Irma Thomas
Encyclopedia
Irma Thomas is an American
Grammy Award
-winning soul
and rhythm and blues
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; still, she has a large cult following among soul aficionados. In 2007, she won the Grammy for Best Contemporary Blues Album
for After the Rain, her first Grammy in a career spanning over 50 years.
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 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 "Break-a-Way
" (later covered by Tracey Ullman
among others), "Anyone Who Knows What Love Is" (co-written by the young Randy Newman
), 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, and, 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.
Thomas was featured as a stellar singer from New Orleans, on the Southern Stars poster
created by Dianna Chenevert to help promote Thomas and historically document her contribution to the music industry. On October 12, 1983 USA Today
reporter Miles White's story highlighted the poster on the front page of the Life section, which provided more nationwide attention.
After several years’ break from recording, she was signed by Rounder Records
, and in 1991 earned her first-ever 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! was nominated for a Grammy in 1999.
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 (96.6 km) from New Orleans, after Hurricane Katrina, but, according to her web site, 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".
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 and 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
.
During Easter 2011, Thomas performed twice at the Bluesfest music festival 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
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
-winning soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
and rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
singer from New Orleans. She is known as the "Soul Queen of New Orleans".
Thomas is a contemporary of Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin
Aretha Louise Franklin is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Although known for her soul recordings and referred to as The Queen of Soul, Franklin is also adept at jazz, blues, R&B, gospel music, and rock. Rolling Stone magazine ranked her atop its list of The Greatest Singers of All...
and Etta James
Etta James
Etta James is an American blues, soul, rhythm and blues , rock and roll, gospel and jazz singer. In the 1950s and 1960s, she had her biggest success as a blues and R&B singer...
, but never experienced their level of commercial success; still, she has a large cult following among soul aficionados. In 2007, she won the Grammy for Best Contemporary Blues Album
Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Blues Album
The Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Blues Album was awarded from 1988 to 2011. From 2001 to 2003 the award recipients included the producers and engineers as well as the artists...
for After the Rain, her first Grammy in a career spanning over 50 years.
History
Born Irma Lee, as a teen she sang with a Baptist church choir, auditioning for Specialty RecordsSpecialty Records
Specialty Records was an American record label based in Los Angeles. It was originally launched as Juke Box Records in 1946, but later renamed by its owner Art Rupe when he parted company with a couple of his original partners...
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
Tommy Ridgley
Tommy Ridgley was an American R&B singer and bandleader in New Orleans, Louisiana.-Biography:Born Thomas Herman Ridgley, he released his debut single "Shrewsbury Blues" in New Orleans in 1949The success of Shrewsbury Blues lead to Ridgley being billed as the 'Shrewsbury Kid' for a number of years...
, 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 number 22 on the Billboard R&B chart.
She then began recording on the Minit
Minit Records
Minit Records was a record label originally based in New Orleans and founded by Joe Banashak. After making a distribution deal with Imperial Records, the label released its biggest hit, the #1 Mother-in Law by Ernie K-Doe. A number of Allen Toussaint productions were issued on Minit, including...
label, working with songwriter and producer Allen Toussaint
Allen Toussaint
Allen Toussaint is an American musician, composer, record producer, and influential figure in New Orleans R&B.Many of Toussaint's songs have become familiar through numerous cover versions, including "Working in the Coalmine", "Ride Your Pony", "Fortune Teller", "Play Something Sweet ", "Southern...
on songs including "It’s Raining" and "Ruler of my Heart", which was later reinterpreted by Otis Redding
Otis Redding
Otis Ray Redding, Jr. was an American soul singer-songwriter, record producer, arranger and talent scout. He is considered one of the major figures in soul and R&B...
as "Pain In My Heart". Imperial Records
Imperial Records
Imperial Records is a United States based label started in 1947 by Lew Chudd and reactivated in 2006 by label owner EMI.- The independent and Liberty Records years :...
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
Breakaway (Irma Thomas song)
"Breakaway" is a song written by Jackie DeShannon and Sharon Sheeley. It was originally recorded by Irma Thomas in 1964 and released as the B-Side of her biggest hit, the US #17 hit single "Wish Someone Would Care"...
" (later covered by Tracey Ullman
Tracey Ullman
Tracey Ullman is a British stage and television actress, comedienne, singer, dancer, screenwriter and author ....
among others), "Anyone Who Knows What Love Is" (co-written by the young Randy Newman
Randy Newman
Randall Stuart "Randy" Newman is an American singer-songwriter, arranger, composer, and pianist who is known for his mordant pop songs and for film scores....
), and "Time Is on My Side
Time Is on My Side
"Time Is on My Side" is a song written by Jerry Ragovoy . First recorded by jazz trombonist Kai Winding and his Orchestra in 1963, it was covered by both soul singer Irma Thomas and The Rolling Stones in 1964.-History:Winding session arranger Garry Sherman "Time Is on My Side" is a song written by...
