LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) – Joe Ely was a Lubbock icon, but behind the legend was a guy who just liked to travel and play music, according to those who knew him best.
Born in Amarillo in 1947, Ely grew up in Lubbock and attended Monterey High School, where he was expelled for playing a risqué song during an assembly. He also once rode his motorcycle down a school hallway. His friend Jimmie Dale Gilmore had already graduated from Monterey, but he heard all about that one.
“I heard about that from my sister who was in high school – that was legendary,” he said.
Stories fed Ely’s unique blend of music, from his first solo song to chart in 1976 to his final collection of songs released this year.
“He was as interesting a person in real life as he was up on stage,” Gilmore said.
Gilmore knew Ely both ways. Along with Butch Hancock, the trio formed the Flatlanders in 1972 — three Lubbock musicians singing the songs of the South Plains.
“Joe was an heir to Buddy Holly – we all were,” Gilmore said.
Ely understood the importance of that heritage and worked to ensure it continued, even after he became famous. He organized the Tornado Jam in the early 1980s, a music festival at Buddy Holly Park to mark the anniversary of the deadly tornado and the city’s resilience.
The festival featured acts like Stevie Ray Vaughan, The Planets and Ely’s friends in The Maines Brothers Band. Band member and music producer Lloyd Maines said they had taken Ely in as one of their own.
“We always embraced Joe as a member of our family, and this is a great loss,” Maines said.
Ely played with some of the biggest names in the business, including Bruce Springsteen, who sang backup for him on “All Just to Get to You.” Springsteen posted a message about his friend’s death, calling him an American classic.
Maines said Ely has an enduring legacy.
“He had such an influence on other people in the music business because they’d never heard anything like Joe Ely or his music,” Maines said.
The loss is difficult for his friends.
“He’s been such a big part of my life, and it’s strange to think about not having him,” Gilmore said.
Ely is survived by his wife, Sharon, and their daughter, Marie Elena Ely.
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