Lee Dorsey
Encyclopedia
Lee Dorsey was an African American
pop
/R&B
singer
during the 1960s. Much of his work was produced
by Allen Toussaint
with instrumental
backing provided by the Meters
.
, Dorsey moved to Portland
, Oregon
when he was ten years old. He served in the United States Navy
and began a career in prizefighting. Boxing
as a light heavyweight
in Portland in the early 1950s, he fought under the name "Kid Chocolate" and was quite successful.
Dorsey met songwriter
/producer Allen Toussaint at a party in the early 1960s, and was signed to the Fury record label
. The song
that launched his career was inspired by a group of children chanting nursery rhyme
s - "Ya Ya
" went to number seven on the Billboard Hot 100
in 1961. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc
. He recorded
other songs for Fury before the label folded, and Dorsey went back to his car repair business.
Toussaint later came back on the Amy label and began to work with Dorsey once again. From 1965 to 1969 Dorsey put seven songs in the Hot 100, the most successful of which was "Working in the Coal Mine
" in 1966. It was to be his second and last Top Ten song. In 1970 Dorsey and Toussaint collaborated on an album
entitled Yes We Can; the title song was Dorsey's last entry in the singles
chart. It was later a hit for the Pointer Sisters
under the title, "Yes We Can Can
".
Dorsey appeared on an album with Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes, which led to more recordings on his own with ABC Records
in the late 1970s. In 1980, Dorsey opened for English punk band The Clash
on their U.S.
tour.
Dorsey contracted emphysema
and died on December 2, 1986, in New Orleans, at the age of 61.
Dorsey's songs have been covered
by artists
as diverse as Petula Clark
("Ya Ya Twist," a 1962 French
version of "Ya Ya
") and Devo
("Working in the Coal Mine"). "Ya Ya" was also covered on John Lennon
's Rock 'n' Roll
album, and The Beatles Let It Be... Naked contained an extended live jam, with Tommy Sheridan on vocals.
His version of the Allen Toussaint
song "Everything I Do Gonna Be Funky (From Now On)" is referenced in the Beastie Boys
' song lyrics
for "Sure Shot
" - "...everything I do is funky like Lee Dorsey."
"Ya Ya" was spoken by Cheech Marin
in Cheech and Chong's Next Movie, as he was waiting for his girlfriend.
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
/R&B
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
singer
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
during the 1960s. Much of his work was produced
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
by Allen Toussaint
Allen Toussaint
Allen Toussaint is an American musician, composer, record producer, and influential figure in New Orleans R&B.Many of Toussaint's songs have become familiar through numerous cover versions, including "Working in the Coalmine", "Ride Your Pony", "Fortune Teller", "Play Something Sweet ", "Southern...
with instrumental
Instrumental
An instrumental is a musical composition or recording without lyrics or singing, although it might include some non-articulate vocal input; the music is primarily or exclusively produced by musical instruments....
backing provided by the Meters
The Meters
The Meters are an American funk band based in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Meters performed and recorded their own music from the late 1960s until 1977...
.
Career
Born Irving Lee Dorsey in New Orleans, LouisianaLouisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
, Dorsey moved to Portland
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
when he was ten years old. He served in the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
and began a career in prizefighting. Boxing
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
as a light heavyweight
Light heavyweight
In boxing, the light heavyweight is a weight division above 168 pounds [12 Stone or 76.204 kilograms] and up to 175 pounds [12.5 stone or 79.38 kilograms]), falling between super middleweight and cruiserweight...
in Portland in the early 1950s, he fought under the name "Kid Chocolate" and was quite successful.
Dorsey met songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
/producer Allen Toussaint at a party in the early 1960s, and was signed to the Fury record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
. The song
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
that launched his career was inspired by a group of children chanting nursery rhyme
Nursery rhyme
The term nursery rhyme is used for "traditional" poems for young children in Britain and many other countries, but usage only dates from the 19th century and in North America the older ‘Mother Goose Rhymes’ is still often used.-Lullabies:...
s - "Ya Ya
Ya Ya (Lee Dorsey song)
"Ya Ya" is a song by Lee Dorsey. The song was written by Lee Dorsey, Clarence Lewis, Morgan Robinson and Morris Levy. It was inspired by a children's nursery rhyme.-Chart performance:...
" went to number seven on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
in 1961. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
. He recorded
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
other songs for Fury before the label folded, and Dorsey went back to his car repair business.
Toussaint later came back on the Amy label and began to work with Dorsey once again. From 1965 to 1969 Dorsey put seven songs in the Hot 100, the most successful of which was "Working in the Coal Mine
Working in the Coal Mine
"Working in the Coal Mine" is a song with music and lyrics by Allen Toussaint.After Toussaint returned to New Orleans from the Army , he formed a production company, Sansu, with partner Marshall Sehorn. A number of singles, performed by Lee Dorsey, followed in 1965-66, including "Working in the...
" in 1966. It was to be his second and last Top Ten song. In 1970 Dorsey and Toussaint collaborated on an album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
entitled Yes We Can; the title song was Dorsey's last entry in the singles
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
chart. It was later a hit for the Pointer Sisters
Pointer Sisters
The Pointer Sisters are an American pop/R&B recording act from Oakland, California that achieved mainstream success during the 1970s and 1980s. Spanning over three decades, their repertoire has included such diverse genres as pop, disco, jazz, bebop, blues, soul, funk, dance, country and rock.The...
under the title, "Yes We Can Can
Yes We Can Can
"Yes We Can Can" is a 1973 funk classic recorded by the American R&B girl group the Pointer Sisters and released on the Blue Thumb record label...
".
