2008

Time Is On Her Side:
A Portrait of New Orleans' Soul Queen
by: Douglas Bourgeois

There are many ways to measure the greatness of performing artists: The permanency of their work; the depth of their fans’ embrace; their accessible humanity; their influence on fellow artists; and their staying power. By these metrics, Irma Thomas is indeed great.  Irma began singing in 1959 while waiting tables at a New Orleans club. She was eighteen and got fired for her efforts but landed a recording contract the next year. Her career flourished when Allen Toussaint began producing her recordings of his songs. From 1961 to 1963, the duo turned out “It’s Raining”, “Ruler of My Heart”, “I Did My Part” and “I Done Got Over It,” among other classics. In early 1964 Thomas recorded another writer’s song, “Time Is On My Side” with lyrics written for her literally as she entered the studio. Six months later the Rolling Stones recorded a note-for-note cover and rode it to their first top-10 U.S. hit. Otis Redding did much the same thing, reworking the spare “Ruler of My Heart” into “Pain in My Heart”. Other artists leveraged her innovations to their benefit. 

All prints are limited edition numbered silk-screens produced on acid-free archival paper.