Joe Ely

Joe Ely

Joe Ely in concert, 2006
Background information
Born (1947-02-09) February 9, 1947
Amarillo, Texas, United States
Origin Lubbock, Texas, United States
Genres Americana, Texas country, country rock, progressive country, outlaw country, alt-country, heartland rock, Tex-Mex
Occupation(s) Singer-songwriter, guitarist
Instruments Vocals, Guitar
Years active 1970–present
Labels MCA, Hightone
Associated acts The Flatlanders, Los Super Seven, James McMurtry
Website JoeEly.com

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

He has had a genre-crossing career, performing with Bruce Springsteen, Uncle Tupelo, Los Super Seven, the Chieftains 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.

Biography

Early life and career

Ely spent his formative years from age 12 in Lubbock, Texas, and attended Monterey 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 breakup just after their first album was cut, the three musicians have followed individual paths.

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 later toured together, including appearances in Ely's hometown of Lubbock, as well as Laredo and Ciudad Juárez in Mexico, across the border from El Paso, Texas. The Clash paid tribute to Joe Ely by including the lyrics "Well there ain't no better blend than Joe Ely and his Texas Men" in the lyrics of their song If Music Could Talk, which was released in 1980 on the album Sandinista. [1] Ely sang backing vocals on the Clash single "Should I Stay or Should I Go?". Joe Strummer planned to record with Ely's band, but died before that ever happened—one of Ely's greatest regrets.[2] Another collaboration was with Dutch flamenco guitarist Teye, with whom he recorded Letter to Laredo (1995)[3] and Twistin' in the Wind (1998).[4]

Throughout his career, Ely has issued a steady stream of albums, most on the MCA label, and a live album roughly every ten years.

The Joe Ely Band song "Brainlock" was featured in the 1980 movie Roadie starring Meat Loaf, Alice Cooper, Don Cornelius and Kaki Hunter.

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 released their newest album "Hills and Valleys" on March 31, 2009.

In 2011, Ely released the critically acclaimed album, "Satisfied At Last."

In September 2015, he released Panhandle Rambler, an album with a reflective west Texas feel.

Discography

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Google Play Music". Play.google.com. Retrieved 2017-07-09.
  2. ↑ "London to Lubbock: Joe Ely meets the Clash". Ickmusic.com. Retrieved 2015-12-12.
  3. ↑ McCall, Michael (1995-08-31). "Restless Spirit". Nashville Scene. Retrieved 2010-01-25.
  4. ↑ Skanse, Richard (1998-05-18). "Texas Twister: Joe Ely goes to the movies and back to the flatlands". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2010-01-25.
Awards
Preceded by
Alejandro Escovedo		 AMA Lifetime Achievement Award for Performing
2007 		Succeeded by
Jason & the Scorchers
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