At nineteen, Texas-born Ivory Joe Hunter made his first recording - on a 1933 Library of Congress cylinder. He honed his chops playing gigs around the Gulf Coast region, even hosting his own radio show for a time in Beaumont.

During the war years, Ivory Joe became a crowd-pleasing fixture on the California club circuit. His first commercial recording, "Blues at Sunrise" (with Johnny Moore's Three Blazers) was the first of several R&B chart-toppers between 1945 and 1949.

He churned out hits during the ‘50s: "Don't Fall in Love With Me," "What Did You Do to Me," "Waiting in Vain," “Guess Who,” "I Almost Lost My Mind," "I Need You So,” "It's a Sin,” “Since I Met You Baby,” "Empty Arms," "Love's a Hurting Game," and “City Lights.”

Ivory Joe’s lifelong love of Country manifested itself in the 1960s as he became a frequent guest on the Grand Old Opry. This album, recorded a few years before his death in 1974, is appropriately called This Is My Country.

This 12-track collection demonstrates Hunter’s mastery of his craft as a singer, songwriter, and musician. Fittingly, Ivory Joe is well-served by the cream of Nashville musicians backing him, like the great steel guitar maestro Pete Drake, whose spectacular performance on “Walking The Floor Over You” keeps the band playing and playing because no one wanted to interrupt the magic taking place. Other go to tracks include “It’s Too Late,” “Playing With A Losing Hand,” and “Just A Girl I Used To Know.”