Accolades "Grand" for blues singer Irma Thomas (Reuters)

By Michael D. Ayers 10 minutes ago NEW YORK (Billboard) - For songstress Irma Thomas, the last few years have been pretty good -- and a long time coming. Often overshadowed by contemporaries like Aretha Franklin and Etta James, the 67-year-old Louisiana native has recently seen a resurgence of interest in her work, starting in 2006, when her album "After the Rain" won the Grammy Award for best contemporary blues album. "After the Rain" sold only 11,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan, but it was her best seller in a decade. In June, British music magazine Mojo honored her with a lifetime achievement award, and in July she shared the stage at the Essence festival in New Orleans with Mary J. Blige, Rihanna and Angie Stone. For Thomas, it's never too late to be recognized, as indicated by "Simply... [read full story]