordion. She prefers a 31-button model and is recognized for her lyrical approach, concentrating on the upper register in a manner that echoes Mexican traditions. Although her sound remained rooted in Creole heritage like other zydeco performers of the 1980s, she incorporated Caribbean rhythms, Cajun elements through the addition of fiddle to her Bon Temps Zydeco Band, blues, and further influences. Music entered her life only after many other responsibilities had already taken shape.
Born Ida Lewis into a musically inclined household in Lake Charles, Louisiana, she first studied piano before her mother introduced her to the accordion. At age ten the family relocated to Beaumont, Texas, and eight years afterward settled in San Francisco. French was her native tongue, and the household preserved its Creole customs and repertoire across each move. Despite this foundation, she married—taking the name Ida Guillory—raised children, and limited her playing to occasional social events. She enrolled briefly in nursing school yet withdrew during her first pregnancy. Once her children reached school age she worked part-time as a bus driver. As they matured, friends urged her to appear publicly on a regular basis.
During the early 1970s she performed with the Barbary Coast Band and with the Playboys, drawing steady bookings because few women played accordion professionally. In 1975, at a Bay Area Mardi Gras celebration, she received the formal title “Queen of the Zydeco Accordion and Queen of Zydeco Music.” The next year she appeared at the Monterey Jazz and Blues Festival and signed with GNP/Crescendo Records, the Los Angeles jazz imprint. She continued driving a bus until her youngest daughter entered school, after which touring increased. In 1978 John Ullman became her agent and broadened her reach overseas. Nominated for a Bay Area Music Award in 1979, she lost to Taj Mahal, who nevertheless booked her on a two-week European tour. Throughout the 1980s she recorded and traveled, favoring live captures for most releases because she felt the band sounded strongest onstage.
In 1988 she became the first zydeco artist to tour Japan. The following year the State Department sponsored an African itinerary, and in 1990 she visited Australia and New Zealand. She appeared in the feature film Rumblefish and the Louisiana music documentary J’ai Ete au Bal, and performed on programs ranging from Austin City Limits to Saturday Night Live. For many observers Queen Ida demonstrated that a resolute middle-aged woman could still achieve recognition within a culture fixated on youth.
Born Ida Lewis into a musically inclined household in Lake Charles, Louisiana, she first studied piano before her mother introduced her to the accordion. At age ten the family relocated to Beaumont, Texas, and eight years afterward settled in San Francisco. French was her native tongue, and the household preserved its Creole customs and repertoire across each move. Despite this foundation, she married—taking the name Ida Guillory—raised children, and limited her playing to occasional social events. She enrolled briefly in nursing school yet withdrew during her first pregnancy. Once her children reached school age she worked part-time as a bus driver. As they matured, friends urged her to appear publicly on a regular basis.
During the early 1970s she performed with the Barbary Coast Band and with the Playboys, drawing steady bookings because few women played accordion professionally. In 1975, at a Bay Area Mardi Gras celebration, she received the formal title “Queen of the Zydeco Accordion and Queen of Zydeco Music.” The next year she appeared at the Monterey Jazz and Blues Festival and signed with GNP/Crescendo Records, the Los Angeles jazz imprint. She continued driving a bus until her youngest daughter entered school, after which touring increased. In 1978 John Ullman became her agent and broadened her reach overseas. Nominated for a Bay Area Music Award in 1979, she lost to Taj Mahal, who nevertheless booked her on a two-week European tour. Throughout the 1980s she recorded and traveled, favoring live captures for most releases because she felt the band sounded strongest onstage.
In 1988 she became the first zydeco artist to tour Japan. The following year the State Department sponsored an African itinerary, and in 1990 she visited Australia and New Zealand. She appeared in the feature film Rumblefish and the Louisiana music documentary J’ai Ete au Bal, and performed on programs ranging from Austin City Limits to Saturday Night Live. For many observers Queen Ida demonstrated that a resolute middle-aged woman could still achieve recognition within a culture fixated on youth.
Albums