Joe Ely   -  Biography

A native of Amarillo, Texas, Joe Ely got his start in the early '70s, working with Butch Hancock and Jimmie Dale Gilmore in a group called the Flatlanders. Their only album didn't go far, and the group broke up. (Rounder reissued the album in 1990.) Around the mid-'70s, he formed an eclectic group who was able to swing from Cajun and western to honky-tonk stomps and rockabilly; they were signed to MCA in 1977. Ely released an eponymous debut that year, using songs written by Gilmore and Hancock and throwing in some of his own road-worn, oddly poetic originals.

The next year brought Honky Tonk Masquerade, the cornerstone of Ely's legacy and one of modern country's most ambitious albums. Further albums (especially Live Shots, recorded during his European tour with the Clash) brought him to the attention of rock fans and netted ecstatic reviews in country and pop magazines (but, mysteriously, produced no hits). MCA dropped Ely in 1983, and he woodshedded until 1987, when the independent Hightone label signed him and released Lord of the Highway. Another Hightone album followed before Ely (whose influence was being felt by the new breed of country neo-traditionalists) re-signed with MCA, releasing another live set and Love and Danger. Twistin' in the Wind followed in 1998, and Live at Antone's arrived two years later along with MCA Nashville's "best of" collection.

Ely reunited with the Flatlanders in 2002 for Now Again and in 2004 for Wheels of Fortune. ~ John Floyd, All Music Guide