Joe Ely
Joe Ely (born February 9, 1947, Amarillo, Texas, United States) is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist whose music touches on honky-tonk, Texas country, Tex-Mex and rock and roll.
He has had a genre-crossing career, performing with Bruce Springsteen, Uncle Tupelo, Los Super Seven, the Chieftains and James McMurtry in addition to his early work with the Clash and more recent acoustic tours with Lyle Lovett, John Hiatt, and Guy Clark.
Biography
Early life and career
Ely spent his formative years from age 12 in Lubbock, Texas, and attended Monterey High School.
In 1970, with fellow Lubbock musicians Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Butch Hancock, he formed the Flatlanders. According to Ely, "Jimmie [Gilmore] was like a well of country music. He knew everything about it. And Butch was from the folk world. I was kinda the rock & roll guy, and we almost had a triad. We hit it off and started playing a lot together. That opened up a whole new world I had never known existed."
In 1972, the band released their first and—until 2002's Now Again—only album, but have appeared together on each other's albums. Since the band's initial breakup just after their first album was cut, the three musicians have followed individual paths.
Joe Ely (album)
Joe Ely is the 1977 debut album by Texas singer-songwriter, Joe Ely. The album includes several tracks written by Ely's bandmates from The Flatlanders.
Joe Ely and the follow-up album, Honky Tonk Masquerade, helped establish Ely as a solo artist. Although the reissued CD doesn't credit Ely's backing musicians, the original LP included a one-page insert containing lyrics and musician credits. The core of the backing band that Ely had assembled for his debut was the same Lubbock-based crack team that appeared with him the following year on Honky Tonk Masquerade and continued to follow him on the road until 1982.
Years later Ely would recall that the band had not initially made plans for a recording career:
Track listing
Podcasts:
Famous quotes by Joe Ely:
Joe Ely
ALBUMS
- Satisfied at Last released: 2011
- Live Cactus! released: 2008
- Happy Songs From Rattlesnake Gulch released: 2007
- 20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: The Best of Joe Ely released: 2004
- Streets of Sin released: 2003
- From Lubbock to Laredo: The Best Of released: 2002
- Joe Ely / Honky Tonk Masquerade released: 2000
- Live at Antones released: 2000
- Twistin' in the Wind released: 1998
- Time for Travelin': The Best of Joe Ely, Volume 2 released: 1996
- Letter to Laredo released: 1995
- Love and Danger released: 1993
- Live at Liberty Lunch released: 1990
- Dig All Night released: 1988
- Lord of the Highway released: 1987
- Musta Notta Gotta Lotta released: 1981
- Down on the Drag released: 1979
- Honky Tonk Masquerade released: 1978
- Silver City released:
- Joe Ely released:
- No Bad Talk or Loud Talk released:
- Settle for Love released:
- Live Shots released:
- The Best of Joe Ely released:
From Lubbock to Laredo: The Best Of
Released 2002- Treat Me Like a Saturday Night
- She Never Spoke Spanish to Me
- Johnny's Blues
- Honky Tonk Masquerade
- Fingernails
- Boxcars
- West Texas Waltz
- Because of the Wind
- Down on the Drag
- Musta Notta Gotta Lotta
- Dallas
- Cool Rockin' Loretta
- Slow You Down
- The Road Goes on Forever
- Settle for Love
- Letter to Laredo
- Run Preciosa
- Sister Soak the Beans
- Nacho Mama
- If I Could Teach My Chihuahua to Sing
Joe Ely / Honky Tonk Masquerade
Released 2000- I Had My Hopes Up High
- Mardi Gras Waltz
- She Never Spoke Spanish to Me
- Gambler's Bride
- Suckin' a Big Bottle of Gin
- Tennessee's Not the State I'm In
- If You Were a Bluebird
- Treat Me Like a Saturday Night
- All My Love
- Johnny Blues
- Cornbread Moon
- Because of the Wind
- Boxcars
- Jericho (Your Walls Must Come Tumbling Down)
- Tonight I Think I'm Gonna Go Downtown
- Honky Tonk Masquerade
- I'll Be Your Fool
- Fingernails
- West Texas Waltz
- Honky Tonkin'
Time for Travelin': The Best of Joe Ely, Volume 2
Released 1996- Mardi Gras Waltz
- Tennessee's Not the State I'm In
- Gambler's Bride
- All My Love
- Jericho (Your Walls Must Come Tumbling Down)
- I'll Be Your Fool
- Cornbread Moon
- Standin' at the Big Hotel
- Crazy Lemon
- Crawdad Train
- In Another World
- She Leaves You Where You Are
- Time for Travelin'
- Wishin' for You
- Hold On
- I Keep Gettin' Paid the Same
- Road Hawg
- Dam of My Heart
- Bet Me
No Bad Talk or Loud Talk
- Honky Tonk Masquerade
- If You Were a Bluebird
- Dallas
- Fingernails
- Boxcars
- Tonight I Think I'm Gonna Go Downtown
- I Had My Hopes Up High
- Fools Fall in Love
- Treat Me Like a Saturday Night
- Maria
- Down on the Drag
- Hard Livin'
- Musta Notta Gotta Lotta
- Suckin' a Big Bottle of Gin
- Johnny's Blues
- She Never Spoke Spanish to Me
- Because of the Wind
- Westtexas Waltz
The Best of Joe Ely
- She Never Spoke Spanish to Me
- Suckin' a Big Bottle of Gin
- Tennessee's Not the State I'm In
- Boxcars
- Tonight I Think I'm Gonna Go Downtown
- Honky Tonk Masquerade
- West Texas Waltz
- Fools Fall in Love
- Standin' at the Big Hotel
- Musta Notta Gotta Lotta
- Dallas
- Fingernails (live)
- Long Snake Moan (live)
- Cool Rockin' Loretta
- Settle for Love
- Me and Billy the Kid
- If You Were a Bluebird (live)
- Letter to Laredo
- Roll Again
- All Just to Get to You
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Love and Danger
by: Joe ElyLeaving California, she is on my mind
I left her back in Travis county, cryin' to a clothesline
A steel guitar on the radio is cuttin' slow and mean
I brought home the bottle, she just wanted beans
Highways and heartaches
Go together like you and me
Do you ever think about it
When the night is sad and lonely
I wonder if she's watchin' TV, cryin' with soap opera stars
I wonder if she sees them in me and if we gone too far
Look at all the lovers runnin' from their past
Gassin' up just to get somewhere, goin' nowhere fast
Highways and heartaches
Go together like you and me
Do you ever think about it
When the night is sad and lonely?
Do you ever think about me
When the night is sad and lonely?
Do you ever think about me
When the night is sad and lonely?
Runnin' away, don't stop the pain, it just delays the cryin'
What's left unsaid is better swallowed than covered up with lyin'
Though the song is over I still hear the steel guitar
And though the past is gone for good, it still helps to swallow hard
Highways and heartaches
Go together like you and me
Do you ever think about it
When the night is sad and lonely?
Do you ever think about it
When the night is sad and lonely?
Do you ever think about it
When the night is sad and lonely?
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