The hard-touring Texan country-rock singer-songwriter Joe Ely has died. According to a Facebook statement from his family, Ely passed away from complications of Lewy Body Dementia, Parkinson's disease, and pneumonia on Monday. At the time of his death. Ely was surrounded by family, at home in Taos, New Mexico. Ely was 78.
Earle Rewell Ely Jr. was born in Amarillo, Texas and mostly grew up in Lubbock. In 1971, he got together with fellow Texan musicians Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Butch Hancock to form, the Flatlanders, a band that wasn't especially successful at first. The Flatlanders' debut album All American Music came out in 1973, but it was initially released only on eight-track cassette. The Flatlanders broke up, and all three members went on to make solo music. After the three members' solo careers found acclaim, they became cult favorites in the alt-country world, and their music was reissued.
Joe Ely released his self-titled solo debut in 1977, and his single "All My Love" was the only time he ever made it onto the country charts. That song peaked at #87, so it wasn't exactly a smash. Ely never existed anywhere near the country mainstream. Instead, he found his audience elsewhere. He met the Clash in London in 1978, and the toured with the band over the years. They shouted Ely out on their 1980 song "If Music Could Talk," and Ely sang the Spanish backup vocals on their hit "Should I Stay Or Should I Go?"
In the '80s and '90s, Joe Ely continued to crank out solo records, and he developed reputation as an electric performer and a staple of the Austin music scene. Ely reunited with the Flatlanders to write songs for Robert Redford's 1998 film The Horse Whisperer, and they made a few more records together. Ely also served as a member of the primarily Latin country and roots-rock supergroup Los Super Seven; one of his Los Super Seven bandmates, Mavericks leader Raul Malo, passed away last week. Last year, Ely released his album Driven To Drive, and Bruce Springsteen joined him on the single "Odds Of The Blues." Ely's final album Love And Freedom came out earlier this year.
Check out some of Joe Ely's performances below.
