Lee Dorsey

1926-1986

Singer

Lee Dorsey was a rhythm and blues (R&B) singer who topped the pop music charts during the 1960s with a series of songs that communicated the relaxed, ebullient spirit of New Orleans, Louisiana. New Orleans plays a unique role in American culture and American music in particular. Out of its multicultural gumbo have come jazz, blues, Cajun and Creole music, R&B, soul, funk, and other genres of African-American music touched by Caribbean influences. Perhaps no musician of the rock and roll era personified the city's spirit with more charm than Dorsey, whose fame was brief but whose influence has reached beyond R&B music to diverse acts such as the Beastie Boys and the Clash.

Irving Lee Dorsey was born into a musical household in the historic Ninth Ward of New Orleans on December 4, 1926. One of his childhood friends was another future exponent of New Orleans music: Antoine "Fats" Domino. His family moved to Portland, Oregon, when Dorsey was ten, and he developed a liking for country music. Coming of age during World War II, he was drafted and saw action in the Pacific as a gunner on a navy destroyer.

Turned from Boxing to Music

After the war the diminutive but muscle-bound Dorsey returned to Portland and began prizefighting, under the nickname "Kid Chocolate." He told interviewer Jeff Hannusch, "I knew some guys who went to the gym to box, so I just started goin' with 'em. Once I saw I could whip some of 'em, I started gettin' fights too." He became one of the region's top boxers, with an unbeaten record as a featherweight and lightweight. However, in 1955 he hung up the gloves and moved back to New Orleans.

With the help of the G.I. Bill, he learned a trade and landed a job in an auto body shop. He would sing while banging out dented fenders, and one day a scout named Reynauld Richard heard his voice and invited him to make a record. Dorsey recorded several 45 rpm singles in 1957 and 1958. "Rock Pretty Baby" got some attention around New Orleans. "Lottie-Mo" was picked up for national distribution and won Dorsey a television appearance on Dick Clark's dance show American Bandstand.

"Lottie-Mo" began Dorsey's long association with Allen Toussaint, the young pianist who produced the record. Toussaint and Dorsey began performing together at the Dew Drop Inn and other New Orleans night spots, while Dorsey continued to work days in the body-and-fender business, eventually opening his own shop. Toussaint began to direct his efforts toward writing, arranging, and producing. He quickly became the hit maker of New Orleans R&B, largely responsible for launching the careers of numerous artists; he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998. The vehicle for Toussaint's greatest success, and his most consistent musical partner, was Dorsey. "If a smile had a sound, it would be the sound of Lee Dorsey's voice," Toussaint was quoted as saying in Stars of Soul and Rhythm and Blues. "It's no wonder that he inspired so many of my favorite songs; songs that, if not for him, I would never have written."

When Marshall Sehorn, a record promoter for the Fire/Fury label, heard "Lottie-Mo," the vocalist reminded him of Ray Charles. Sehorn's boss, Bobby Robinson, came to New Orleans in 1961, found Dorsey, and signed him to a recording contract. Dorsey had no original material to record, but while the two men sat on Dorsey's front porch, an idea came wafting their way: a catchy nursery rhyme sung by children on the street. Dorsey replaced the scatological lyrics with nonsense words: "Sittin' in la-la / Waitin' for my ya-ya." Toussaint arranged the number and taught the piano part to another musician because he was under contract to another label. "Ya Ya" was a smash hit, reaching the number-one position on the national R&B charts and number seven on Billboard's Hot 100 in late 1961.

Evolved from Soul to Funk

Dorsey's second Fire/Fury release, "Do-Re-Mi," also landed on the charts, and the singer began touring the R&B circuit full time with a backing band. He appeared with James Brown, Chuck Berry, Aaron "T-Bone" Walker, and other artists. His next few singles were less successful, however, and by 1963 he had lost his recording partners; Toussaint had been drafted into the army, and the Fire/Fury label had gone out of business. Dorsey, unfazed by his success, simply returned to his other line of work in the automotive business. He told Hannusch, "I was just a regular guy. I didn't know much about show business…. I never had any trouble getting body and fender work. I had the tools and I knew the work. I love it. I never knew if I was a better body-and-fender man or a vocalist."

Toussaint returned from military service in 1965 and picked up where he had left off with Sehorn and Dorsey. They rode right back onto the pop charts with "Ride Your Pony," the first of a string of hits distributed by Amy Records. Dorsey had four hit singles in 1966. The first was the bluesy "Get out of My Life, Woman." Next came the tune that would be most identified with him throughout his career, "Workin' in a Coal Mine," another top-ten pop hit and Dorsey's second gold record. He followed up with "Holy Cow," and scored a hit in the United Kingdom with "Confusion." By this point, Toussaint was writing most of Dorsey's material and arranging all of it. The backing musicians, including Leo Nocentelli on guitar and Art Neville on keyboards, evolved into the band the Meters, who went on to a stellar career of their own. Sehorn and Toussaint teamed up to record many other New Orleans artists, building a stable of local talent, and together created Sea-Saint studios.

Dorsey toured for three months in England at the peak of his popularity, performing dates with the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. He continued producing a stream of singles into 1967, but the hits came more slowly. His last chart success came in 1969 with "Everything I Do Gohn Be Funky (From Now On)." By that point, Toussaint and Dorsey were shifting from the relaxed vibes of New Orleans soul into the more dynamic sonic territory of funk. The vocalist's "Shake-a-make-a-make-a-shake-a-hula!" riff in the frenetic dance number "Four Corners" revealed this new intensity.

Acquired a Devoted Following

Dorsey's 1970 album Yes We Can was not a commercial success, but many of his fans consider it his greatest work and a highlight of 1970s soul music. Reminiscent of Marvin Gaye and Curtis Mayfield, Yes We Can featured anthems of black pride, songs addressing hardship and poverty ("Who's Gonna Help Brother Get Further," "When the Bill's Paid"), and other progressive material penned by Toussaint, backed powerfully by the Meters, and delivered with Dorsey's characteristic optimism. The title track later became the Pointer Sisters' first hit single.

By 1972 Dorsey's recording career had begun to taper off. Again, he retreated contentedly to his body and fender shop, performing occasionally in New Orleans clubs and at its annual Jazz and Heritage Festival. He still had a devoted fan base on both sides of the Atlantic, including many other musicians. He resurfaced in 1976, with a cameo appearance on the debut album by the rock-soul band Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes. A new contract with ABC/Polydor Records followed, leading to Dorsey's last album, Night People, in 1978.

At a Glance …

Born Irving Lee Dorsey on December 4, 1926, in New Orleans, LA; died on December 1, 1986, in New Orleans, LA.

Career: U.S. Navy, 1944-45; professional prizefighter until 1955; auto body mechanic, 1956-86; singer and recording artist, 1957-81.

Dorsey suffered severe injuries in a motorcycle accident in 1979. A year later, he had recovered sufficiently to tour as an opening act for the Clash, the British punk sensation. It was his final tour as a musician. He spent his final few years working in his body and fender shop, alongside his son Irving. There are some who believe that Dorsey's smoking habit and automotive work, and his indifference toward protecting himself from fumes and toxins, contributed to the ill health that shortened his life. He died of emphysema on December 1, 1986.