Galactic

BIOGRAPHY

Known as the “Soul Queen of New Orleans,” Irma Thomas is a pillar of American R&B and blues history, known for her soulful voice and distinctive southern twang. She immediately made a splash with her 1959 Billboard-charting debut single, “Don’t Mess With My Man,” which she followed with a string of unforgettable hits recorded with producer Allen Toussaint including “It’s Raining” and 1964’s top 20 pop hit, “Wish Someone Would Care,” a slow-burning, self-penned soul ballad based upon her life as a 17-year-old mother of three children. Recorded the same year, Thomas’ “Time Is On My Side” inspired The Rolling Stones to record an almost note-for-note rendition that proved their first top 10 single in the US. Though Thomas’ influence was firmly entrenched in New Orleans and around the globe for over five decades, she received her first-ever GRAMMY® Award in 2007 honoring her 18th studio album, the moving post-Katrina reflection After the Rain. Among her many other honors and accolades include two Blues Music Awards for “Soul Blues Female Artist,” the Americana Honors & Awards’ 2018 “Lifetime Achievement Award For Performance, and induction into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame.

Galactic has proven an equally essential cornerstone of New Orleans’ dynamic music landscape over their own past three decades. The always adventurous group has evolved continuously since first together in the 1990s as a late-night funk outfit steeped in the unique sounds of their beloved city, thanks in part to their penchant for collaborating with a wildly diverse array of guest artists. While those experiences have afforded a steady stream of musical perspectives and ideas, other elements of their work – like their role as stewards of the historic New Orleans music venue Tipitina’s – have only served to deepen Galactic’s inextricable relationship with their city and its music community, providing an even richer foundation for their ongoing explorations of new creative terrain.

Now, with Audience With The Queen, Galactic and Irma Thomas have come together to create a career-defining milestone for both artists, an uplifting joint effort that shines new light on the incomparable singer’s timeless, soulful sound. The album’s origins date back to 2010, when Thomas collaborated with Galactic on “Heart of Steel,” a standout track on the band’s critically acclaimed album, Ya-Ka-May. The song quickly became a setlist staple for both Thomas and Galactic, inspiring the possibility of further collaboration.