Dorsey appeared on an album with Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes, which led to more recordings on his own with ABC Records
ABC Records
ABC Records was an American record label, founded in New York City in 1955 as ABC-Paramount Records. It originated as the main popular music label operated the Am-Par Record Corporation, the music subsidiary of the American Broadcasting Company . ABC-Paramount Records' first president was Samuel H....
in the late 1970s. In 1980, Dorsey opened for English punk band The Clash
The Clash
The Clash were an English punk rock band that formed in 1976 as part of the original wave of British punk. Along with punk, their music incorporated elements of reggae, ska, dub, funk, rap, dance, and rockabilly...
on their U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
tour.
Dorsey contracted emphysema
Emphysema
Emphysema is a long-term, progressive disease of the lungs that primarily causes shortness of breath. In people with emphysema, the tissues necessary to support the physical shape and function of the lungs are destroyed. It is included in a group of diseases called chronic obstructive pulmonary...
and died on December 2, 1986, in New Orleans, at the age of 61.
Dorsey's songs have been covered
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
by artists
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
as diverse as Petula Clark
Petula Clark
Petula Clark, CBE is an English singer, actress, and composer whose career has spanned seven decades.Clark's professional career began as an entertainer on BBC Radio during World War II...
("Ya Ya Twist," a 1962 French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
version of "Ya Ya
Ya Ya (Lee Dorsey song)
"Ya Ya" is a song by Lee Dorsey. The song was written by Lee Dorsey, Clarence Lewis, Morgan Robinson and Morris Levy. It was inspired by a children's nursery rhyme.-Chart performance:...
") and Devo
Devo
Devo is an American band formed in 1973 consisting of members from Kent and Akron, Ohio. The classic line-up of the band includes two sets of brothers, the Mothersbaughs and the Casales . The band had a #14 Billboard chart hit in 1980 with the single "Whip It", and has maintained a cult...
("Working in the Coal Mine"). "Ya Ya" was also covered on John Lennon
John Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
's Rock 'n' Roll
Rock 'n' Roll (John Lennon album)
Rock 'n' Roll is a 1975 album of late 1950s and early 1960s songs covered by John Lennon. Recording the album was problematic and spanned a year. Though critically derided, it reached #6 in both the United Kingdom and the United States.-History:...
album, and The Beatles Let It Be... Naked contained an extended live jam, with Tommy Sheridan on vocals.
His version of the Allen Toussaint
Allen Toussaint
Allen Toussaint is an American musician, composer, record producer, and influential figure in New Orleans R&B.Many of Toussaint's songs have become familiar through numerous cover versions, including "Working in the Coalmine", "Ride Your Pony", "Fortune Teller", "Play Something Sweet ", "Southern...
song "Everything I Do Gonna Be Funky (From Now On)" is referenced in the Beastie Boys
Beastie Boys
Beastie Boys are an American hip hop trio from New York City. The group consists of Mike D who plays the drums, MCA who plays the bass, and Ad-Rock who plays the guitar....
' song lyrics
Lyrics
Lyrics are a set of words that make up a song. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist or lyrist. The meaning of lyrics can either be explicit or implicit. Some lyrics are abstract, almost unintelligible, and, in such cases, their explication emphasizes form, articulation, meter, and symmetry of...
for "Sure Shot
Sure Shot
"Sure Shot" is a song by American hip hop group Beastie Boys, released as the third single from their 1994 album Ill Communication. The single was released a few days after the release of the album, on May 31, 1994.-Release:...
" - "...everything I do is funky like Lee Dorsey."
"Ya Ya" was spoken by Cheech Marin
Cheech Marin
Richard Anthony "Cheech" Marin is an American comedian, actor and writer who gained recognition as part of the comedy act Cheech & Chong during the 1970s and early 1980s, and as Don Johnson's partner, Insp. Joe Dominguez on Nash Bridges...
in Cheech and Chong's Next Movie, as he was waiting for his girlfriend.
Albums
- Ya Ya (1962)
- Ride Your Pony (1966)
- The New Lee Dorsey (1966)
- Working in the Coalmine (1967)
- Yes We Can (1970)
- Night People (1978)
Chart singles
- "Ya YaYa Ya (Lee Dorsey song)"Ya Ya" is a song by Lee Dorsey. The song was written by Lee Dorsey, Clarence Lewis, Morgan Robinson and Morris Levy. It was inspired by a children's nursery rhyme.-Chart performance:...
" US PopBillboard Hot 100The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
#7/R&BHot R&B/Hip-Hop SongsHot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...
#1 (1961) - "Do-Re-Mi" US #27/#22 (1962)
- "Ride Your Pony" US #28/#7 (1965)
- "Get Out Of My Life, Woman" US #44/#5/ UKUK Singles ChartThe UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
#22 (1966) - "Confusion" UK #38 (1966)
- "Working in the Coal MineWorking in the Coal Mine"Working in the Coal Mine" is a song with music and lyrics by Allen Toussaint.After Toussaint returned to New Orleans from the Army , he formed a production company, Sansu, with partner Marshall Sehorn. A number of singles, performed by Lee Dorsey, followed in 1965-66, including "Working in the...
" US #8/#5/UK #8 (1966) - "Holy Cow" US #23/#10/UK #6 (1966)
- "My Old Car" US #97 (1967)
- "Go-Go Girl" US #62/#31 (1967)
- "Everything I Do Gonna Be Funky (From Now On)" US #95/#33 (1969)
- "Yes We Can - Part 1" --/#46 (1970)
- "Night People" --/#93 (1978)
See also
- List of soul musicians
- List of R&B musicians
- List of people from New Orleans, Louisiana
- List of performers on Top of the Pops
External links
- [ Lee Dorsey biography] at Allmusic websiteWebsiteA website, also written as Web site, web site, or simply site, is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network through an Internet...
- Mini biography and photo @ Findagrave.com