Carla Venita Thomas (born December 21, 1942, in Memphis, Tennessee, United States) is an American singer, who is often referred to as the Queen of Memphis Soul. She is the daughter of Rufus Thomas. 　　Thomas was born and raised in the Foote Homes Projects. Along with her siblings, Marvell and Vaneese, she was one of three musical children of Rufus and Lorene Thomas. Despite growing up in the projects, the Thomas family lived near the Palace Theater on Beale Street, as Rufus was the theater’s Master of Ceremonies (MC) for their amateur shows.