Lee was born in Chicago, but as a child relocated to Detroit with her mother. After a few years, she was adopted by Rev. E. Allan Rundless, who had previously been a member of the Soul Stirrers, and his wife Ernestine, who led a gospel group, The Meditation Singers. Featuring Della Reese, they were the first Detroit gospel group to perform with instrumental backing. The group recorded on the Specialty label in the mid 1950s, appeared on the LP Della Reese Presents The Meditation Singers in 1958, and in the early 1960s recorded for Checker Records.
As Laura Lee Rundless, she replaced Reese in The Meditation Singers in 1956, and over the next few years toured widely around the country. In 1965, as Laura Lee, she launched her secular solo career as an R&B singer in clubs in Detroit, although she also continued to record occasionally with The Meditation Singers. She first recorded solo for Ric-Tic Records in 1966, with "To Win Your Heart".
The following year, she signed with Chess Records and, after initially recording in-house with the label's producers in Chicago, it was decided to send her to Rick Hall’s FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals to record "Dirty Man". This became her first hit, reaching #13 R&B and #68 pop. She stayed with Chess until 1969, also recording "Up Tight Good Man" (#16 R&B) and "As Long As I Got You" (#31 R&B)).
A short spell with Atlantic subsidiary, Cotillion resulted in two singles and then in 1970, Lee moved to former Motown producers, Holland, Dozier and Holland’s newly established Hot Wax label in Detroit. One of her first recordings for Hot Wax, "Women’s Love Rights", became one of her biggest hits, reaching #11 on the R&B chart in 1971 and #36 pop. In 1972, "Rip Off" became her biggest R&B hit at #3 but only climbed to #68 on the Billboard Hot 100. She also recorded an album, Two Sides of Laura Lee, while in a relationship with singer Al Green. Most of her material on Hot Wax was produced by William Weatherspoon, formerly with Motown.
Lee left Invictus / Hot Wax in 1975 and signed with Ariola Records, but became seriously ill shortly afterwards and retired from the music industry for several years. She returned in 1983 with a gospel album, Jesus Is The Light Of My Life, on which she worked with Al Green. By 1990 she was recovered from her illness, and had been ordained as a minister. She has continued recording music, mostly gospel.
A Swedish garage rock band did an unexpected homage to Lee by baptizing themselves as Division of Laura Lee.
She made an appearance in the 1973 Blaxploitation film Detroit 9000, as a singer in the opening scenes.
Dirty Man
Laura Lee Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And you gotta dirty mind
You're a dirty, dirty man
You and that other woman, you're 2 of a kind
But you forgot 1 thing baby when you were doing me wrong
That Im a good house keeper
Im gonna take my broom and sweep
All of the dirt out on the street
You're a dirty, dirty man
Oh in so many, so many dirty ways
You're a dirty, dirty man
And you've been hidding your little dirt all over this hip place
I know you have
Oh here's my chance baby to throw some mud in your face
Coz Im a good house keeper
Im gonna take my broom and sweep
All of the dirt, yes I am, out on the street
Oh, Im cleaning outl my whole house
Fast as I can
Its time to make everything speak and span
You're a dirty, ooh you're a dirty man
You do me dirty for so many years, yes u did
You're a dirty, dirty man, yes u are
And Im tired of you and your woman and your dog too
You're a dirty man
You're a dirty man
Now get outta my house
Dont u never, never, never come back again
Dont u never
You're a dirty, dirty man
And Im done with your dirty ways
In Laura Lee's song "Dirty Man," she addresses a man who has a dirty mind, and has been cheating on her with another woman. She acknowledges that he and the other woman are two of a kind, but he forgot one thing – that she is a good housekeeper. She uses this analogy to say that she will take her broom and sweep all of the dirt out onto the street, meaning that she is going to cleanse herself of him and his dirty ways.
Throughout the song, Laura Lee tells the man that he is dirty in so many ways, and that he has been hiding his little dirt all over this hip place. The use of the phrase "hip place" shows that the song was likely written during the late 60s or early 70s, a time when the term "hip" was often used to describe something cool or fashionable. Laura Lee then uses her good housekeeping skills to clean out her whole house, making everything spick and span.
Overall, the song is a powerful statement about taking control of your life and removing toxic people from it. Laura Lee uses her broom as a symbol of her power and her ability to sweep away anything that doesn't serve her.
