10 Facts About Queen Ida

Ida Lewis "Queen Ida" Guillory was born on January 15,1929 and is a Louisiana Creole accordionist.

Queen Ida was the first female accordion player to lead a zydeco band.

Queen Ida's family moved to Beaumont, Texas, when she was ten and eight years later moved to San Francisco, California.

Queen Ida was dubbed "Queen Ida" after being chosen queen of a Mardi Gras celebration.

In 1988, Queen Ida toured Japan, becoming the first zydeco artist to do so.

Queen Ida toured Africa the following year and in 1990 went to Australia and New Zealand.

Queen Ida co-authored a cookbook, Cookin' with Queen Ida in 1990, which featured Creole recipes.

Queen Ida continued to perform live through the 2000s, and though she did not release any albums during this period, she has joined her son Myrick and his band onstage.

Queen Ida officially retired from playing in 2010 and lives in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she enjoys cooking for her friends and family.

Queen Ida is a recipient of a 2009 National Heritage Fellowship awarded by the National Endowment for the Arts, which is the United States government's highest honor in the folk and traditional arts.