Joe Ely, Grammy-winning country music trailblazer from Texas, dies at 78 from health complications
Joe Ely, a Grammy-winning country artist and Texas music legend, has died. He was 78.
Ely died at his home in Taos, New Mexico from complications of Lewy Body Dementia, Parkinson’s and pneumonia, according to a Dec. 15 post on Ely’s official Facebook page.
Born Feb. 9, 1947 in Amarillo, Texas, Ely “was a leader of the extraordinary parade of artists raised in Lubbock who later settled in the live music capital of Austin,” the Facebook post read.
Ely was a renowned Texas singer-songwriter and a member of one of the area’s most formative groups, the Flatlanders. By incorporating the genres of blues, rockabilly and honky tonk swing, Ely was labeled as “one of the main movers of Austin’s progressive country scene of the 1970s and ’80s,” according to AllMusic.
The Texas native signed with MCA Records in the ‘70s “and spent more than five decades recording and performing around the world,” the Facebook post read.
Some of his most memorable albums released over the span of six decades include 1978’s hard country classic “Honky Tonk Masquerade,” 1980’s rock album “Live Shots” and 1995’s acoustic effort “Letter to Laredo.”
Ely, along with the super group Los Super Seven, took home the Grammy Award for Best Mexican-American Music Performance in 1999 thanks to the group’s self-titled album. Los Super Seven’s musical style blended the sounds from Tejano, mariachi, Cuban, Afro-Peruvian, Brazilian, blues, rhythm and blues, country, jazz and rock.
Ely’s genre-crossing career also saw him perform with music greats such as Bruce Springsteen, Uncle Tupelo, The Chieftains, James McMurtry, The Clash, Lyle Lovett, John Hiatt and Guy Clark.
The Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music honored Ely, a 2025 American Music Honors recipient, in a tribute post on Facebook.
“Over a four-decade career, Joe Ely stood at the forefront of Outlaw Country, Alt-Country, Texas Country, and Americana, earning admiration from fellow artists including Bruce Springsteen, Linda Ronstadt, Tom Petty, and The Clash,” the post read. “Celebrated as one of the finest songwriters of his generation, his music captured life, love, and the restless wandering spirit with unmistakable voice and authenticity. We extend our deepest condolences to Joe Ely’s family, friends, and fans, and honor his enduring legacy in the story of American music.”
Ely is survived by his wife Sharon and daughter Marie, according to post on the late musician’s Facebook page.
