Irma Thomas

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Irma Thomas 2008

Irma Thomas (* 18th February 1941 in Ponchatoula , Louisiana as Irma Lee ) is an American Blues - Soul - and Gospel - singer . She is considered the Soul Queen of New Orleans .

biography

Irma Thomas grew up in New Orleans and sang in a gospel choir as a teenager. At the age of 19 she was married for the second time and the mother of four children. She first worked as a waitress and got her first record deal in 1960. Their first single (You Can Have My Husband But) Do not Mess With My Man reached number 22 in the Billboard - Rhythm-and-blues -charts. The following collaboration with Allen Toussaint resulted in the titles Ruler of my Heart and It's Raining . In 1964, Wish Someone Would Care reached number 17 on the Billboard Pop Charts with the back of Break-a-Way and became the most successful single of her career. In the period that followed, Irma Thomas was unable to achieve major commercial successes and, after a lengthy break, her career did not experience a revival until the late 1980s. After their album Live! Simply the Best achieved a Grammy nomination in 1991 , she released several gospel-only albums, among other things. The highlight of her career so far was winning a Grammy in 2007 for the album After the Rain in the "Best Contemporary Blues Album" category.

In 2005, Hurricane Katrina flooded both Irma's home and her music club Lions's Den in New Orleans . In 2008 Irma Thomas released the album Simply Grand . She was supported by twelve well-known pianists such as Dr. John , Randy Newman , Norah Jones and Henry Butler accompanied. The songs are from John Fogerty ( River Is Waiting ), Burt Bacharach ( What Can I Do ), Norah Jones ( Thinking about You ) and Doc Pomus ( Be you ) , among others .

Others

  • In 2009 Irma Thomas was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame .
  • Cover versions of Ruler of my Heart under the title Pain In My Heart appeared in 1964 by Otis Redding and in 1965 by the Rolling Stones .
  • A month after Irma Thomas, the Rolling Stones also released a version of Pain In My Heart in September 1964 .
  • It's Raining can be heard in the original version by Irma Thomas in the soundtrack of the Jim Jarmusch film Down By Law from 1986.
  • A cover version of Break-A-Way was an international hit for Tracey Ullman in 1983 .
  • The song Anyone Who Knows What Love Is (Will Understand) can be heard in several episodes of the British science fiction series Black Mirror .

Discography (selection)

  • 1964 Wish Someone Would Care
  • 1964 Anyone Who Knows What Love Is (Will Understand)
  • 1966  Take a Look
  • 1973  In Between Tears
  • 1978  Soul Queen of New Orleans
  • 1979  Safe With Me
  • 1986  The New Rules
  • 1988 The Way I Feel (with Herman Ernest )
  • 1991 Live: Simply The Best
  • 1992 True Believer
  • 1993 Walk Around Heaven: New Orleans Gospel Soul
  • 1996 Sweet Soul Queen Of New Orleans: The Irma Thomas Collection (sampler with recordings from the 1960s)
  • 1997 The Story Of My Life
  • 1998 Sing It! (with Marcia Ball and Tracy Nelson )
  • 2000 My Heart's In Memphis: The Songs Of Dan Penn
  • 2006 After The Rain ( Grammy 200 Best Contemporary Blues Album)
  • 2008 Simply Grand

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Thomas, Irma
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Lee, Irma (maiden name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American blues, soul and gospel singer
DATE OF BIRTH February 18, 1941
PLACE OF BIRTH Ponchatoula , Louisiana