Queen Ida

Queen Ida and the Bon Temps Zydeco Band : Rosa Majeur


This video brings back some memories. Queen Ida performed in Toronto a number of times in the 80s. I recall one show in particular at the old Bamboo Club. She had a fantastic fiddle player in her band at that time, a woman who played a strange-looking electric violin. Queen Ida was my first exposure to Zydeco. Her take on the music was very pop-oriented and fun to dance to. It was nothing like the low-down and dirty zydeco of Boozoo. During the 80s, a number of Zydeco groups hit town. The best of them by far was Fernest Arsenault and the Thunders. As I recall, they played the Horseshoe. We had a chance to have a beer with the band between sets - really nice guys.