Soul icon Irma Thomas on the Stones, segregation and survival: ‘Restaurants refused to serve us – we lived on sardines and crackers’

She has endured racism, industry machinations and Hurricane Katrina across her seven decades in music. Now with a new album, and an unlikely boost from Black Mirror, the 84-year-old ‘Soul Queen of New Orleans’ is hitting new heightsIrma Thomas greets me at the front door of the ranch house she shares with her husband and manager Emile Jackson. For a singer celebrated as the “Soul Queen of New Orleans”, I’m somewhat surprised her home isn’t more, well, palatial. Graceland this isn’t.Although Thomas, 84, has enjoyed hit records, Grammy awards, international tours, critical praise and the loyal devotion of her home city, she has never experienced the largesse that comes with sustained stardom. Instead, she has her health, a 50-year marriage, great-grandchildren and a stunning new album, Audience With the Queen, created with Galactic, the esteemed New Orleans electro-funkers. Continue reading...

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