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, Uncle Tupelo, Los Super Seven, The Clancy Brothers 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 [hide] 1 Biography 1.1 Early life and career 1.2 Solo career 2 Discography 2.1 Albums 2.2 Singles 3 See also 4 References 5 External links
[edit] Biography [edit] 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 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 Juárez in Mexico, across the border from El Paso, Texas. Ely sang backing vocals on the Clash single "Should I Stay or Should I Go?" , and Joe Strummer performed as a guest with Ely's band.[citation needed] Another collaboration was with Dutch flamenco guitarist Teye, with whom he recorded Letter to Laredo (1995)[1] and Twistin' in the Wind (1998).[2]
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. [edit] Discography [edit] AlbumsYear Album Chart Positions Label US Country US 1977 Joe Ely MCA 1978 Honky Tonk Masquerade 1979 Down on the Drag 1980 Live Shots 159 1981 Musta Notta Gotta Lotta 135 1984 Hi-Res 1987 Lord of the Highway Hightone 1988 Dig All Night Milkshakes and Malts Sunstorm What Ever Happened to Maria 1990 Live at Liberty Lunch 57 MCA 1993 Love and Danger 1995 Chippy Hollywood Letter to Laredo 68 MCA 1998 Live at Cambridge Strange Fruit Twistin' in the Wind 55 MCA 2000 Live @ Antones 66 Antones 2003 Streets of Sin 51 Rounder Ten in Texas Icehouse 2007 Happy Songs from Rattlesnake Gulch Rack 'Em Records Silver City 2008 LIVE Cactus! (with Joel Guzmán) 2009 LIVE Chicago 1987!
[edit] SinglesYear Single Chart Positions Album US Country US MSR 1977 "All My Love" 89 Joe Ely 1981 "Musta Notta Gotta Lotta" 40 Musta Notta Gotta Lotta
