Watch Joe Ely live at Gruene Hall in 1986

Here's some rare footage of the great Joe Ely with David Grissom tearin' it up at the historic Gruene Hall in 1986. 

Watch the trailer for way overdue streaming series "They Called Us Outlaws"

"They Called Us Outlaws" – reassessing the legacy of Billy Joe Shaver, Waylon Jennings, Guy Clark, etc – premieres at SXSW '26.

R.I.P. singer/songwriter Joe Ely, 1947-2025

Saddened to hear that iconic Texas singer/songwriter Joe Ely of The Flatlanders has passed away. He'll be greatly missed. 

Joe Ely, 1947-2025

Legendary songwriter, singer, and raconteur Joe Ely died today from complications of Lewy Body Dementia, Parkinson’s and pneumonia. His beloved wife Sharon and daughter Marie were at his side at their home in Taos, New Mexico. Ely was born February 9, 1947 in Amarillo, Texas. He was a leader of the extraordinary parade of artists raised in Lubbock who later settled in the live music capital of Austin. Ely signed with MCA Records in the 1970s and spent more than five decades recording and performing around the world. A full obituary is available to read right here.  

We're remembering my old pal Joe Ely today with performances from various points in his lengthy career.

Happy 80th Birthday Butch Hancock!

Cheers to singer/songwriter and Lubbock living legend Butch Hancock on his 80th birthday. Here are a few of his timeless classics.

Joe Ely comes back rockin' with Love & Freedom out now

Joe Ely's hot new album Love & Freedom is available wherever cool discs are sold including Waterloo Records or right here.

An update on Joe's health issues from Sharon Ely... 

"Sharon Ely here. I am Joe Ely’s wife and manager. A lot of people, friends, fans, relatives and strangers have been asking when is Joe going back on the road to tour. How is Joe doing? Why is Joe not doing many interviews? Joe has always been very private when discussing his health and we have kept his latest challenges limited to just a few people. But as his illness progresses we have decided to let people know what’s going on. 

"As I write this we are actually looking to find a specialist to give us a second opinion on Joe’s latest diagnosis. In August 2024, as Joe was actually healing from a bout of pneumonia, he experienced an episode of what seemed like a small stroke. To make a very long story short, the only neurologist we could find right away was in Austin. I drove Joe from Taos, NM to Austin. The neurologist looked at Joe’s MRI and diagnosed him with cerebral amyloid angiopathy. Basically, this is a condition where protein deposits in the small blood vessels of the brain can weaken the blood vessel walls and can lead to bleeding in the brain. 

"He was put on medication and Joe’s General Practitioner began to oversee his health here in Taos. He is a very great, thorough doctor who Joe says is one of the best. But Joe’s GP and I feel that Joe needs a second opinion on his diagnosis. We are very lucky in that we just confirmed an appointment for that second opinion in Arizona next week. These appointments can book over a year out and it’s a miracle they were able to get Joe in so fast.

 

"Meanwhile, as we are working with Joe’s health, he and I have listened to files and files and files of music that he recorded in his studio in Austin over the years. We have discovered and unearthed treasures of brilliant recordings. Some are coming together as complete albums. 

"The latest album Joe wanted to release as soon as possible is Love & Freedom. As we listened to these recordings we discovered that they are related to the times we are living today. Joe wanted people to hear these songs and think about what they mean. For those asking, we are working to get CDs made of the new album and should have news on that shortly. 

"Working on his music keeps him focused and interested. Being the workaholic he has always been, to sit around and do nothing is ok now and then, but not all the time. This has been great for Joe as we both weave through this journey together in a meaningful way. It was so exciting to hear the news yesterday about Joe being named among the recipients of the 2025 edition of the Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music’s American Music Honors. The annual prize recognizes artists who’ve “demonstrated artistic excellence, creative integrity, and a longstanding commitment to the value of music in our national consciousness.”   

"Bruce called Joe earlier this week and they had a wonderful visit. I have always believed Joe – with so much work and touring and recording and writing under his belt  for 60 years – should be recognized as an important part of American Music History. Now my dream has come true as this is such a great honor, especially since he was chosen by his friend and brother Bruce Springsteen. 

"All in all, we continue to work daily to move forward and search to make things around us better and better for ourselves and everyone around us. We are grateful for the people who have helped Joe so far with this conundrum. I do especially feel hopeful for Joe to find a wonderful, genius neurologist to help him get better as well.  

 

"Thank you all for your continued support of Joe and our family!" – Sharon Ely

 

Happy Birthday Lloyd Maines!

Raising a glass to steel guitar ace Lloyd Maines on his birthday with a performance accompanying Joe Ely on Austin City Limits.

Joe Ely shares Bruce Springsteen duet off new album of road songs, Driven To Drive

Check out "Odds Of The Blues" with Bruce Springsteen off Joe Ely's forthcoming Driven To Drive album due August 2nd. 