" (a song previously recorded by Kai Winding
Kai Winding
Kai Chresten Winding was a popular Danish-born American trombonist and jazz composer. He is well known for a successful collaboration with fellow trombonist J. J. Johnson.-Biography:...
, and later by the Rolling Stones).
Although her first four Imperial singles all charted on Billboard's pop chart, later releases were less successful, and, unlike her contemporaries Aretha Franklin, Gladys Knight
Gladys Knight
Gladys Maria Knight , known as the "Empress of Soul", is an American singer-songwriter, actress, businesswoman, humanitarian, and author...
and Dionne Warwick
Dionne Warwick
Dionne Warwick is an American singer, actress and TV show host, who became a United Nations Global Ambassador for the Food and Agriculture Organization, and a United States Ambassador of Health....
she never managed to cross over into mainstream commercial success.
She recorded for Chess Records
Chess Records
Chess Records was an American record label based in Chicago, Illinois. It specialized in blues, R&B, soul, gospel music, early rock and roll, and occasional jazz releases....
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.
Thomas was featured as a stellar singer from New Orleans, on the Southern Stars poster
Southern Stars Poster
The "Southern Stars" poster included famous Louisiana musicians and was created for a booking agency called Omni Attractions which was based in New Orleans from 1982 to 1994...
created by Dianna Chenevert to help promote Thomas and historically document her contribution to the music industry. On October 12, 1983 USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
reporter Miles White's story highlighted the poster on the front page of the Life section, which provided more nationwide attention.
After several years’ break from recording, she was signed by Rounder Records
Rounder Records
Rounder Records, originally of Cambridge, Massachusetts, but now based in Burlington, Massachusetts, is a record label founded in 1970 by Ken Irwin, Bill Nowlin and Marian Leighton-Levy, while all three were still university students...
, and in 1991 earned her first-ever Grammy Award nomination
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
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! was nominated for a Grammy in 1999.
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
Krewe du Vieux
The Krewe du Vieux is a New Orleans Mardi Gras or Carnival krewe, originally and more fully known as the Krewe du Vieux Carré. The parade begins in the Marigny and slowly meanders its way through the Vieux Carre...
for the 1998 New Orleans Mardi Gras
New Orleans Mardi Gras
Mardi Gras in New Orleans, Louisiana, is a Carnival celebration well-known throughout the world.The New Orleans Carnival season, with roots in preparing for the start of the Christian season of Lent, starts after Twelfth Night, on Epiphany . It is a season of parades, balls , and king cake parties...
season. She often headlined at her own club, which is now out of business due to the effects of Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
. Thomas relocated to Gonzales, Louisiana
Gonzales, Louisiana
Gonzales is a city in Ascension Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 8,156 at the 2000 census. It has been called the "jambalaya capital of the world" and is famous for its annual Jambalaya Festival. Gonzales is part of the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Statistical Area.State...
, 60 miles (96.6 km) from New Orleans, after Hurricane Katrina, but, according to her web site, 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
Louisiana Music Hall of Fame
The Louisiana Music Hall of Fame is an IRS certified 501 non-profit organization based in the state capitol of Baton Rouge, La., that seeks to preserve Louisiana's rich music culture and heritage and to further educate its citizens and people worldwide about the state’s unique role contributing...
. Also in 2007, Thomas accepted an invitation to participate in Goin' Home: A Tribute to Fats Domino
Goin' Home: A Tribute to Fats Domino
Goin' Home: A Tribute to Fats Domino is a 2007 tribute album by various artists to Fats Domino, issued by Vanguard Records.-History:In contrast to an earlier tribute album, That's Fats: A Tribute to Fats Domino , which mostly contained previously released cover versions, Goin' Home: A Tribute to...
where, singing with Marcia Ball
Marcia Ball
Marcia Ball is an American blues singer and pianist, born in Orange, Texas but who grew up in Vinton, Louisiana. She was described in USA Today as "a sensation, saucy singer and superb pianist.....
, she contributed "I Just Can't Get New Orleans Off My Mind".
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 and Heritage Festival poster. She was chosen as the subject before the painting was chosen for the poster. Artist Douglas Bourgeois
Douglas Bourgeois
Douglas Bourgeois is an American sculptor and figurative painter who was born in Gonzales, Louisiana and grew up in St. Amant, Louisiana. He received a BFA from Louisiana State University in 1974....
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
Corner Hotel, Richmond
The Corner Hotel in Richmond, Victoria is one of Melbourne's most popular and respected medium-sized rock venues. In 2005 it celebrated its 10th anniversary with the current owners , however it has been a pub since the 19th century and a live music venue since the 1940s.-History:In 1871 David and...
.
