Irma Thomas
| Irma Thomas | |
|---|---|
Irma Thomas at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, 2006
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Irma Lee |
| Also known as | Soul Queen of New Orleans |
| Born |
February 18, 1941 Ponchatoula, Louisiana, United States |
| Genres | R&B, soul, blues, gospel, pop |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, songwriter |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 1960–present |
| Labels |
Minit Records Imperial Records Chess Records Rounder Records |
| Website | IrmaThomas.com |
Irma Thomas (born February 18, 1941, Ponchatoula, Louisiana, United States) is an American singer from New Orleans. She is known as the "Soul Queen of New Orleans".
Thomas is a contemporary of Aretha Franklin and Etta James, but never experienced their level of commercial success. In 2007, she won the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Blues Album for After the Rain, her first Grammy in a career spanning over 50 years.
Born Irma Lee, as a teenager she sang with a Baptist church choir. She auditioned for Specialty Records at the age of 13. By the time she was 19, she had been married twice and had four children. Keeping her second ex-husband's surname, she worked as a waitress in New Orleans, occasionally singing with bandleader Tommy Ridgley, who helped her land a record deal with the local Ron label. Her first single, "(You Can Have My Husband but) Don't Mess with My Man," was released in late 1959, and reached number 22 on the Billboard R&B chart.
She then began recording on the Minit label, working with songwriter and producer Allen Toussaint on songs including "It's Raining" and "Ruler of My Heart", which was later reinterpreted by Otis Redding as "Pain in My Heart". Imperial Records acquired Minit in 1963, and a string of successful releases followed. These included "Wish Someone Would Care", her biggest national hit; its B-side "Breakaway", written by Jackie DeShannon and Sharon Sheely (later covered by Tracey Ullman, among others); "Anyone Who Knows What Love Is (Will Understand)", co-written by a young Randy Newman and future country star Jeannie Seely, among others; and "Time Is on My Side", a song previously recorded by Kai Winding and later by the Rolling Stones.
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