Dammit - R.I.P. Joe Ely

Flatlander, all-around legend, and friend of the Clash. Can 2025 just fuck off already?

Ohhh jeez, the Grim Reaper is putting in overtime as 2025 limps to a close. Terrible news.

We had the wonderful fortune of seeing Joe Ely in 2007, as part of a four-man lineup that also included Guy Clark, John Hiatt and Lyle Lovett. Just four songwriters with their guitars and mics, taking turns and sharing their songs and stories. A truly transcendent night of music.

Rest in peace, Joe, and thank you.

Back in 1987 when I was still living on the Gulf Coast of Texas, my pal Brian - who lived in the neighboring small town - introduced me to Joe Ely via the album Lord of the Highway. But I didn't really get it until 1990's Live at Liberty Lunch came out. As I spent the last quarter of 1990 preparing to move to Austin, that record was glued to both my stereo and car tape decks. I was already hot to go, thanks to my love of the Reivers, the True Believers, the Wild Seeds, Glass Eye, and the other New Sincerity folks, but it was Live at Liberty Lunch that sealed the deal.

Thirty-two years later I interviewed Ely for the tribute video for his ACL Hall of Fame induction. He was already pretty frail by that time, but the old spirit was still there. I was able to thank him for the inspiration over the decades.

Like a lot of folks, I have problems with the genre term "Americana" (that's a whole other rant that I'll spare everyone), but if there's anyone who embodies what most people think that term means, it's Joe Ely. It's all there on his self-titled debut album from 1977 - a record that will continue to hold up long after most of the Americana Music Association award winners fade back into obscurity.

He was also one of my favorite singers.

My introduction to Joe's music came by way of the albums Musta Notta Gotta Lotta (which I didn'ta, at the time) and Live Shots. But I didn't really get into his music until I saw that show with Clark, Hiatt and Lovett. "All Just to Get to You" was the song that knocked me out. The line in the chorus, "I beat my fist against the moon / All just to get to you," clicked with me like nothing else I heard that night.

I finally saw Dave Alvin and Jimmie Dale Gilmore at City Winery in NYC, my first time seeing either. Billed as an "almost acoustic" show, I think Alvin was plugged in the entire night, and it was great just hearing his amazing tone unhindered in a live setting rather than baked into a recording.

The stripped down arrangement of a duo on acoustic and electric instruments (guitar and harmonica for Gilmore) still gave the songs plenty of flesh while allowing their vocals to come through strong and crystal clear.

The emotional high point was when Gilmore introduced the third number, “Tonight I Think I'm Gonna Go Downtown,” saying “every show I do now is a memorial for Joe Ely.” He pointed out that when Ely was tearing up the world, playing some of Gilmore's songs and bringing them to a wider audience, Gilmore wasn't active, having stepped away from music altogether. “He kept my career alive while I didn’t.” The familiar quiver in Gilmore’s voice made the performance incredibly moving, and fortunately someone recorded it as well as the tail end of the introduction.

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"The emotional high point was when Gilmore introduced the third number, “Tonight I Think I'm Gonna Go Downtown,” saying “every show I do now is a memorial for Joe Ely.” He pointed out that when Ely was tearing up the world, playing some of Gilmore's songs and bringing them to a wider audience, Gilmore wasn't active, having stepped away from music altogether. “He kept my career alive while I didn’t.” The familiar quiver in Gilmore’s voice made the performance incredibly moving, and fortunately someone recorded it as well as the tail end of the introduction."

I interviewed Jimmie Dale about Ely when the TV show inducted the latter into its Hall of Fame. The love Jimmie Dale had (and still has) for his friend of several decades was so obvious and beautiful to witness.