Irma Thomas, The Blind Boys of Alabama & The Preservation Hall Legacy Quintet @ The Rio Theatre

As part of New Orleans??? musical royalty, Irma Thomas is a Grammy Award-winning singer with her own rich musical history . Her first single in 1960 reached the Billboard R&B charts and from there she recorded for many labels, including Chess and Rounder Records. Her soul-drenched voice can be heard on the Allen Toussaint-produced track ???It???s Raining,??? which was featured in the Jim Jarmusch???s cult classic, ???Down By Law???; in 2007, she was inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame; and in 2008, she was featured on the poster of the world-famous New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival.


The Blind Boys of Alabama have the rare distinction of being recognized around the world as both living legends and modern-day innovators. These Six-time Grammy Award-winners are not just gospel singers borrowing from old traditions; the group helped to define those traditions in 20th century and almost single-handedly created a new gospel sound for the 21st. Since the original members first sang together as kids in the late 1930s (including Jimmy Carter, who leads the group today), the band has persevered through seven decades to become one of the most recognized and decorated roots music groups in the world. In 2005, they released ???Down in New Orleans???, a Grammy Award-winner for Best Traditional Soul Gospel Album.

"Seeing the Blind Boys of Alabama in concert is part living history, part concert, all uplifting experience...the best moments come when the group join forces for stirring harmonies." ???The Washington Post


The Preservation Hall Legacy Quintet represents a tradition that started in 1961, when Preservation Hall first opened in the French Quarter. This band is comprised of some of the most revered alumni of the Hall, many of whom have toured the world with The Preservation Hall Jazz Band for decades. As the world-renowned Preservation Hall Jazz Band continues its exciting exploration of the boundaries of New Orleans jazz, the Preservation Hall Legacy Quintet has formed, with the help of the non-profit Preservation Hall Foundation, to help maintain a connection with the traditional aspects of the Hall???s musical legacy.