Joe Ely, a titan of Texas music who influenced multiple generations of artists with his insurgent roots rock that helped usher in the Americana and Texas Country boom of the ‘90s, died at his home in New Mexico on Monday, at the age of 78.
A statement released by the singer’s family said he died “from complications of Lewy Body Dementia, Parkinson’s and pneumonia.” Ely’s family announced he was diagnosed with Lewy Body Dementia, a progressive brain disorder, as well as Parkinson’s disease, in September.
Born in Amarillo in 1947 and raised in Lubbock, Ely would spend the 1970s and ‘80s defining West Texas cool through his solo albums, and perhaps most notably, his work with The Flatlanders, a trio that included Lubbock natives Butch Hancock and Jimmie Dale Gilmore, who all contributed vocals, guitar, and songwriting…