Lee Dorsey was one of the most appealing voices in New Orleans R&B — a singer of easy charm and good humor whose work with producer Allen Toussaint produced a string of records that are among the finest of the 1960s, and whose hits have proved remarkably durable in the decades since.
Biography
Born in New Orleans in 1924 and raised partly in Portland, Oregon, Dorsey was a former professional boxer who turned to music and opened an auto repair shop simultaneously — a combination that tells you something about his character. His 1961 hit 'Ya Ya' was a nursery-rhyme-simple R&B charmer that reached the top of the charts. His subsequent collaboration with Allen Toussaint produced 'Ride Your Pony,' 'Working in a Coal Mine,' 'Get Out of My Life Woman,' and 'Holy Cow' — a run of singles as good as anything in the R&B of the period. His 1970 album Yes We Can, again with Toussaint, is a sophisticated and deeply funky record that pointed toward the future. The Clash chose him as their opening act in 1980, recognizing something timeless in his music. He died in 1986.
Discography
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