Legendary Texas Singer-Songwriter Joe Ely Dies At 78

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Joe Ely performs at a Songwriter Session at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in 2018. Photo: Courtesy of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum

Texas troubadour Joe Ely passed away yesterday (Dec. 15) from complications of Lewy Body Dementia, Parkinson’s and pneumonia at his home in Taos, New Mexico. He was 78.

Ely was born Feb. 9, 1947 in Amarillo, Texas. In the early ’70s, he founded country rock unit The Flatlanders with fellow West Texas musicians Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Butch Hancock, and recorded an album together that would set the tone for Ely’s storied 50-year career to follow. After the group of talents disbanded, Ely later signed with MCA Records in the 1970s and spent more than five decades recording solo albums and performing on a myriad of prestigious stages around the world.

The alt-country artist’s prolific songwriting skills even reached across the Pond in the late ’70s, catching the ear of members of rockers The Clash in London, who would later have him add backing vocals to their iconic hit, “Should I Stay Or Should I Go?” and join them on tour. Decades into his career, Ely also found some kindred spirits in the members of Los Super Seven, which included Freddy Fender and Flaco Jiménez, and would perform with the band, taking home a Grammy in 1999 for Best Mexican-American Album.

Ely reconnected with The Flatlanders in the early 2000s, recording new material and touring the country. Throughout the course of his legendary career he performed with a vast Who’s Who of artists, including The Rolling Stones, Linda Ronstadt, Bruce Springsteen, The Chieftains, and many more. Ely was also an author and released several books, including Bonfire of Roadmaps, as well as 2014’s Reverb • An Odyssey.

In 2022, he was inducted into the Austin City Limits Hall of Fame. Ely is survived by his wife Sharon and daughter Marie, who were by his side when he passed.

“Joe Ely performed American roots music with the fervor of a true believer who knew music could transport souls,” says Kyle Young, CEO of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. “His distinctive musical style could only have emerged from Texas, with its southwestern blend of honky-tonk, rock & roll, roadhouse blues, western swing, and conjunto. He began his career in the Flatlanders, with fellow Lubbock natives Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Butch Hancock, and he would mix their songs with his through 50 years of critically acclaimed recordings. But his true measure came through in the dynamic intensity of his powerhouse live performances, where he could stand his ground aside fellow zealots Bruce Springsteen who recorded duets with Ely, and the Stones and the Clash, who took Ely on tour as an opening act.”

Lorie Hollabaugh
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