Amarillo, Texas troubadour Joe Ely, born on February 9, 1947, discovered his craft in rock’n’roll territory. He grew up and fashioned his first bands 125 miles south in Lubbock, well-known as the house city of Buddy Holly and the Crickets.
Ely first got here to prominence there, round 1970, as a member of the Flatlanders, with and Butch Hancock. The trio gained nice notoriety, to not point out collectability, by finishing just one authentic album, 1972’s All American Music, which by no means noticed a full launch on the time. They reunited for Now Again in 2002.
New wave insider
Joe’s solo debut got here in 1977, and when he travelled to London, he discovered himself within the internal circle of a bunch who grew to become new wave royalty. He and The Clash grew to become quick buddies and toured collectively, elevating Ely’s music to new credibility with its tinges of early rock’n’roll, rockabilly and Tex-Mex that sat properly within the punk period. He has the excellence of offering a few of the backing vocals on the Clash anthem “Should I Stay Or Should I Go.”
“Playing with the Clash definitely kicked my band up a notch,” Ely instructed the Austin Chronicle in 2000. “Growing up in Lubbock, I all the time hung round with the rock & roll guys, so I got here from a rockin’ background. We performed the Palladium in Hollywood collectively and Monterey Pop competition, Bond’s in New York.
“It was a giant increase for us, so after they invited us again the next 12 months for the London Calling reveals in London, it was an actual eye-opener. We have been enjoying their venues with them, the Electric Ballroom, Hammersmith Odeon, wild, steamy, loopy reveals that have been unbelievable.
“I ran into them accidentally in New York,” Ely continued, “when they were cutting ‘Should I Stay Or Should I Go’ and [Joe] Strummer said, ‘Hey, help me with my Spanish.’ So me and Strummer and the Puerto Rican engineer sat down and translated the lyrics into the weirdest Spanish ever. Then we sang it all.”
Ely first appeared on the US album chart in 1981, with Musta Notta Gotta Lotta, returning there inside just a few months with Live Shots. There was just one extra go to to the mainstream bestsellers, with the MCA album Hi-Res in 1984, however Joe has continued to be a key title in southern roots music. He has recorded in recent times for the Rack ‘Em label and toured acoustically with fellow Texans Lyle Lovett and Guy Clark, in addition to John Hiatt.
A Texan birthday bash
Joe has additionally continued to play dwell along with his band, together with at a seventieth birthday present on February 10, 2017 at Austin’s Paramount Theater, in his beloved state of Texas. Summer 2018 introduced the discharge of Full Circle: The Lubbock Tapes, recorded at two vital factors in his profession in 1974 and 1978. An completed artist and creator, he’s additionally a member of the Texas Institute of Letters.
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His fellow troubadour Darden Smith writes on his web site: “The first time I saw Joe Ely was around 1986, at the Austin Opry House. I remember saying to the person with me, ‘Well, that’s what rock and roll looks like.’ It was raw like good church, a show. He was all over the stage. The songs were a crazy mash up of West Texas swing, Mexican rhythms, and flat-out rave. Loud guitars, pedal steel, drums and accordions.”
In October 2022, Ely was inducted into the Austin City Limits Hall of Fame, and a tribute particular from that night time was scheduled for broadcast on February 25, 2023 on PBS stations. To coincide, his seminal first three albums are made accessible once more in new bodily and digital editions from February 17.
Pre-order Joe Ely, Honky Tonk Masquerade and Down On The Drag, that are reissued on February 17.