Additional Coverage:
- Joe Ely, Texas country-rock legend and collaborator with the Clash and Bruce Springsteen, dead at 78 (latimes.com)
Texas Music Legend Joe Ely Passes Away at 78
Austin, TX – The world of progressive country-rock is mourning the loss of a true pioneer, Joe Ely, who passed away on December 15th at his New Mexico home. The influential singer-songwriter, a foundational figure in the Texas music scene, was 78 years old. His representatives confirmed the cause of death as complications from Lewy Body Dementia, Parkinson’s disease, and pneumonia.
Born in Amarillo in 1947 and raised in Lubbock before making his mark in Austin, Ely possessed a boundless vision for country and rock music. His distinctive sound, which blended punk sensibilities with heartland rock into the gritty country scene, was heard on beloved singles like “All My Love,” “Honky Tonk Masquerade,” “Hard Livin’,” “Dallas,” and “Fingernails.”
Ely’s musical journey began with the formation of the groundbreaking band The Flatlanders alongside Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Butch Hancock. Though the group’s 1972 debut was short-lived, it paved the way for Ely’s successful solo career, which kicked off in 1977. He released a string of critically acclaimed albums, including 1978’s “Honky Tonk Masquerade,” and reached his popular peak with the harder-rocking “Live Shots” (1980) and “Musta Notta Gotta Lotta” (1981).
Known for his “barroom poetry” that often challenged country music’s conventional narratives, Ely was a sought-after collaborator across genres. He famously befriended The Clash during a London tour, contributing to their iconic “London Calling” LP and later touring extensively with them. His backing vocals graced “Should I Stay or Should I Go,” and he even received a lyrical tribute in “If Music Could Talk”: “Well there ain’t no better blend than Joe Ely and his Texas men.”
Ely’s Texas country swagger made him a favorite opener for rock legends, sharing stages with The Rolling Stones, Stevie Nicks, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, and Bruce Springsteen. Springsteen, who later sang with Ely on “Odds of the Blues” in 2024, once quipped, “Thank God he wasn’t born in New Jersey. I would have had a lot more of my work cut out for me.”
The 1990s saw Ely join the supergroup The Buzzin Cousins with John Mellencamp, Dwight Yoakam, John Prine, and James McMurtry, recording for Mellencamp’s film “Falling From Grace.” He also composed material for Robert Redford’s “The Horse Whisperer,” leading to a reunion with his Flatlanders bandmates in the 2000s. Ely’s diverse talents extended to acting in the musical “Chippy: Diaries of a West Texas Hooker” and joining the Tex-Mex collective Los Super Seven, with whom he earned his only Grammy Award for Mexican-American/Tejano Music Performance in 1999.
Ely’s remarkable contributions to music were recognized with his induction into the Austin City Limits Hall of Fame in 2022. His final album, “Love and Freedom,” was released in February of this year. Joe Ely leaves behind a monumental legacy that will continue to resonate with fans and musicians for generations to come.