Lee was born in New Orleans but moved to Oregon and after a stint in the US Navy, he became a professional boxer in the 1950's fighting as a light-heavyweight under the name of "Kid Chocolate". A chance meeting with record producer Allen Toussaint ended his boxing career and began a singing career with a song called "Ya Ya", a Top 10 single from 1961. When Toussaint's record label folded, Lee repaired cars for a living until he got another call from Toussaint a few years later resurrecting his music career and a few more hits including "Working in a Coal Mine" and his last Top 40 hit from November of 1966, "Holy Cow".
