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Queen Ida
Queen Ida Guillory 2009.jpg
Guillory in 2009
Background information
Birth name Ida Lee Lewis
Born (1929-01-15) January 15, 1929 (age 96)
Lake Charles, Louisiana, U.S.
Genres Zydeco
Occupation(s) Accordionist, record producer
Instruments Accordion
Years active 1975—2010
Labels GNP Crescendo

Ida Lewis "Queen Ida" Guillory (born January 15, 1929) was a famous accordion player from Louisiana. She was the first woman to lead a zydeco band. Zydeco is a special kind of music from Louisiana. Queen Ida's music blended different styles. It mixed R&B, Caribbean sounds, and Cajun music. But her accordion always kept it true to its roots.

Queen Ida's Life Story

Queen Ida concert ticket - 1993 - Stierch
Queen Ida & her Bon Temps Zydeco Band concert ticket, 1993

Ida Lee Lewis was born in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Her family were rice farmers and loved music. They were Louisiana Creole people, and her first language was French. When she was ten, her family moved to Beaumont, Texas. Eight years later, they moved to San Francisco, California.

Ida's mother played the accordion. But women were not usually encouraged to play music in public. So, Queen Ida mostly learned from her brother, Al Lewis. He later became known as Al Rapone. After marrying Raymond Guillory, she raised their three children. She also worked as a bus driver. Sometimes, she would join her brother's Zydeco band. She even cooked delicious Louisiana food for the band members.

She earned the nickname "Queen Ida" after being chosen queen of a Mardi Gras party. A year after her first stage performance, Queen Ida and the Bon Temps Band signed with GNP/Crescendo. Her first album, Play the Zydeco, showed her unique style. It mixed Zydeco with a Tex-Mex sound.

Touring the World

Queen Ida and her band played at many big music events. They performed at the Monterey Jazz Festival in 1976 and 1988. They also played at the San Francisco Blues Festival several times. In 1988, Queen Ida toured Japan. She was the first zydeco artist to perform there. The next year, she toured Africa. In 1990, she visited Australia and New Zealand.

On her 1999 album, Back on the Bayou, Queen Ida reunited with her brother, Al Rapone. He often wrote songs and produced music for her. He also formed the Bon Temps Zydeco Band. This band later became Queen Ida's backup group. Her oldest son, Myrick "Freeze" Guillory, also played accordion. Her youngest daughter, Ledra, and son, Ron "The Rock" Guillory, played the rub board and sang. In 1985, "Queen Ida and the Bon Temps Zydeco Band" were musical guests on Saturday Night Live.

Queen Ida also helped write a cookbook in 1990. It was called Cookin' with Queen Ida. The book featured many tasty Creole recipes. A new version of the cookbook came out in 1995.

Queen Ida kept performing live through the 2000s. She officially stopped playing in 2010. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. She enjoys cooking for her friends and family. One of her accordions is now in the National Museum of African American Music. This museum opened in Nashville, Tennessee, in January 2021.

Queen Ida's Music Albums

Year Title Genre Label
1999 Back on the Bayou (with Al Rapone) Zydeco GNP Crescendo - GNPD 2265
1995 On a Saturday Night Zydeco GNP Crescendo - GNPD 2172
1994 Mardi Gras Zydeco GNP Crescendo - GNPD 2227
1989 Cookin' with Queen Ida Zydeco GNP Crescendo - GNPD 2197
1985 Caught in the Act Zydeco GNP Crescendo - GNPD 2181
1983 In San Francisco Zydeco GNP Crescendo - GNPD 2158
1982 Queen Ida and the Bon Temps Zydeco Band on Tour Zydeco GNP Crescendo - GNPD 2147
1980 Queen Ida and the Bon Temps Zydeco Band in New Orleans Zydeco GNP Crescendo - GNPS 2131
1977 Uptown Zydeco Zydeco GNP Crescendo
1977 Zydeco a La Mode Zydeco GNP Crescendo - GNPS 2112
1976 Play the Zydeco Zydeco GNP Crescendo - GNPS 2101

Awards and Honors

Queen Ida received a special award in 2009. It was the National Heritage Fellowship. This is the highest honor in the United States for folk and traditional artists. It comes from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Grammy Awards

Queen Ida won one Grammy Award. She was nominated for four in total.

1980 Best Ethnic or Traditional Recording Queen Ida and the Bon Temps Zydeco Band in New Orleans Zydeco Nominated
1982 Best Ethnic or Traditional Folk Recording Queen Ida and the Bon Temps Zydeco Band on Tour Zydeco Won
1984 Best Ethnic or Traditional Folk Recording On a Saturday Night Zydeco Nominated
1986 Best Traditional Folk Recording Caught in the Act Zydeco Nominated

Blues Music Awards

Queen Ida won two Blues Music Awards. She was nominated for four in total.

Queen Ida Blues Music Awards History
Year Category Result
1983 Traditional Blues Female Artist Nominated
1984 Traditional Blues Female Artist Nominated
1988 Traditional Blues Female Artist Nominated
1989 Traditional Blues Female Artist Won
1990 Traditional Blues Female Artist Won
1991 Traditional Blues Female Artist Nominated

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Queen Ida para niños

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