Join us today at 5:30pm at the Cabildo on Jackson Square for cocktails, DJs spinning vintage 45s, and a live interview with the legendary Irma Thomas. Admission is free.

The “Soul Queen of New Orleans” began her musical career as a teenager, when Tommy Ridgely discovered her waiting tables at the club where his band was in residency. Thomas auditioned for Joe Banashak’s then-fledgling Minit label in 1960, but was turned down and signed with the Ron label instead, releasing “You Can Have My Husband (But Please Don’t Mess With My Man)” which made it onto the Billboard R&B charts in spring of that year. Thomas left Ron to sign to Minit, for whom she recorded some of her (and New Orleans R&B in general) most beloved signature songs, including “It’s Raining” and “Wish Someone Would Care” with Allen Toussaint as producer.

Thomas’ rich, soulful, often melancholy voice is one of New Orleans music’s finest treasures. Her records garnered her a dedicated cult following among collectors and connoisseurs over the years, but it was not until 2006’s “After The Rain” album on Rounder Records that she earned a much-belated Grammy award.

Irma Thomas- Wish Somebody Would Care