The Americana Music Association announced Tuesday that Irma Thomas — known as the Soul Queen of New Orleans — will be the recipient of its 2018 Lifetime Achievement Award for Performance.

Born in a small town in rural Louisiana, Thomas had her first hit in 1959 with "Don't Mess with My Man", which reached number 22 on the Billboard R&B chart that year. Since 1964, Thomas has released 21 albums, including the Grammy Award-winning After the Rain. Released in April 2006, After the Rain was recorded in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, which had destroyed Thomas's home as well as the nightclub she and her husband, Emile Jackson, had opened.

At age 61, Thomas earned an associate degree in Business Studies from Delgado Community College in New Orleans. In 2006, Thomas established the Irma Thomas Center for W.I.S.E. (Women in Search of Excellence) Women at Delgado Community Colllege; Thomas is an active participant in the operation of the center, giving motivational speeches and promoting the importance of an education in the community. On May 29, 2018, Thomas received an Honorary Doctorate of Letters at Tulane University's 2018 commencement ceremony in New Orleans in honor of her work in music and her support of education.

Thomas last performed in Minnesota in October 2017 on a bill with the Blind Boys of Alabama and the Preservation Hall Legacy Quintet at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis.

The Americana Music Association's Americana Lifetime Achievement Award for Performance will be presented to Irma Thomas at the Americana Awards & Honors in Nashville on Sept. 12, 2018.

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External Links

Irma Thomas - official site

Americana Music Association - official site