Irma Thomas

Nicknamed the Soul Queen of New Orleans, Irma Thomas's sultry voice and sassy persona made her an institution in the US R&B scene for over 50 years - a diva who influenced the likes of Whitney Houston, Diana Ross and Beyoncé. Married twice and with four children by the time she was just 19, Thomas sang in gospel choirs as a child before getting her break with Tommy Ridgley's big band and making her solo debut with the raunchy R&B hit (You Can Have My Husband But) Don't Mess With My Man in 1960. Allen Toussaint produced her early singles Girl Needs Boy and Ruler Of My Heart (later covered by Otis Redding), but her reputation started to grow when Imperial Records took on her recording contract and helped her score the national hits Wish Someone Would Care, Break-A-Way and Anyone Who Knows What Love Is (Will Understand). The Rolling Stones covered her B-side Time Is On My Side, and she recorded for the legendary Chess label in the late 1960s, while continuing to be a firm favourite at New Orleans' vibrant jazz and blues clubs. Though she never managed the mainstream success of her contemporaries Aretha Franklin, Dionne Warwick and Etta James, Thomas worked with Dr John, James Brown and Randy Newman and won a Grammy Award for her album After The Rain in 2007.