Amy Records: Working In The Coal Mine

Not long ago, I featured Devo’s remake of Lee Dorsey’s classic hit of “Working in the Coalmine.” Written by New Orleans legend Allen Toussaint, Dorsey took “Working in the Coalmine” to the #8 slot on the charts and it became the most popular record on Amy Records. In addition to its success on the Hot 100, “Working in the Coalmine” peaked at #5 on the R&B chart.

Part of the production of the song was the use of an authentic pick axe as a percussive instrument. Allan Toussaint was all over this 1966 recording. Not only did he write the tune, he arranged the song and co-produced the single with Marshall Sehorn – his business partner in Tou-Sea Productions and Marsaint Music. “Lord, I’m so tired. How long can this go on?” Oh, about 2 minutes and 45 seconds. Enjoy this classic from Amy Records.

In addition to being used in several motion pictures, Lee Dorsey’s hit was also used in a 1991 Blaupunkt Audio commercial. Here’s the ad.