AUSTIN, Texas — Famous Texan and musical luminary Joe Ely has died at the age of 78, according to a post on his Facebook page.
Ely died of complications of Lewy body dementia, Parkinson’s and pneumonia at his home in Taos, N.M.
He was born in Amarillo and settled in Austin, there becoming a major part of the 70s music scene.
Ely was an influential modern country troubadour who performed with artists as varied as Bruce Springsteen, The Clash and Los Super Seven, with whom he won a Grammy Award in 1999 for Best Mexican/Mexican-American Album. In October 2022 he was inducted into the Austin City Limits Hall of Fame.
Ely began his music career in Austin in 1972, forming The Flatlanders with Texas musicians Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Butch Hancock. He joined the Ringling Bros. Circus after that band broke up, taking care of the horses for the show.
The Clash asked Ely to open for their “London Calling” tour and he ended up singing backup on the wildly successful Clash single, “Should I Stay or Should I Go?”
He is survived by his wife Sharon and daughter Marie.