Working in the Coal Mine

Recorded in New Orleans at Cosimo Matassa’s Governor Nichols Street studio, with Lee Dorsey singing an Allen Toussaint song that Toussaint wrote, arranged, and produced. The session reflects the mid-1960s New Orleans soul partnership between Dorsey and Toussaint. Released in 1966 on Amy Records, the single became Lee Dorsey’s biggest pop hit and a signature New Orleans soul record. It reached No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 and spent 11 weeks on the UK Official Singles Chart, peaking at No. 8 there as well. The song has remained one of Dorsey’s best-known recordings, with later appearances across film and television and a widely known cover by Devo that helped keep it in circulation. Its enduring status also rests on Allen Toussaint’s tight songwriting and production craft.