Joe Ely, Texas country-rock legend and collaborator with the Clash and Bruce Springsteen, dead at 78

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Joe Ely, a key figure in the development of Texas country-rock, has passed away at the age of 78. He was a celebrated singer and songwriter.

Ely passed away at his home in New Mexico on December 15th after a battle with Lewy Body Dementia, Parkinson’s disease, and pneumonia, according to his representatives.

I’ve always loved Ely – he had such a broad take on country and rock, and you can really hear it in songs like “All My Love,” “Honky Tonk Masquerade,” “Hard Livin’,” “Dallas,” and even “Fingernails.” He was born in Amarillo, Texas, back in ’47, and grew up in Lubbock before heading to Austin. That’s where he really helped kickstart a new sound in country music – it took the energy of punk and the honest feel of heartland rock and blended it right back into the more traditional country scene. It was something special.

After starting the band the Flatlanders with Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Butch Hancock (though the group broke up shortly after releasing their first album in 1972), he launched his solo career in 1977. He put out several well-regarded albums, like the sprawling “Honky Tonk Masquerade” in 1978, and then reached the height of his popularity with the more rock-oriented “Live Shots” (1980) and “Musta Notta Gotta Lotta” (1981).

Joe Ely, known for his honest and witty songwriting that challenged traditional country music, easily worked with artists from all kinds of genres. He became friends with the Clash while in London and even played on their famous album, “London Calling.” He later toured with them, providing backing vocals on the hit song “Should I Stay or Should I Go,” and the band honored him with a lyrical shout-out in their song “If Music Could Talk,” singing, “Well there ain’t no better blend than Joe Ely and his Texas men.”

Ely often kicked off concerts for famous rock bands wanting to add a bit of Texas country flavor. He shared the stage with legends like the Rolling Stones, Stevie Nicks, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, and Bruce Springsteen, who even collaborated with him on the song “Odds of the Blues” in 2024. Springsteen famously joked that he was glad Ely wasn’t from New Jersey, saying it would have made things much more competitive!

During the 1990s, Ely teamed up with musical stars like John Mellencamp, Dwight Yoakam, John Prine, and James McMurtry to form the supergroup Buzzin Cousins, recording music for Mellencamp’s film, “Falling From Grace.” This led to an invitation from Robert Redford to write songs for “The Horse Whisperer,” which sparked a reunion with his former bandmates in the Flatlanders in the 2000s. Ely also broadened his artistic range by appearing in the musical “Chippy: Diaries of a West Texas Hooker” at Lincoln Center and joining the Tex-Mex band Los Super Seven, with whom he won a Grammy Award in 1999 for Mexican-American/Tejano Music Performance – his only Grammy to date.

In 2022, Ely was honored with induction into the Austin City Limits Hall of Fame, and he followed that up with the release of his final album, “Love and Freedom,” in February.

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2025-12-16 20:31