"We do a lot of blues festivals," Rosie says. In fact, she describes her dance-friendly zydeco as "sped-up blues. I think zydeco came from the blues, so I think it's kind of like revved-up blues."

Her sound is built on hoarse, repeating squeezebox riffs, and the family band takes their punchy rhythms on the road for as many as six weeks at a stretch. In fact, Rosie says, they're gone more than they're home. The group features Rosie's husband, Morris, on bass and accordion; nephew Corey Ledet on drums; father-in-law Lanice Ledet on rubboard; and guitarist Kent August.

"They come back for about three or four days, get one or two homecooked meals and go back out again," says Floyd Soileau, whose Maison de Soul label is home to the band's five releases.

Rosie's female perspective adds interesting twists to her largely original repertoire. "I try to give a woman a voice," she explains. "They seldom get one in this kind of music." She began writing poems and stories at age 12, and she still draws from some of the material she penned years before she ever picked up an accordion.

When she's on the road, Rosie pines for more than just her tiny hometown of Iota, La. "I miss crawfish etouffée, that has to be my favorite food," she says. "But Morris cooks a lot better than I do. He makes a mean seafood gumbo."

A recent mention in The Wall Street Journal served as a reminder that Rosie's musical career has taken her completely by surprise. "I still can't believe it," she says. "It's scary in a way, 'cause I never expected it, but it's good, I'm glad. I'm lucky."

With a heavy touring schedule ahead, odds are good the band will be playing somewhere near you. "Look out for us, 'cause we'll be around," Rosie says.