⬇️ KING IVORY ⬇️
(Ivory Lee Semien)
(2CD)
BIOGRAPHY
After more than twenty years away from the record business, Ivory Lee Semien, aka King lvory, has returned to the recording studio with a selection of new tunes as well as reinterpretations of old favorites.
Ivory was born in Melville, Louisiana in 1931 and started playing guitar at an early age but switched to drums soon after. As a teen he moved to the Houston area and got work playing behind various blues and zydeco combos. He met Houston bluesman Hop Wilson in 1956 and toured the Texas and Louisiana area before recording for Goldband Records later that year.
“Chicken Stuff” was a strong enough song to warrant a return back into the studio in 1958. They again recorded for Goldband at Bill Holford’s ACA Studios but nothing happened. It was at this point that Ivory decided to start his own label, the aptly named IVORY RECORDS. Throughout the ‘60s King Ivory cut discs on numerous Houston bluesmen including D.C. Bender, Lightning Hopkins, Mabel Franklin, Big H. Williams, Hop Wilson and others. King Ivory supplemented his income with his “Top Ten" T.V. repair shop, which doubled as a gathering place for his musicians.
He handled all the drum chores for his bands, booked their gigs, promoted and produced their albums and sold the 45s out of the trunk of his car. For all his hard work, a few of his artists had regional success, today the IVORY RECORDS 45s are much prized among collectors. Hop Wilson’s “Black Cat Bone" has become something of a standard among blues bands and even was cut by Albert Collins, Robert Cray and Johnny Copeland on their 1986 Grammy award-winning “Showdown” album.
Unfortunately, the tiny label wasn’t able to compete with the majors and was forced to close its doors. In the 1970s a fire wiped King Ivory Out and he lost a treasure trove of rare color footage on his artists, as well as pictures and other memorabilia.
Since the ‘70s, King Ivory has worked various construction jobs all the while keeping an eye on developments in the music scene. Last year he returned to the studio with an all-star cast of hand-picked musicians. The result varies from the bluesy and hard-edged “Bitch Done Quit Me” to the sweetly melodic “Can’t Help But Love You", which features his daughter Reecee’s vocals.
Even legendary Houston blues guitarist Joey Long lent his harmonica talents to the project. Sadly, Joey passed away last March before he could hear the final product. Nobody makes blues records like this anymore; we think you’ll be mighty pleased.