On a summer morning a few weeks after Hurricane Ida tore through southeast Louisiana, Irma Thomas talked about her life, music and upcoming documentary, Irma: My Life in Music. The film debuts October 4 via New Orleans public television station WYES. The program repeats at 8 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. on October 9 and 5:30 p.m. on October 17.

Ida’s winds didn’t significantly damage the house the Grammy-winning Soul Queen...