Photo by Frank Beacham
Irma Thomas is 80 years old today.
Born in Ponchatoula, Louisiana, Thomas is a New Orleans singer known as the "Soul Queen of New Orleans." She is a contemporary of Aretha Franklin and Etta James, but never experienced their level of commercial success. Still, she has a large cult following among soul aficionados.
Born Irma Lee, as a teen she sang with a Baptist church choir, auditioning for Specialty Records as a 13-year old. By the age of 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 spring 1960 and reached #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 "Break-a-Way" (later covered by Tracey Ullman among others), "Anyone Who Knows What Love Is" (co-written by the 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).
Although her first four Imperial singles all charted on Billboard's pop chart, later releases were less successful. Unlike her contemporaries Aretha Franklin, Gladys Knight and Dionne Warwick, she never managed to cross over into mainstream commercial success.
She recorded for Chess Records in 1967/68 with some success, the Otis Redding song "Good To Me" reaching the R&B chart. She then relocated to California, releasing records on various small labels, before returning to Louisiana, and in the early 1980s opened her own club, the Lion's Den.
Down By Law, the 1986 independent film by Jim Jarmusch, features "It's Raining" in the soundtrack. The film's actors, Roberto Benigni and Nicoletta Braschi, whose characters fall in love in the movie, dance to this song.
After several years’ break from recording, she was signed by Rounder Records, and in 1991 released, Live! Simply the Best, recorded in San Francisco. She subsequently released a number of traditional gospel albums, together with more secular recordings.
Thomas is still active as a performer, appearing annually at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. She reigned as Queen of the Krewe du Vieux for the 1998 New Orleans Mardi Gras season. She often headlined at her own club, which is now out of business due to the effects of Hurricane Katrina.
Thomas relocated to Gonzales, Louisiana, 60 miles from New Orleans, after Hurricane Katrina. She is now back in her home in New Orleans.
In April, 2007, Thomas was honored for her contributions to Louisiana music with induction into The Louisiana Music Hall of Fame.
Also in 2007, Thomas accepted an invitation to participate in Goin' Home: A Tribute to Fats Domino where, singing with Marcia Ball, she contributed "I Just Can't Get New Orleans Off My Mind."
Here, Thomas performs Jerry Ragovoy and Jimmy Norman’s “Time Is On My Side”