During Easter 2011, Thomas performed twice at the Bluesfest music festival in Byron Bay, New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. On April 24, she performed on the Crossroads stage, coming on after Mavis Staples
Mavis Staples
Mavis Staples is an American rhythm and blues and gospel singer, actress and civil rights activist who recorded with The Staple Singers, her family's band.-Biography:...
; then on April 25, she headlined the Crossroads stage, coming on after Jethro Tull
Jethro Tull (band)
Jethro Tull are a British rock group formed in 1967. Their music is characterised by the vocals, acoustic guitar, and flute playing of Ian Anderson, who has led the band since its founding, and the guitar work of Martin Barre, who has been with the band since 1969.Initially playing blues rock with...
and Osibisa
Osibisa
Osibisa is a British Afro-pop band, founded in London in 1969 by four expatriate African and three Caribbean musicians. Osibisa were one of the first African bands to become widely popular, leading to claims of founding World Music.-History:...
.
Singles
- "(You Can Have My Husband But) Don't Mess with My Man" / "Set Me Free" (Ron 328) (#22 R&B, 1960)
- "A Good Man" / "I May Be Wrong" (Ron 330)
- "Cry On" / "Girl Needs Boy" (Minit 625) (1961)
- "It's Too Soon To Know" / "That's All I Ask" (Minit 633)
- "I Done Got Over It" / "Gone" (Minit 642) (1962)
- "It's Raining" / "I Did My Part" (Minit 653) (1962)
- "Two Winters Long" / "Somebody Told You" (Minit 660)
- "Ruler Of My Heart" / "Hittin' On Nothing" (Minit 666) (1963)
- "For Goodness Sake" / "When Ever" (Bandy 368)
- "Wish Someone Would Care" / "Break-A-Way" (Imperial 66013) (#17 pop, 1964)
- "Anyone Who Knows What Love Is (Will Understand)" / "Time Is on My SideTime Is on My Side"Time Is on My Side" is a song written by Jerry Ragovoy . First recorded by jazz trombonist Kai Winding and his Orchestra in 1963, it was covered by both soul singer Irma Thomas and The Rolling Stones in 1964.-History:Winding session arranger Garry Sherman "Time Is on My Side" is a song written by...
" (Imperial 66041) (#52 pop, 1964) - "Times Have Changed" / "Moments To Remember" (Imperial 66069) (#98 pop, 1964)
- "He's My Guy" / "(I Want A) True, True Love" (Imperial 66080) (#63 pop, 1964)
- "Some Things You Never Get Used To" / "You Don't Miss A Good Thing" (Imperial 66095) (#109 pop, 1965)
- "I'm Gonna Cry Till My Tears Run Dry" / "Nobody Wants To Hear Nobody's Troubles" (Imperial 66106) (#130 pop, 1965)
- "It's Starting To Get To Me Now" / "Hurt's All Gone" (Imperial 66120)
- "Take A Look" / "What Are You Trying To Do" (Imperial 66137) (#118 pop, 1965)
- "It's a Man's-Woman's World (parts 1 and 2)" (Imperial 66178) (#119 pop, 1966)
- "Somewhere Crying" / "Cheater Man" (Chess 2010) (1967)
- "A Woman Will Do Wrong" / "I Gave You Everything" (Chess 2017)
- "Good To Me" / "We Got Something Good" (Chess 2036) (#42 R&B, 1968)
- "Save A Little Bit For Me" / "That's How I Feel About You" (Canyon 21) (1970)
- "I'd Do It All Over You" / "We Won't Be In Your Way Anymore" (Canyon 31) (1971)
- "These Four Walls" / "A Woman's Viewpoint" (Roker 502) (1971)
- "Full Time Woman" / "She's Taking My Part" (Cotillion 41444) (1972)
- "She'll Never Be Your Wife" / "You're The Dog" (Fungus 15119) (1973)
- "In Between Tears" (Fungus 15141)
- "Coming From Behind (parts 1 and 2)" (Fungus 15353) (1974)
- "Don't Blame Him" / "Breakaway" (Maison de Soul 1012) (1977)
- "Hip Shakin'" / "Hittin' On Nothin'" (Maison de Soul 1058) (1977)
- "Safe With Me" / "Zero Willpower" (RCS 1006) (1979)
- "Take What You Find" / I Can't Help Her" (RCS 1008)
- "A Woman Left Lonely" / "Dance Me Down Easy" (RCS 1010)
- "Looking Back" / Don't Stop" (RCS 1013)
- "Mardi Gras Manbo" / "I Believe Saints Go All The Way" (Sound of New Orleans 10311) (1988)
Albums
- 1964: Wish Someone Would Care (Imperial)
- 1966: Take a Look (Imperial)
- 1973: In Between Tears (Fungus)
- 1976: New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival (Island)
- 1977: Irma Thomas Live (Island)
- 1978: Soul Queen of New Orleans (Maison De Soul)
- 1979: Safe with Me (RCS)
- 1981: In Between Tears (reissue) (Charly) Fungus