Line by Line Meaning
You're a dirty, dirty man
You are a nasty and filthy person
And you gotta dirty mind
Your thoughts are impure and lewd
You're a dirty, dirty man
You are someone who is not hygienic and unclean
You and that other woman, you're 2 of a kind
You and the other woman you cheated with are similar in character
But you forgot 1 thing baby when you were doing me wrong
You neglected to consider the consequences of your actions when you were hurting me
That Im a good house keeper
I am a person who maintains a clean and orderly household
Im gonna take my broom and sweep
I intend to eliminate all the dirt and negativity from my life
All of the dirt out on the street
I will remove all the negative and unclean elements from my life and rid myself of them
You're a dirty, dirty man
You are disgusting and unclean in your demeanor and actions
Oh in so many, so many dirty ways
You have a wide range of inappropriate behaviors and tendencies
And you've been hidding your little dirt all over this hip place
You have concealed your negative and corrupt tendencies throughout this environment
I know you have
I have become aware of your negative traits and behaviors
Oh here's my chance baby to throw some mud in your face
Now I have the opportunity to reveal your negative actions and make you face the consequences
Coz Im a good house keeper
I am someone who is committed to maintaining a clean and orderly environment
Im gonna take my broom and sweep
I intend to eliminate all negative elements from my life and bring about positive change
All of the dirt, yes I am, out on the street
I will rid myself of all negative elements and ensure that my life is free of impurities and filth
Oh, Im cleaning outl my whole house
I am in the process of cleaning up and getting rid of all the negativity in my life
Fast as I can
I am making sure that my efforts to rid myself of negativity are swift and effective
Its time to make everything speak and span
It is time for me to ensure that everything in my life is clean and in order
You do me dirty for so many years, yes u did
You mistreated me and betrayed me in various ways over a long period of time
And Im tired of you and your woman and your dog too
I have had enough of you, the other woman you cheated with, and everything associated with you
Now get outta my house
You are no longer welcome in my life and must leave immediately
Dont u never, never, never come back again
You are not permitted to return to my life, ever
And Im done with your dirty ways
I am finished with your negative actions and behaviors
You're a dirty, dirty man
You are a filthy, impure person who brings negativity and chaos wherever you go
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ROBERT MILLER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
I I
You're a dirty, dirty man
And you gotta dirty mind
You're a dirty, dirty man
You and that other woman, you're 2 of a kind
But you forgot 1 thing baby when you were doing me wrong
That Im a good house keeper
Im gonna take my broom and sweep
All of the dirt out on the street
You're a dirty, dirty man
Oh in so many, so many dirty ways
You're a dirty, dirty man
And you've been hidding your little dirt all over this hip place
I know you have
Oh here's my chance baby to throw some mud in your face
Coz Im a good house keeper
Im gonna take my broom and sweep
All of the dirt, yes I am, out on the street
Oh, Im cleaning outl my whole house
Fast as I can
Its time to make everything speak and span
You're a dirty, ooh you're a dirty man
You do me dirty for so many years, yes u did
You're a dirty, dirty man, yes u are
And Im tired of you and your woman and your dog too
You're a dirty man
You're a dirty man
Now get outta my house
Dont u never, never, never come back again
Dont u never
You're a dirty, dirty man
Amber Lee
This is my new favorite song.. I love it. I first heard Joss Stone sing it and she does a great job but Laura really brings it home
Reinaldo G
She had her own style of soul music and sang from the soul. Don't know she didn't become bigger. Loved listening to her.
Tony Russi
I bought all Laura Lee records.She is BAADASS! One of the very best.
Busta Bass
Man that Muscle Shoals groove is hard to beat, even after all these decades. The bass player's driving the sound, the vibe and the soul. Wonder if it's Jerry Jemmott or David Hood? Either way, that's too much funk for one session...Haa'Mercy! Sing it baby! 👑🎸🎵🎤
byron stevens
A big hit from way back, and it still sounds good. Yes it do.
Gianni Del Savio
Among the greatest soul singers
Teri McIntire
This is a great song!
jess victor
thank you msc for posting this. it's surprisingly hard to find. i only wonder why chess didn't build a bigger soul catalog.they evidently knew good singers when they heard them.
Mina Na Net
The best ❤❤❤ Laura Lee Forever 💖💖🎤
Erica Dillworth
OMG I FORGOT ABOUT THIS SONG, MY MOM USED TO PLAY ALL THE TIME.