Joe Ely, Pioneering Texas Singer-Songwriter, Dies at 77
Joe Ely, the Texas-born singer-songwriter whose fiery blend of country, rock, blues, and border-town swagger helped reshape American roots music, died Monday at his home in Taos, New Mexico. He was 77.
Ely’s family said he passed away from complications related to Lewy body dementia, Parkinson’s disease, and pneumonia. His wife and longtime manager, Sharon Ely, and their daughter, Marie, were by his side.
Ely publicly revealed his diagnosis in September, explaining in a social media post that he hoped to “bring understanding, awareness, and hope through the healing power of music.”
A Texas Icon Whose Influence Reached Far Beyond Country Music
Across a five-decade career, Ely emerged as one of the most distinctive and electrifying voices in American music. His sound—an unruly mixture of honky-tonk, roadhouse blues, western swing, conjunto, and rock & roll—bridged genres and audiences in ways few others could.
“Joe Ely performed American roots music with the fervor of a true believer,” said Kyle Young, CEO of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. “His style could only have emerged from Texas… and his true measure came through in the dynamic intensity of his live performances.”
Those performances became the stuff of legend. Ely opened stadium shows for the Rolling Stones, shared stages with Bruce Springsteen, and famously toured with the Clash—who were so taken with him that they name-checked him on their 1980 album Sandinista! and featured him on their recordings.
Springsteen once joked, “Thank God he wasn’t born in New Jersey—I’d have had a lot more of my work cut out for me.”
From the Flatlanders to the World Stage
Born in Amarillo and raised in Lubbock, Ely first gained attention as part of the Flatlanders, the now-mythic trio he formed in 1971 with Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Butch Hancock. Although the group released only one album during its initial run, the Flatlanders would eventually be recognized as foundational figures in Texas songwriting. They reunited multiple times beginning in 2002, making several acclaimed albums over the next two decades.
Between the Flatlanders’ early dissolution and his solo breakthrough, Ely worked briefly for the Ringling Brothers Circus and later as a roofer. He formed his own band in Austin in the mid-1970s, alternating shows with a young Stevie Ray Vaughan at a venue that would later become the iconic Stubb’s.
A recommendation from Jerry Jeff Walker helped secure Ely a deal with MCA Records in 1975. His early albums—Joe Ely (1977), Honky Tonk Masquerade (1978), and Down on the Drag (1979)—showcased his poetic songwriting and rowdy, combustible energy. But it was 1981’s Musta Notta Gotta Lotta, with its harder-edged rock sensibilities, that expanded his national audience.
A Fearless Experimenter
Ely was a restless creative. He ventured into more experimental territory with 1984’s Hi-Res, embraced digital recording early (his 1984 project B4 84 was reportedly one of the first albums ever made on an Apple II computer, with liner notes by Steve Jobs), and later joined the “supergroup” Buzzin’ Cousins with John Mellencamp, John Prine, and James McMurtry—earning a Grammy nomination in the process.
Across 17 studio albums, his signature songs included “Honky Tonk Masquerade,” “Fingernails,” “Dallas,” “Wishin’ for You,” “Hard Livin’,” and “She Never Spoke Spanish to Me.” His most recent release, Love and Freedom, arrived earlier this year.
Respected by Generations of Fans and Artists
Ely maintained a loyal following throughout his career—many of whom first encountered him while he opened for major acts such as the Rolling Stones, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Stevie Nicks, Linda Ronstadt, the Pretenders, the Kinks, and Jimmy Cliff.
And the admiration was mutual. Ely often spoke of his deep respect for musicians across genres, whether rockers, folk poets, or traditional country veterans.
Musicians who knew him personally expressed their grief on Monday. Monte Warden of the Wagoneers wrote, “He means as much to me as Buddy, Elvis, or Don Everly. Such an artist. Texan. I’m just heartbroken.”
Honors and Legacy
Ely’s contributions were widely recognized over the years. He was named Texas State Musician in 2016, earned the Americana Music Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award for Live Performance in 2007, and was inducted into the Texas Heritage Songwriters’ Hall of Fame. In 2022, he entered the Austin City Limits Hall of Fame.
His family said further details will be shared in the coming days.
Joe Ely leaves behind a towering catalog of work, a legion of devoted fans, and a legacy that forever reshaped Texas music—bridging country, rock, and roots traditions through the sheer force of his voice, vision, and unrelenting spirit.