Thomas's first professional gig was in New Orleans with trombone player
Joe Harris in 1923. Soon after that, he worked with
Jack Carey,
Chris Kelly, and
Kid Rena. He recorded with
Charles Derbigny in 1941, but the recordings were not publicly released until the 1960s, by which time Thomas had become a figure in the
Dixieland revival movement. He led his own ensemble at New Orleans's H&J Tavern for much of the 1940s, then, in 1951, became a sideman for
Papa Celestin. He worked with this ensemble for years, including after
Papa French and
Eddie Pierson had taken over as leader. Other associations in the 1950s and 1960s included work with
Freddie Kohlman,
Punch Miller, the
Olympia Brass Band, and on Swedish television with
Sweet Emma Barrett in 1968. In the 1970s he worked with the Legends of Jazz, replacing
Joe Darensbourg. ==References==