 
Chester Rosson (June 1997) Ivory Joe Hunter first made a name for himself playing blues on radio programs in Texas, but he found fame and fortune on the West Coast as a rhythm and blues vocalist, founder of the important Ivory and Pacific record labels, and a songwriter for both R&B and country genres. Several of his hits were also recorded by white artists who noticed the appeal R&B had for white teenagers at the time. Irritated with being cast as an R&B singer in the sixties, Hunter proved himself just as capable in the country field, especially as a songwriter. Ivory Joe Hunter's roots in East Texas were in the blues, but his natural inclination during the thirties was toward the music of Duke Ellington and Fats Waller. He sang with bands in the southeast Texas area and on the radio throughout the thirties, accompanying himself on the piano. But in 1942 he moved to the West Coast and fell under the influence of the West Coast R&B scene that coalesced around T-Bone Walker. In 1945 he recorded his first song on his own record company, Ivory, acompanied by Johnny Moore's group Three Blazers and Charles Brown on piano. But R&B was just one of his interests, even in this period, for he also wrote the country hit "Jealous Heart." R&B continued to be his most appealing style, however, and in 1949 he signed with MGM and developed a ballad style of R&B that proved irresistible to the record-buyers. In 1950 Hunter had an R&B number 1 hit in "I Almost Lost My Mind." (It was soon covered by Pat Boone, who made it an even bigger hit on the pop charts.) His "I Need You So" from this period was later a hit for Elvis Presley. In the fifties, Ivory Joe toured extensively with a large band. His recording success continued with such standards as "Since I Met You Baby," (covered again by Boone), and "Empty Arms." But in the sixties he turned more and more toward country. His last album was titled "I've Always Been Country." |
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