Joe Ely's Driven To Drive album – out August 2 via Rack 'Em Records/Thirty Tigers – is now available for pre-order from your platform of choice right here. 

You can pre-order a limited-edition orange swirl edition signed by Joe right here. Check the tracklisting below. 

Driven To Drive – Joe Ely

Side A

Drivin’ Man

Odds of the Blues (with Bruce Springsteen)

For Your Love

Watchin’ Them Semis Roll

Didn’t We Robbie

Nashville Is A Catfish

Side B

Ride Motorcycle

San Antone Brawl

Slave to the Western Wind

Gulf Coast Blues

Driven to Drive

Jackhammer Rock

Watch Joe Ely on Boston's Five All Night Live in 1981

Check out Joe Ely's interview and performance on Boston's late night TV show Five All Night Live back in 1981.  

Watch Joe Ely play Austin's La Zona Rosa in 1996

For everyone wishing they were in Austin for SXSW, here's Joe Ely and crew tearin' it up at La Zona Rosa back in 1996. 

The Flatlanders perform as part of ACL's Hall Of Fame salute to Joe Ely

Joe Ely was joined by his Flatlanders pals Jimmie Dale Gilmore & Butch Hancock for "I Had My Hopes Up High" 

That time the Joe Ely Band played Luckenbach in 1977

Watch 27 minutes of Joe Ely's performance with Lloyd Maines, Gregg Wright, Steve Keeton, Jesse Taylor and Ponty Bone. 

90s Nostalgia: Joe Ely at Bumbershoot, 1992

Here's Joe Ely's set from the Seattle Center at Bumbershoot '92 back on September 4, 1992. 

Watch Alejandro Escovedo on Overheard with Evan Smith

Alejandro Escovedo opens up about his family life, hanging out with Sid & Nancy in NYC and surfing in Cali right here. 

Happy Birthday Butch Hancock!

Celebrating the birthday of Lubbock singer/songwriter Butch Hancock with The Flatlanders' new album Treasure Of Love out now.

Flatlanders preview new album with "Sittin' On Top Of The World"

Lubbock pals Butch Hancock, Joe Ely and Jimmie Dale Gilmore are back with Treasure Of Love, out July 9 via Rack 'Em Records.

Here's the scoop...

The Flatlanders, the iconic Texas cosmic country combo featuring Butch Hancock, Joe Ely, and Jimmie Dale Gilmore, have just released the official video for their new single “Sittin’ on Top of the World.” The song is the closing rave-up from Treasure of Love, their first album of new recordings in more than 12 years slated for release on July 9 via Rack ‘Em Records/Thirty Tigers. Treasure of Love is now available for pre-order.

“This video reflects the combined energy of The Flatlanders from many performances over the past 50 years! It’s a damn miracle!” said Joe Ely about the video. Jimmie Dale Gilmore added: “In a way, this video encapsulates the history of The Flatlanders." Watch it below. 

Earlier this month, The Flatlanders announced their new album Treasure of Love, which was completed during COVID-19 lockdowns with the help of longtime friend and collaborator Lloyd Maines. Treasure of Love finds The Flatlanders in classic form, serving up a rollicking collection of typically twanged up and harmony heavy performances full of that wry humor we've come to expect. While a few of the songs here are never-before-heard originals, the vast majority of the tracklist consists of vintage tunes the band picked up during their 50-year career, some stretching as far back as the group’s earliest performances in the honky tonks around Lubbock, TX.

“I like to say that this album evolved more than it was recorded,” explains Joe Ely, who hosted the initial recording sessions and worked extensively on the tracks at his Spur Studios in Austin, TX. “We’d been chipping away at these songs for a while without ever really finishing anything, so when lockdown started, it seemed like the perfect time to really focus on it.”

The 15 tracks on Treasure of Love revisit songs they enjoyed playing from the early days and capturing them for the sheer joy of it. Not realizing at the time that they were actually making a record, the trio worked fast and loose in the studio, laying down raw, playful takes whenever they had free time between sessions or tours. It was only when the COVID-19 pandemic forced Ely, Gilmore, and Hancock to simultaneously clear all of their calendars that the band realized they had an album on their hands and the time to finally complete it.

“A lot of groups our age are either dead or not speaking to each other anymore,” says Gilmore, “but I think part of the reason The Flatlanders are still together is that we’ve all had our own separate careers along the way. We’re all such strange individualists, but we can co-captain this ship together because every time we come back to it, we feel that same magic we felt when we first started playing together.”

