# Irma Thomas

Irma Thomas (née Lee; born February 18, 1941) 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.

## Life and career

Born Irma Lee, in Ponchatoula, Louisiana, United States, she was the daughter of Percy Lee, a steel chipper, and Vader Lee, who worked as a maid. 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, "Don't Mess with My Man", was released in late 1959, and reached number 22 on the US 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)" was co-written by a young Randy Newman and future country star Jeannie Seely. This song has gained renewed appreciation as a result of its inclusion in numerous episodes of the science fiction anthology television series Black Mirror, stretching back to the first season. On its B-side is "Time Is on My Side", a song previously recorded by Kai Winding and later by the Rolling Stones.
Her first four Imperial singles all charted on Billboard's pop chart, but her 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 1967–1968 with some success; her version of the Otis Redding song "Good to Me" reached 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 the Lion's Den Club.
Down by Law, the 1986 independent film by Jim Jarmusch featured "It's Raining" in the soundtrack. The film's actors Roberto Benigni and Nicoletta Braschi, whose characters fell in love in the movie, danced to the song.
After several years' break from recording, she was signed by Rounder Records, and in 1991 earned her first Grammy Award nomination for Live! Simply the Best, recorded in San Francisco. She subsequently released a number of traditional gospel albums, together with more secular recordings. The album Sing It! (1998) was nominated for a Grammy in 1999.
Thomas was still active as a performer as of 2021, appearing annually at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival (and was scheduled to appear at the iterations that were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic). She reigned as Queen of the Krewe du Vieux for the 1998 New Orleans Mardi Gras season. She often headlined at her own club, but it went out of business due to Hurricane Katrina, which caused her to relocate to Gonzales, Louisiana, 60 miles (97 km) from New Orleans. As of April 2008 she was back in her home in New Orleans.
Thomas is interviewed on screen and appears in performance footage in the 2005 documentary film Make It Funky!, which presents a history of New Orleans music and its influence on rhythm and blues, rock and roll, funk and jazz. In the film, she performed "Old Records" with Allen Toussaint.
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". The same year she won the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Blues Album for After the Rain.
In August 2009, a compilation album with three new songs titled The Soul Queen of New Orleans: 50th Anniversary Celebration was released from Rounder Records to commemorate Thomas' 50th year as a recording artist.
Thomas was the subject of the 2008 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival poster. She was chosen as the subject before the painting was chosen for the poster. Artist Douglas Bourgeois painted the singer in 2006. In 2010, Thomas rode in the New Orleans parade "Grela". In April that year, Thomas performed at the Corner Hotel, Richmond, Victoria, Australia.
In 2011, Thomas performed twice at the Byron Bay Bluesfest in Byron Bay, New South Wales, Australia. On April 24, she performed on the Crossroads stage, coming on after Mavis Staples; then on April 25, she headlined the Crossroads stage, coming on after Jethro Tull and Osibisa.
In 2013, Thomas was nominated for a Blues Music Award in the "Soul Blues Female Artist" category, which she duly won. She won the same award in 2014.
In 2018, Thomas received the Lifetime Achievement Award for Performance at the Americana Music Honors & Awards.
On May 2, 2024, Thomas appeared onstage with the Rolling Stones at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival where she and Mick Jagger sang a duet of her 1964 hit song "Time Is On My Side", which the Stones also recorded just months after her version was released. The song was the Stones' first Top Ten American hit, and the Jazz Fest set was the first time that Thomas and the Stones have performed together.

### Artists worked with

* Tommy Ridgley
* Eddie Bo
* Edgar Blanchard
* Bill Sinigal
* Irving Banister
* Patsy Vidalia
* Marcia Ball
* Dr. John
* Allen Toussaint
* Hugh Laurie
* Skip Easterling
* Danny White

### Influences

* Etta James
* Mahalia Jackson
* Pearl Bailey
* Nancy Wilson
* Brook Benton
* John Lee Hooker
* Percy Mayfield

