Lee Dorsey..the man with a big smile in his voice...New Orleans' answer to Al Green.
Born Irving Lee Dorsey in New Orleans, Louisiana, 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 rhymes - "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.
Ask anybody in New Orleans who knew him about Lee Dorsey and you get the same response "Man that was the nicest dude you ever want to meet". This is usually accompanied by glistening eyes as they remember that he's gone.
This album was his master work; Allen Toussaint wrote most of the songs and arranged them all, the music comes from the endless supply of tunes he had the Meters work up in the studio (they were never in the studio with Lee). These tunes all come from the heyday of Sea-Saint / Sansu with Allen, The Meters, Gary Brown, Harold Batiste and AFO... just a boatload of talent. The fact that this record did not break through sent Lee back to auto body shop, convinced that the music scene wasn't for him. Listening to this album today you can understand his frustration because they couldn't have made a better record than this, it stands as my numba one fave from this period (1970). Thankfully this reissue also contains quite a few extra tunes that wouldn't fit on the LP. There are so many highlights amongst the songs it is unfair to single out any - they are in fact 'all killer, no filler'. Enjoy this, it is a treasure!
Lee Dorsey - Yes We Can and then Some
Polydor Records 1970
[uber std mp3(vbr)]1 Yes We Can part 1
2 Sneakin' Sally Through the Alley
3 Occapella
4 Riverboat
5 O Me-O My-O
6 If I Were a Carpenter
7 When the Bill's Paid
8 A Place Were We Can Be Free
9 Hello Good Lookin'
10 As Quiet as It's Kept
11 Lonely Avenue
12 Games People Play
13 On Your Way Down
14 When Can I Come Home
15 Tears, Tears and More Tears
16 If She Won't, Find Someone Who Will
17 Gator Tail
18 Who's Gonna Help Brother Get Further
19 Yes We Can part 2
20 Freedom for the Stallion
Lee Dorsey vocals
with Allen Toussaint, The Meters, Gary Brown
Harold Batiste and AFO, others
