Joe Ely, The Purveyor of Texas Cool, Has Passed Away

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He was the Bruce Springsteen of Texas, the country icon of punk, the rock ‘n roll heart of country, and the envy of any singer, songwriter, and guitar player out there that knew their stuff. He wasn’t any genre. He was every genre all at the same time. He was a brilliant and sought-after collaborator, while being an incredibly accomplished solo artist.

He was someone who made it through 78 years in the belly of the dingy brothel that is the American music industry with every stitch of his dignity and integrity in tact. He was Joe Ely, and news of his passing pierces the soul like a dagger, only to be tempered by the flood of fond recollections of his music and performances.

Joe Ely was born on February 9th, 1947 in Amarillo, and became the embodiment of music from West Texas. This includes country and rock, songwriting as an strong imperative, Tejano when it’s called for, all combined in a tornadic energy that could give birth to Buddy Holly, Waylon Jennings, Terry Allen, and everything in between.

There were few if any musical scenarios where Ely was outmatched. He could hang with The Clash, and sang background on the band’s iconic “Should I Stay Or Should I Go?” He was part of the Hispanic supergroup Los Super Seven with Freedy Fender, Flaco Jiménez, and even won a Grammy award with them in 1999. He performed with bands like Uncle Tupelo and The Chieftains, to “The Boss” Bruce Springsteen himself.

But it all started back in Lubbock, with two fellow West Texas musicians, Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Butch Hancock. Together, they were The Flatlanders. They recorded an album back in 1972 before breaking up shortly thereafter. But the damage had been done. The mystique would follow the three throughout their careers as they would continue to collaborate, even if it really took until 2002 for them to officially reform.

Though everyone wanted to play with Joe—and he was the last to want the spotlight to himself—his solo career was strong. Ely released 21 total solo albums, starting in 1977 with his self-titled release, up to Love and Freedom released on February 7th, 2025. He never really hit the big time, but he refused to slip through the cracks. He might have not been a superstar to the gen pop, but many of his fellow musicians got goosebumps to see him perform, or if so lucky, take the stage with him.

Joe Ely was a Texas music institution. The music scene in Lubbock and Austin, the sound of Texas country, the swagger it all comes with can be traced back to Joe Ely resolutely. In 2016, Ely was named the official “Texas State Musician.” In 2022, he was inducted to the Austin City Limits Hall of Fame. He was also part of the 2025 American Music Honors, administrated by Bruce Springsteen’s Archives & Center for American Music.

Earlier this year ahead of his new album, word came down that Joe’s health was deteriorating. According to an official release from his family, Joe Ely passed away on Monday, December 15th “from complications of Lewy Body Dementia, Parkinson’s and pneumonia. His beloved wife Sharon and daughter Marie were at his side at their home in Taos, New Mexico.”

Joe Ely is gone, and the story of The Flatlanders now reads, “And then they were two.” But as sure as the West Texas wind numbs the face when it turns from the North, the legacy of Joe Ely will howl on.

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