- 1981: Hip Shakin' Mama (reissue of Island LP) (Charly) Island
- 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)
- 1997: The Story of My Life (Rounder)
- 1998: Sing It! (Rounder) with Marcia Ball & Tracy Nelson
- 2000: My Heart's in Memphis: The Songs Of Dan Penn (Rounder)
- 2006: After the Rain (Rounder)
- 2008: Simply Grand (Decca/Rounder)
Compilation albums
- 1980s: Irma Thomas Sings (Bandy) Bandy/Minit
- 1986: Break-A-Way: The Best of Irma Thomas (Legendary Masters Series) (EMI-USA)
- 1983: Time Is on My Side (Kent) Minit/Imperial
- 1984: Down at Muscle Shoals (Chess/P-Vine) Chess
- 1987: Breakaway (Stateside) Minit/Imperial
- 1987: Breakaway (abridged version of Stateside LP) (EMI-USA) Minit/Imperial
- 1990: Something Good: The Muscle Shoals Sessions (MCA-Chess) Chess
- 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) Imperial/Minit
- 1996: Time Is on My Side (expanded CD reissue of 1983 LP) (Kent) Minit/Imperial
- 2001: If You Want It, Come and Get It (Rounder) Rounder
- 2005: Straight from the Soul (Stateside) Imperial/Minit
- 2006: A Woman's Viewpoint (Ace) Fungus/Canyon/RCS, etc.
- 2006: Wish Someone Would Care/Take A Look (Collectables) Imperial
- 2009: The Soul Queen of New Orleans: 50th Anniversary Celebration (Rounder) Rounder
Guest appearances
- 1993: B. B. KingB. B. KingRiley B. King , known by the stage name B.B. King, is an American blues guitarist and singer-songwriter.Rolling Stone magazine ranked him at No.3 on its list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time. According to Edward M...
, Blues Summit (MCA) Duet on "We're Gonna Make It" - 2005: Various Artists/I Believe To My Soul (Rhino)
- 2005: Various Artists/Our New Orleans (Elektra/Nonesuch)
- 2006: The New Orleans Social Club/Duet with Marcia BallMarcia BallMarcia Ball is an American blues singer and pianist, born in Orange, Texas but who grew up in Vinton, Louisiana. She was described in USA Today as "a sensation, saucy singer and superb pianist.....
on "Look Up"/From Sing Me Back Home (Burgundy Records/Honey Darling Records) - 2007: Various Artists, Goin' Home: A Tribute to Fats DominoGoin' Home: A Tribute to Fats DominoGoin' Home: A Tribute to Fats Domino is a 2007 tribute album by various artists to Fats Domino, issued by Vanguard Records.-History:In contrast to an earlier tribute album, That's Fats: A Tribute to Fats Domino , which mostly contained previously released cover versions, Goin' Home: A Tribute to...
(VanguardVanguard RecordsVanguard Records is a record label set up in 1950 by brothers Maynard and Seymour Solomon in New York. It started as a classical label, but is perhaps best known for its catalogue of recordings by a number of pivotal folk and blues artists from the 1960s; the Bach Guild was a subsidiary...
), singing "I Can't Get New Orleans Off My Mind" with Marcia Ball. - 2010: GalacticGalacticGalactic is a funk and jazz jam band from New Orleans, Louisiana, United States.-Origins and background:Originally formed in 1994 as an octet and including singer Chris Lane and guitarist Rob Gowen, the group was soon pared down to a sextet of: guitarist Jeff Raines, bassist Robert Mercurio,...
, Ya-Ka-May (Anti) Vocals on "Heart Of Steel" - 2011: Hugh LaurieHugh LaurieJames Hugh Calum Laurie, OBE , better known as Hugh Laurie , is an English actor, voice artist, comedian, writer, musician, recording artist, and director...
, Let Them TalkLet Them TalkSongs of the Special Edition-Charts:-Certifications:- Release history :-External links:** on...
External links
- [ Bio from Allmusic.com]
- Fan page, includes extensive bio and discography
- Interview with Irma Thomas by John SinclairJohn Sinclair (poet)John Sinclair is a Detroit poet, one-time manager of the band MC5, and leader of the White Panther Party — a militantly anti-racist countercultural group of white socialists seeking to assist the Black Panthers in the Civil Rights movement — from November 1968 to July 1969...
- Lifetime Achievement Award
- Bio from the Oregonian
- NPR:A visit with the Soul Queen of New Orleans
- An interview with Irma Thomas at Soul Express
- Bob Edwards Interview "At Home with Irma Thomas"