## Discography
### Singles

| Year | A-side | B-side | Record label and catalog reference | US chart statistics |
| 1959 | "Don't Mess with My Man" | "Set Me Free" | Ron Records 328 | No. 22 – R&B |
| 1959 | "A Good Man" | "I May Be Wrong" | Ron Records 330 | |
| 1961 | "Girl Needs Boy" | "Cry On" | Minit Records 625 | |
| 1961 | "It's Too Soon to Know" | "That's All I Ask" | Minit Records 633 | |
| 1962 | "Gone" | "I Done Got Over It" | Minit Records 642 | |
| 1962 | "It's Raining" | "I Did My Part" | Minit Records 653 | |
| 1962 | "Two Winters Long" | "Somebody Told Me" | Minit Records 660 | |
| 1963 | "Ruler of My Heart" | "Hittin' on Nothing" | Minit Records 666 | |
| 1963 | "For Goodness Sake" | "Whenever (Look Up)" | Bandy Records 368 | |
| 1963 | "Foolish Girl" | "When I Met You" | Bumpa Records 711 | |
| 1964 | "Wish Someone Would Care" | "Break-A-Way" | Imperial Records 66013 | No. 17 – Pop |
| 1964 | "Anyone Who Knows What Love Is (Will Understand)" | "Time Is on My Side" | Imperial Records 66041 | No. 52 – Pop |
| 1964 | "Times Have Changed" | "Moments to Remember" | Imperial Records 66069 | No. 98 – Pop |
| 1964 | "He's My Guy" | "(I Want A) True, True Love" | Imperial Records 66080 | No. 63 – Pop |
| 1965 | "You Don't Miss A Good Thing (Until It's Gone)" | "Some Things You Never Get Used To" | Imperial Records 66095 | |
| 1965 | "I'm Gonna Cry Till My Tears Run Dry" | "Nobody Wants to Hear Nobody's Troubles" | Imperial Records 66106 | |
| 1965 | "The Hurt's All Gone" | "It's Starting to Get to Me Now" | Imperial Records 66120 | |
| 1965 | "Take a Look" | "What Are You Trying to Do" | Imperial Records 66137 | |
| 1966 | "It's a Man's – Woman's World (Part 1)" | "It's a Man's – Woman's World (Part 2)" | Imperial Records 66178 | |
| 1967 | "Cheater Man" | "Somewhere Crying" | Chess Records 2010 | |
| 1967 | "A Woman Will Do Wrong" | "I Gave You Everything" | Chess Records 2017 | |
| 1968 | "Good to Me" | "We Got Something Good" | Chess Records 2036 | No. 42 – R&B |
| 1970 | "Save a Little Bit For Me" | "That's How I Feel About You" | Canyon Records 21 | |
| 1971 | "I'd Do It All Over You" | "We Won't Be in Your Way Anymore" | Canyon Records 31 | |
| 1972 | "Full Time Woman" | "She's Taking My Part" | Cotillion Records 41444 | |
| 1973 | "She'll Never Be Your Wife" | "You're the Dog" | Fungus Records 15119 | |
| 1973 | "In Between Tears (Part 1)" | "In Between Tears (Part 2)" | Fungus Records 15141 | |
| 1974 | "Coming from Behind (Part 1)" | "Coming from Behind (Part 2)" | Fungus Records 15353 | |
| 1977 | "Don't Blame Him" | "Breakaway" | Maison de Soul 1012 | |
| 1978 | "Hip Shakin' Mama" | "Hittin' on Nothin'" | Maison de Soul 1058 | |
| 1979 | "Safe With Me" | "Zero Willpower" | RCS Records 1006 | |
| 1980 | "Take What You Find" | "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)" | RCS Records 1008 | |
| 1980 | "A Woman Left Lonely" | "Dance Me Down Easy" | RCS Records 1010 | |
| 1981 | "Looking Back" | "Don't Stop" | RCS Records 1013 | |
| 1988 | "Mardi Gras Mambo" | "I Believe Saints Go All the Way" | Sound of New Orleans 10311 | |
| 2013 | "For The Rest Of My Life" | "Forever Young" | Swamp Island | |

