Joe Ely
338,125 plays (50,456 listeners)
Shortly after high school, in 1970, with fellow Lubbock musicians Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Butch Hancock, he formed The Flatlanders. According to Ely, “Jimmie 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 album was cut, the three musicians have followed individual paths.
Ely’s own first album, self titled, 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 Juarez in Mexico, across the border from El Paso, Texas.
Since then, a steady stream of albums have followed, most on the MCA label. Ely’s live performances have become legendary, and he has released a live album roughly every ten years (the last was Live at Antone’s in 2000). He has had a genre-crossing career, performing with Bruce Springsteen, Los Super Seven, 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.
Top Albums
-
The Best Of Joe Ely
Joe Ely
Buy- Download Album
- Amazon MP3 $9.49
- 7digital $9.99
- iTunes $9.99
- Buy Album
- Amazon Search
- eBay Search
-
Live @ Antone's
Joe Ely
Buy- Download Album
- Amazon MP3 Search
- 7digital Search
- iTunes Search
- Buy Album
- Amazon Search
- eBay Search
-
Honky Tonk Masquerade
Joe Ely
Buy- Download Album
- Amazon MP3 $8.99
- 7digital $9.99
- iTunes $8.99
- Buy Album
- Amazon $5.00
- eBay Search
-
From Lubbock to Laredo
Joe Ely
Buy- Download Album
- Amazon MP3 Search
- 7digital Search
- iTunes Search
- Buy Album
- Amazon Search
- eBay Search
Videos
-
Play
"Hard Livin"
1 shout
-
Play
~If You Were a Bluebird
-
Play
Me And Billy The Kid
-
Play
Cool Rockin Loretta
Listening Now
Top Listeners
-
doonrock
Top Listener
-
RandyB1961
Top Listener
-
oddparity
Top Listener
-
nokFM
Top Listener
More Information
- Links
- Labels
Email Newsletter
Get exclusive tour, release & promotion updates on Joe Ely from Universal Music.


