The Flatlanders – Treasure of Love 

01) Moanin’ of the Midnight Train

02) Long Time Gone

03) Snowin’ on Raton

04) She Smiles Like a River

05) Love Oh Love Please Come Home

06) Give My Love to Rose

07) Treasure of Love

08) Satin Shoes

09) The Ballad of Honest Sam

10) Mama Do the Kangaroo

11) She Belongs to Me

12) I Don’t Blame You

13) Mobile Blues

14) Ramblin’ Man

15) Sittin’ on Top of the World

 

Joe Ely responds to pandemic with Love In The Midst Of Mayhem

Listen to three songs from Joe Ely's latest album, Love In The Midst Of Mayhem on Rack 'Em Records. 

LINKS 

Joe Ely web site

AP News: Joe Ely serves up songs of honesty, hope and healing

John Prine's collaborations you may have missed

Back around 1992, John Prine joined Dwight Yoakam and Joe Ely for a one-off version of "Sweet Suzanne." Check out more of John's collaborations below.

Happy Birthday A.P. Carter

Remembering A.P. Carter on his day with his song "Hello Stranger" by the Carter Family and The Flatlanders. 

Alejandro Escovedo teams with Wayne Kramer, James Williamson and Peter Perrett for new concept album "The Crossing"

On his cinematic new concept album ‘The Crossing’ – due September 14th – Alejandro Escovedo tells the story of two young immigrants – Salvo from Italy, and Diego from Mexico – working in a Texas restaurant in pursuit of the American dream. Mirroring Escovedo’s own experience as the child of Mexican immigrants, and drawing inspiration from his relationship with Italian co-writer Antonio Gramentieri, their journey navigates cultural identity, ancestral weight, minority rights and racism as they realize they have arrived in a different America – one that’s not as open and free as they believed it would be.

Listen to the first track “Sonica USA” (below) featuring Wayne Kramer of MC5 on guitar. The scorcher serves as an ode to the 70s punk scene where Escovedo found solace as a Mexican-American growing up in Austin, and the solidarity he found in his brother’s own pioneering punk band the Zeros.

Escovedo crossed borders of his own for ‘The Crossing’ sessions, recording outside the US for the first time ever at a farmhouse in Villafranca, Northern Italy with the help of co-producer Brian Deck (Modest Mouse, Gomez, Iron & Wine). Italian all-instrumental group Don Antonio – helmed by co-writer Antonio Gramentiere – bring the record’s narrative to life with their sweeping arrangements, while cameos from Kramer and The Stooges’ James Williamson serve as reminders that Escovedo’s punk ethos burns bright (both bands name are checked in the lyrics as well). Elsewhere on the record, alt-country pioneer Joe Ely features on both the title track and his self-penned “Silver City”, while Peter Perrett and John Perry from UK legends The Only Ones reunite for their first recording in almost 40 years on “Waiting For Me.”

Alejandro Escovedo will kick off an international tour later this summer, with Don Antonio joining him on the road as backing band. For some reason, his only scheduled Canadian date is at the Interstellar Rodeo Music Festival which takes place at Hawrelak Park Amphitheatre in Edmonton July 20-22. Go figure.

‘The Crossing’ is available for pre-order here: https://lnk.to/thecrossing. Here's the audio clip of Sonica USA....



ALEJANDRO ESCOVEDO ON TOUR
July 22 – Interstellar Rodeo Music Festival – Edmonton, Alberta (w/ US band)
Aug 8 – The Grove KGSR BBQ – Austin, TX (w/ US band)
Aug 19 – City Winery – Boston, MA*
Aug 20 – City Winery – New York, NY*
Aug 21 – City Winery – Washington, DC*
Aug 23 – The Ark – Ann Arbor, MI*
Aug 24 – Old Town School of Folk Music – Chicago, IL*
Aug 25 – Dakota Jazz Club – Minneapolis, MN*
Sept 8 – Mushroom Festival – Kennett Square, PA
Sept 12-13 – Americana Fest – Nashville, TN
Oct 13 – Kafe del Teatro – Lleida, Spain
Oct 14 – Loco – Valencia, Spain
Oct 16 – Tempo – Madrid, Spain
Oct 19 – De Posthoorn – Hamont-Achel, Belgium
Oct 20 – Ramblin Roots Festival – Utrecht, Holland
Oct 22 – Boule Noir – Paris, France
Oct 23 – De Zwerver – Leffinge, Belgium
Oct 25 – Gosforth Civic – Newcastle, UK
Oct 26 – Oran Mor – Glasgow, UK
Oct 27 – The Hubs – Sheffield, UK
Oct 28 – The Lending Room – Leeds, UK
Oct 30 – Bush Hall – London, UK
Oct 31 – Hen & Chicken – Bristols, UK
Nov 1 – Bullingdon – Oxford, UK

*solo dates with Joe Ely

Happy Birthday Lloyd Maines!

Celebrating the birthday of Lubbock legend Lloyd Maines with a 1980 clip performing Fingernails with Joe Ely.