Biography
Born on 13 September 1931 in Washington, Louisiana, USA, Ivory Lee began performing music during childhood. He relocated to Houston as a teenager, appearing regularly in the city’s blues venues and issuing his earliest vocal sides in the early 1950s. He later served as drummer for the great slide guitarist Harding ‘Hop’ Wilson, and the pair cut numerous records, some issued under Wilson’s name and others—including the best-known song ‘Rockin’ In The Coconut Top’—featuring Semien on vocals. In the early 60s he established his own imprint, Ivory Records, whose most notable releases contained magnificent blues by Wilson. Semien stayed active as a musician in Houston on at least a semi-professional basis, yet registered little impact beyond the city.