R&B, soul and funk singer-songwriter Irving Lee Dorsey was born in New Orleans on December 24, 1924, and his biggest hits were "Ya Ya" (1961) and "Working in the Coal Mine" (1966). Much of his work was produced by Allen Toussaint, with instrumental backing provided by The Meters.
Dorsey was a childhood friend of Fats Domino before moving to Portland, Oregon when he was ten years old. He served in the United States Navy in World War II, and in the 1950s he boxed as a lightweight in Portland under the name “Kid Chocolate”. He retired from boxing in 1955 and returned to New Orleans, where he opened an auto repair business, as well as singing in clubs at night. His first recording was in 1958, and his first hit came with “Ya Ya” in 1961, which went to number seven on the Billboard Hot 100 and sold over one million copies. His later releases were not successful, so Dorsey returned to running his repair business, but continued to release singles.
He was approached again by Allen Toussaint and recorded "Ride Your Pony", which reached number seven on the R&B chart in late 1965. He followed it up with "Working in the Coal Mine", his biggest hit, touring internationally, and also recording an album with Toussaint, The New Lee Dorsey in 1966. In 1970 Dorsey and Toussaint collaborated on the album Yes We Can; the title song was Dorsey's last entry in the US singles chart, after which he returned to his auto repair business. In 1976 Dorsey appeared on the album I Don't Want to Go Home by Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes, which led to more recordings, including the album Night People. In 1980, he opened for The Clash on their US concert tour, and also toured in support of James Brown and Jerry Lee Lewis.
Dorsey's songs have been covered by artists as diverse as the Pointer Sisters (“Yes We Can”) and Devo ("Working in the Coal Mine"). "Ya Ya" was covered on John Lennon's Rock 'n' Roll album, and Robert Palmer had a hit with "Sneakin' Sally Through The Alley". Dorsey’s version of the Allen Toussaint song "Everything I Do Gonh Be Funky (From Now On)" is referenced in the Beastie Boys' song "Sure Shot", with the lyric "Everything I do is funky like Lee Dorsey." Clearly, Lee Dorsey’s talent is timeless and his fans span across varied musical genres.
Sadly, Dorsey contracted emphysema and died on December 1, 1986, in New Orleans, at the age of 61. His music has had a significant and enduring influence, and today, on his birthday, we remember Lee Dorsey and celebrate the joy he brought us by sharing his talent.
