Irma Thomas: "It's Raining" (1962)

It has been a rugged week at work folks. But despite that, songs come and go in my mind, triggered by daily situations that foster memories. This is certainly the case here as I present this weeks selection. I was frankly torn between Irma Thomas and Lou Ann Barton. I love them both. They have a lot in common in terms of influence, audience and material.The decision as to who should come first in this blog afforded a bit of a dilemma, but...let's start with Irma, and I'll cover Lou Ann in a week or so.

Irma Thomas, (not to be confused with Carla Thomas) is known as the "Soul Queen of New Orleans". Most of her success has been regional, centering on Louisiana. She has recorded a string of wonderful singles and albums that, for the most part never made it nationally.

By the age of 19 she had four children by two husbands, and was having a hard time making ends meet. She was waitressing at 16. Tommy Ridgley, a band leader, got her some recording work and her first single in 1960 was "You Can Have My Husband". The song was written by Dorothy LaBostrie, who also wrote "Tutti-Frutti" (1955). Both Irma and Lou Ann Barton have covered this song.

YOU CAN HAVE MY HUSBAND 
BUT PLEASE DON'T MESS WITH MY MAN  
I'M TELLIN ALL YOU GIRLS 
I WANT YOU ALL TO UNDERSTAND 

After bouncing around, Irma was able to work with Allen Toussaint and record several singles including "It's Raining", which was released in 1962. This would turn out to be one of her signature songs and is in high demand to this day. It is a very meloncholy song and you can feel her suffering through the doo wop drips of rain and pain:

It's raining so hard
It's really coming down
Sittin' by my window
Watchin' the rain
Fall to the ground
This is the time
I'd love to be
Holding you tight
I guess I'll just go
Crazy tonight

The song appears in the 1986 movie "Down By Law", and this is how, I believe, that I first heard the song.

Irma is still preforming and continues to be revered as a legend in her home state of Louisiana.She has recorded 19 albums in her career.In 2007, she won a Grammy for Best Contemporary Blues Album for "After the Rain".