Joe Ely, Pioneer of Texas’ Progressive Country Sound, Dies at 78

Texas singer/songwriter Joe Ely died Monday (Dec. 15) in Taos, New Mexico, from complications of Lewy Body Dementia, Parkinson’s disease and pneumonia, according to his spokesperson. Ely was 78.

Amarillo, Texas, native Ely was raised in Lubbock, Texas, and later moved to Austin and was part of an influential wave of progressive country rock artists who helped establish Austin as a live musical capital. His music crossed lines and helped birth the Americana genre.

“Joe Ely performed roots music like a true believer who knew music could transport souls. His musical style could only have emerged from Texas,” said Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum CEO Kyle Young in a statement. “His true measure came through in the dynamic intensity of his powerhouse live performances, where he could stand his ground aside fellow zealots Bruce Springsteen who recorded duets with Ely, and the Stones and The Clash, who took Ely on tour as an opening act.”

Ely opened for The Clash for the first time in 1979 in Texas, then in the United Kingdom in 1980 on the band’s London Calling tour.  He then opened for the Rolling Stones on several dates in 1981.

Ely had multiple charting albums. His 1981 release Musta Notta Gotta Lotta reached No. 135 on the Billboard 200 and peaked at No. 12 on the Top Country Albums chart. His later work continued to make an impact, with Twistin’ in the Wind peaking at No. 55 in 1998, Streets of Sin at No. 51 in 2003, and Satisfied at Last at No. 46 in 2011 on the Top Country Albums chart. His 1992 album, Love and Danger, included what became one of his theme songs, his cover of Robert Earl Keen’s “The Road Goes on Forever.”

The affable Ely first gained attention in the early ‘70s as a founding member of The Flatlanders alongside Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Butch Hancock. As a solo artist, he helped spread country music beyond American borders with his accessible, friendly sound, including playing a rollicking set on the Old Grey Whistle Test in London in 1981.

Ely was honored at April’s American Music Awards hosted at the Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music at Monmouth University in New Jersey on April 26.  He was also a member of the Austin City Limits Hall of Fame.

Fellow Texas artist Monte Warden of the Wagoneers lamented Ely’s death, posting on social media, “My hero – My template – My friend – Joe Ely passed today. He means as much to me as Buddy, Elvis, or Don Everly. Such an artist. Texan. I’m just…heartbroken.”

Ely is survived by his wife, Sharon, and daughter, Marie.