Background
Born Ida Lee Lewis to a musically talented family in Lake Charles, Louisiana, Queen Ida learned to play accordion from her mother after she spent a few years learning the piano.
Born Ida Lee Lewis to a musically talented family in Lake Charles, Louisiana, Queen Ida learned to play accordion from her mother after she spent a few years learning the piano.
She was the first female accordion player to lead a zydeco band. Queen Ida"s music is an eclectic mix of Rhythm & Blues, Caribbean, and Cajun, though the presence of her accordion always keeps it traditional. Her family moved to Beaumont, Texas, when she was ten and eight years later moved to San Francisco, California.
Her first language is French, and wherever they went, took their Creole culture and music with them.
Queen Ida and her band played at the Monterey Jazz Festival in 1976 and 1988, and the San Francisco Blues Festival in 1975, 1978, and 1991. In 1988, Queen Ida toured Japan, becoming the first zydeco artist to do southern
She toured Africa the following year and in 1990 went to Australia and New Zealand. Queen Ida also co-authored a cookbook, Cookin" with Queen Ida in 1990, which featured Creole recipes.