Joe Ely

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Joe Ely
Joe Ely in concert, 2006
Joe Ely in concert, 2006
Background information
Born February 9, 1947
Origin Lubbock, Texas
Genre(s) Country music
Occupation(s) Singer, songwriter, guitarist
Instrument(s) Guitar
Years active 1970 - present
Label(s) MCA, Hightone
Associated acts The Flatlanders
Website JoeEly.com

Joe Ely (born February 9, 1947 in Amarillo, Texas) is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist whose music touches on honky-tonk, country and rock and roll.

He has had a genre-crossing career, performing with Bruce Springsteen, Los Super Seven, and James McMurtry in addition to his early work with The Clash and more recent acoustic tours with Lyle Lovett, John Hiatt, and Guy Clark.

Contents

[edit] Biography

[edit] Early life and career

Ely spent his formative years from age 12 in Lubbock, Texas.

Shortly after high school, in 1970, with fellow Lubbock musicians Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Butch Hancock, he formed The Flatlanders. According to Ely, "Jimmie [Gilmore] was like a well of country music. He knew everything about it. And Butch was from the folk world. I was kinda the rock & roll guy, and we almost had a triad. We hit it off and started playing a lot together. That opened up a whole new world I had never known existed."

In 1972, the band released their first and— until 2002's Now Again— only album, but have appeared together on each other's albums. Since the band's initial break-up just after their first album was cut, the three musicians have followed individual paths.

[edit] Solo career

Ely's own first, self titled album, was released in 1977.

The following year, his band played London, where he met punk rock group The Clash. Impressed with each other's performances, the two bands would later tour together, including appearances in Ely's hometown of Lubbock, as well as Laredo and Ciudad Juarez in Mexico, across the border from El Paso, Texas. Ely would contribute backing vocals on the Clash single "Should I Stay or Should I Go?" from Combat Rock (1982), and Ely's Live Shots includes photos of Clash member Joe Strummer performing as a guest with Ely's band.

Throughout his career, Ely has issued a steady stream of albums, most on the MCA label. Ely's energetic live performances have become legendary, and he has released a live album roughly every ten years (the last was Live at Antone's in 2000).

In the late 1990s Ely was asked to write songs for the soundtrack of Robert Redford's movie The Horse Whisperer, which led to re-forming The Flatlanders with Gilmore and Hancock. A new album from the trio followed in 2002, with a third in 2004.

In February 2007, Ely released Happy Songs From Rattlesnake Gulch on his own label, Rack 'Em Records. Ely said in an interview with Country Standard Time that he thought it would be easier to release the material on his own label instead of dealing with a regular record label and their release cycles. A book of Ely's writings, Bonfire of Roadmaps, was published in early 2007 by the University of Texas Press. In early 2008, Ely released a new live album featuring Joel Guzman on accordion recorded at the Cactus Cafe in Austin, Texas late 2006.

The Flatlanders are working on a new album as well.

[edit] Discography

  • Texas Special (4-song studio EP included with the original Live Shots LP)
  • Musta Notta Gotta Lotta, 1981, MCA
  • Hi-Res, 1984, MCA
  • Lord Of The Highway, 1987, Hightone Records
  • Dig All Night, 1988, Hightone Records
  • Milkshakes And Malts, 1988, Sunstorm Records
  • What Ever Happened To Maria, 1988, Sunstorm Records
  • Live At Liberty Lunch, 1990, MCA
  • Love And Danger, 1993, MCA
  • Chippy, 1995, Hollywood Records
  • Letter To Laredo, 1995, MCA
  • Live at Cambridge, 1998, Strange Fruit Records
  • Twistin' In The Wind, 1998, MCA
  • Los Super Seven, (as band member) 1999, RCA Nashville
  • Live At Antones, 2000, Antones Records
  • Now Again (with The Flatlanders), 2002
  • Streets Of Sin, 2003
  • Wheels Of Fortune (with The Flatlanders), 2004
  • Live 72 (The Flatlanders), 2004
  • Live From Austin (with The Flatlanders), 2004 (Recorded 2002)
  • I Heard It On The X (with Los Super Seven), 2005
  • Ten In Texas (compilation, Sunday Morning Coming Down), 2005, Icehouse Music
  • Happy Songs From Rattlesnake Gulch, 2007, Rack 'Em Records
  • Silver City, 2007, Rack 'Em Records
  • LIVE Cactus! (with Joel Guzman), 2008, Rack 'Em Records

[edit] Charts

[edit] Album charts

year album chart peak
1981 Live Shots Billboard Pop Albums 159
1981 Musta Notta Gotta Lotta Billboard Pop Albums 135
1990 Live at Liberty Lunch Billboard Top Country Albums 57
1995 Letter to Laredo Billboard Top Country Albums 68
1998 Twistin' in the Wind Billboard Top Country Albums 55
2000 Live at Antone's Billboard Top Country Albums 66
2003 Streets of Sin Billboard Top Country Albums 51

[edit] Singles charts

year single chart peak
1977 "All My Love" Billboard Country Singles 89
1981 "Musta Notta Gotta Lotta" Billboard Mainstream Rock 40

[edit] See also

[edit] References

[edit] External links

Languages