Few writers have as much to draw from as Joe Ely, whose life and travels are as much punk as they are Dobro, as much fearless rebel as they are earthy fireside storyteller. Never one for the countrypolitan approach, Ely has forged a different sort of country music path that blends rock, folk, rockabilly, flamenco guitar and Cajun cadences into a unique form of poetry tinged with West Texas resiliency and madness.
Raised in Lubbock, the birthplace of Buddy Holly, Ely formed The Flatlanders with Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Butch Hancock in 1970. A twisted amalgam of rock and backroads dust, the group's one album before splitting up is part of the foundation that would inspire a generation of insurgent Texas songwriters (Rounder reissued the disc in 1990, and the trio reconvened to record several times in recent years). Ely's maverick attitude appealed to The Clash, who tracked him down while he toured London in 1978, beginning a lifelong friendship between them. Despite never becoming a commercial success, Ely rarely fails to hit the mark, with efforts ranging from his alt-country benchmark Honky Tonk Masquerade to the heartsick Letter To Laredo. Still, his slew of live recordings — including Live Shots (recorded on tour with The Clash) and Live At Liberty Lunch — best capture his restless spirit. His latest, the stripped-down Live Cactus!, features accordion player Joel Guzman.
Outside of his solo work, Ely has collaborated with Los Super Seven (a Grammy-winning supergroup featuring Rick Trevino, Ruben Ramos, Freddy Fender, Flaco Jimenez, David Hidalgo, Cesar Rojas and Guzman, among others), Bruce Springsteen and James McMurtry, and often appears in concert with artistic soul mates Lyle Lovett, John Hiatt and Guy Clark. Ely's also an accomplished painter, and he has co-written and produced a stage play ("Chippy"), and authored a book (Bonfire Of Roadmaps).
Provenance: Amarillo, Texas
Latest Release: Live Cactus! (2008)
© 2008 Nigel Music Media LLC. Used by permission.
Joe Ely
