Queen Ida facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Queen Ida
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![]() Guillory in 2009
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Background information | |
Birth name | Ida Lee Lewis |
Born | Lake Charles, Louisiana, U.S. |
January 15, 1929
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.
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Queen Ida's Life Story
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 |
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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 | ||
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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
In Spanish: Queen Ida para niños