### Albums

| Year | Title | Record label | Notes |
| 1964 | Wish Someone Would Care | Imperial | |
| 1966 | Take a Look | Imperial | |
| 1973 | In Between Tears | Fungus | |
| 1977 | Irma Thomas Live – New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival | Island | |
| 1978 | Soul Queen of New Orleans | Maison de Soul | |
| 1979 | Safe with Me | RCS | |
| 1981 | In Between Tears | Charly | Reissue of the Fungus LP |
| 1981 | Hip Shakin' Mama | Charly | Reissue of the Island LP |
| 1984 | Down at Muscle Shoals | Chess/P-Vine | from 1967/68 for Chess |
| 1986 | The New Rules | Rounder | |
| 1988 | The Way I Feel | Rounder | |
| 1991 | Live: Simply the Best | Rounder | |
| 1992 | True Believer | Rounder | |
| 1993 | Walk Around Heaven: New Orleans Gospel Soul | Rounder | |
| 1993 | Turn My World Around | Shanachie | |
| 1997 | The Story of My Life | Rounder | |
| 1998 | Sing It! | Rounder | with Marcia Ball and Tracy Nelson |
| 2000 | My Heart's in Memphis: The Songs of Dan Penn | Rounder | |
| 2006 | After the Rain | Rounder | Grammy winner, Best Contemporary Blues Album |
| 2008 | Simply Grand | Rounder/Decca | |
| 2014 | Full Time Woman – The Lost Cotillion Album | RGM/Rhino | from 1971/72 for Atlantic/Cotillion |

### Compilation albums

| Year | Title | Record label | Notes |
| 1979 | Irma Thomas Sings | Bandy | Minit/Bandy recordings |
| 1983 | Time Is on My Side | Kent | Minit/Imperial recordings |
| 1986 | Break-A-Way: The Best of Irma Thomas | Legendary Masters Series (EMI-USA) | |
| 1987 | BreakaWay | Stateside | Minit/Imperial recordings |
| 1990 | Something Good: The Muscle Shoals Sessions | MCA/Chess | Chess recordings |
| 1991 | Safe with Me/Irma Thomas Live | Paula | |
| 1992 | Time Is on My Side: The Best of Irma Thomas Volume 1 | EMI-USA | Minit/Imperial |
| 1996 | Ruler of Hearts | Charly | Minit/Bandy/Island |
| 1996 | Sweet Soul Queen of New Orleans: The Irma Thomas Collection | Razor & Tie | Minit/Imperial |
| 1996 | Time Is on My Side | Kent | Expanded version of 1983 LP |
| 2001 | If You Want It, Come and Get It | Rounder | |
| 2005 | Straight from the Soul | Stateside | Minit/Imperial |
| 2006 | A Woman's Viewpoint: The Essential 1970s Recordings | Ace | Fungus/Canyon/RCS |
| 2006 | Wish Someone Would Care/Take a Look | Collectables | Imperial |
| 2009 | The Soul Queen of New Orleans: 50th Anniversary Celebration | Rounder | Three previously unreleased, out of fifteen tracks |

### Guest appearances

| Year | Title | Artist | Label | Notes |
| 1993 | Blues Summit | B.B. King | MCA | Duet on "We're Gonna Make It" |
| 2005 | I Believe to My Soul | Various artists | Rhino | Singing "Loving Arms" |
| 2005 | Our New Orleans: A Benefit Album for the Gulf Coast | Various artists | Elektra/Nonesuch | Singing "Back Water Blues" |
| 2006 | Sing Me Back Home | The New Orleans Social Club | Burgundy/Honey Darling | Duet with Marcia Ball on "Look Up" |
| 2007 | Goin' Home: A Tribute to Fats Domino | Various artists | Vanguard | Duet with Marcia Ball on "I Can't Get New Orleans Off My Mind" |
| 2010 | Ya-Ka-May | Galactic | Anti- | Vocals on "Heart of Steel" |
| 2011 | Let Them Talk | Hugh Laurie | Warner Bros. | Vocals on "John Henry" and "Baby, Please Make a Change" |

## Filmography

| Year | Title | Notes |
| 1978 | Always for Pleasure | |
| 2005 | Make It Funky! | |
| 2006 | New Orleans Music in Exile | |
| 2010 | Treme | TV series |