Song:Working In The Coal Mine
Album:Wheelin' and Dealin': The Definitive Collection
The partnership of Lee Dorsey and Allen Toussaint produced some of the most memorable R & B of the 60s. Working In The Coal Mine was arguably Dorsey's biggest hit and an appropriate song for him because he was never a full time singer. He was born Dec. 24, 1924 in New Orleans and moved to Portland, OR at age ten. After serving in the US Navy during WWII, Dorsey became a scuccessful light heavyweight boxer as Kid Chocolate. He retired from boxing in 1955 and moved back to New Orleans and opened a very successful auto body shop. He sang at night but always had the business. He met legendary music producer Allen Toussaint in 1961 and they decided to record together. Ya Ya reached #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1961 but follow up singles didn't do that well and Dorsey returned to his auto body business when the label went bust. But Toussaint always loved Dorsey's voice and signed him to his own Amy label in 1965. Several of his singles charted but Working In The Coal Mine was the most successful and reached #8 on the Billboard Hot 100. Dorsey and Toussaint wrote this wonderful working class anthem with its sound effects and The Meters backing him up. Dorsey had some other minor hits but by 1970 he quit the music business and went back to his auto body business. Arista Records released Wheelin and Dealin' in 1997. BMG's Camden budget label released the exact same CD in England in 1999 as The Definitive Collection. Except for the cover, they are identical. I understand the Arista CD is out of print but Amazon still has it at a good price. Dorsey returned to music on ABC Records in 1977. And though the album wasn't successful, he went on tour as a supporting act. And then Devo covered Working In The Coal Mine for the 1981 film Heavy Metal. Lee Dorsey continued to perform until he died of emphysema on Dec. 1, 1986 at age 61. Here's Lee Dorsey performing Working In The Coal Mine 1967.
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