New Orleans -- As millions tune in every night to watch American Idol, a New Orleans idol is once again earning national recognition.
'Soul Queen' Irma Thomas is already a Grammy winner, and now, she has another nomination.
“Well, this is home and I think when you say home to many folk. They understand when you say home,” Thomas said during a rehearsal at Snug Harbor.
Thomas says she got her inspiration from the earliest jazz and blues singers.
"My dad used to listen to a lot of blues singers, of course, and those people every Saturday. But then there was some early Fats Domino and some early Booker."
From singing in a gospel quartet at her church as a teenager to taking the center stage years later, Thomas has never forgotten where she came from.
"We have a hospitality rate here that's bar none. We know how to be human beings here with a caring spirit and how can you live anywhere else without having that caring spirit about you."
In a career highlighted by three Grammy nominations and a win last year, Thomas is proud to have been nominated again.
“Every time you're nominated means someone says that you validated your work. It's worth listening to. It's worth being awarded. So each time you get nominated it's worth it. Even though you may not win the Grammy.”
Thomas says winning that Grammy in 2008 meant the world. She describes it as “total shock.”
“It took me every bit of 10 to 15 minutes to gather myself. I was literally shocked. In fact my husband had to tell me, ‘honey, you have to get up.’ I had not moved out of my seat."
She is planning a trip to L.A. for this weekend's gala.
Thomas says thanking her fans will be top priority. Without them, she says, there would be no 'Soul Queen' designation.
“Being in and out of the business, I've learned that I have a very strong fan base that appreciates my work and to me that's a blessing. So of course when I won my Grammy, I had to thank those who supported me and the ones who voted for me to get the Grammy. Without that support, where would I be?"
Her personal struggles, like so many New Orleanians, include losing everything during Hurricane Katrina. Thomas rebuilt her home and returned two years ago to New Orleans East.
"We know how it is to be down. We have felt it from sources that we didn't ask for. We know how to survive and we know how to snap back and we do it through our music."
From surviving to once again thriving, the music of Irma Thomas continues to draw an even wider audience and national acclaim.
Thomas was nominated for her new album, 'Simply Grand'. The album features artists like Doctor John, who is also nominated for a Grammy in the same category as Thomas
