Lee Dorsey - Yes We Can (1970)

Lee Dorsey was an American R&B singer, mostly active during the 60s.

1970's Yes We Can was Lee Dorsey first album since 1966, though in the intervening years he had released a series of increasingly funky singles (available here). His first album of the 70s was, as to be expected, produced and almost entirely written by Allen Toussaint, with instrumental backing from The Meters. Compared to his 60s music, Yes We Can had a more modern funk sound, sly and sophisticated. Toussaint penned all the songs, with the exception of an almost unrecognizeable cover of Joe South's "Games People Play". Indeed it was a real triumph for Toussaint as a producer, and can be seen as a stylistic blueprint for his own solo career which began the next year with his debut album Toussaint. The album gave Dorsey his last modest chart hit, the title track getting to #46 on the R&B singles chart. After this album he retired from music, returning to his car repair business. 

In the 70s the sound of R&B music changed drastically, which perhaps accounts for why Dorsey saw no more success in this decade. He was also well into his forties by this point. Despite its lack of chart successes, Yes We Can nevertheless remains fresh today as an all-time classic funk/R&B album.

The New Lee Dorsey (1966) <|> Night People (1978)
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Lee Dorsey - Everything I Do Gonh Be Funky (1967-1969)

Compilation
Lee Dorsey was an American R&B singer, mostly active during the 60s.

Lee Dorsey's mid-60s run of successes had slowed down by 1967, and he released no albums for the rest of the decade. However he did release a string of fine singles. Though none of them made it to the Top 10, "Go-Go Girl" was a #31 R&B hit and the brilliant "Everything I Do Gonh Be Funky (From Now On)" got to #33. The latter was written by Allen Toussaint, as most of Dorsey's best material was, and neatly declared the direction his music was going in. His follow-up single "Give It Up" was not a hit, but was the funkiest tune he had put out to date, featuring electric sitar.

This sixteen-song compilation groups together these late-60s singles, all ten releases on Amy Records, plus the b-sides which hadn't already been on included on his albums.

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Lee Dorsey - The New Lee Dorsey (1966)

Lee Dorsey was an American R&B singer, mostly active during the 60s.

1966 was a good year for Lee Dorsey, as he had begun it with two Top 10 R&B hits (“Ride Your Pony” and “Get Out Of My Life, Woman”, both written by his collaborator Allen Toussaint). He continued to work with Toussaint, and later in the year released two more big Toussaint-penned hits. “Working In The Coalmine” got to #5 on the R&B chart and also broke through to the pop chart at #8. As his breakthrough pop hit, this song remains today the one tune he is best remembered for, and is typical Lee Dorsey with its funky groove and cool, conversational vocals. It was followed by another classic in “Holy Cow” (#10 R&B and #23 pop). 

His third album came out later in the year, featuring both hits alongside some more brilliant funky New Orleans R&B, mostly written and arranged by Toussaint. He followed up on his chart successes with an international tour with The Meters. 

Ride Your Pony (1966) <|> Yes We Can (1970)
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Lee Dorsey - Ride Your Pony (1966)

Lee Dorsey was an American R&B singer, mostly active during the 60s.

Lee Dorsey had experienced a brief period of success in the early 60s as an R&B singer, with 1961's "Ya Ya" (#1 R&B, #7 Pop). However he had struggled to release a follow-up, and so returned to his car repair business.
It wasn't until 1965 that he recorded again. Songwriter-producer Allen Toussaint (who had helped Dorsey begin his recording career) returned from two years of military service, and was keen to resume work with him. He was signed to the Amy label, and the collaboration paid off when he took Toussaint's "Ride Your Pony" to #7 on the R&B chart. This was followed by a second Toussaint song in 1966, the oft-covered "Get Out Of My Life, Woman", which made it to #5. These songs took Dorsey's good-time New Orleans R&B into cooler, funkier territories where he was able to forge for himself a unique new sound (or rather Toussaint was able to forge him a new sound). An LP came out the same year, with both hit singles and a further eight Toussaint compositions.

Ya Ya (1962) <|> The New Lee Dorsey (1966)
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Lee Dorsey - Ya Ya (1962)

Lee Dorsey was an American R&B singer, mostly active during the 60s.

Born in New Orleans in 1924, Lee Dorsey moved to Portland with his family when he was 10 years old. He went on to serve in the US Navy, and for a time had some success with a prize-fighting career (boxing as "Kid Chocolate"). He returned to New Orleans in 1955, and started a successful car repair shop, while pursuing a singing career at night. In the early 60s he met Allen Toussaint, who was soon to rise to legendary status in the field of New Orleans R&B. This meeting led to him being signed to Bobby Robinson's Fury Records.
On Fury, he co-authored the single "Ya Ya", which Toussaint arranged the instrumental backing for. Inspired by childrens' playground rhymes, it was a massive hit for him in 1961 - it got to #1 on the R&B charts and #7 on the pop charts, effectively launching his singing career. Its follow up, "Do Re Mi", was not as successful, but still made it to the Top 40 on both charts.
The Ya Ya album came out in 1962. With both singles and other similarly-titled tunes ("Eenie Meenie Mini Mo", "Yum Yum", etc), it's some fantastic New Orleans R&B, loose and easy going with uncluttered arrangements and playful vocals. The songwriting was mostly shared between Toussaint and Robinson.
However the Fury label folded shortly afterwards, and as Dorsey had failed to follow up the success of "Ya Ya" which his subsequent singles, he decided to quit his singing career and return to the car shop. His story was far from over, as Toussaint still had his eyes on Dorsey, but it would be a few years before they got to work together again...

|> Ride Your Pony (1966)
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