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| Joe Ely discography | |
|---|---|
 Ely (left) and Ryan Bingham in 2008 at Antone's during SXSW in Austin, Texas | |
| Studio albums | 16 |
| EPs | 1 |
| Live albums | 6 |
| Compilation albums | 13 |
| Singles | 20 |
| Music videos | 6 |
Joe Ely is an American singer-songwriter. His discography consists of 16 studio albums, 6 live albums (includes 1 EP), 20 singles, 13 compilations, 1 studio EP, and 6 music videos. In addition, he has been a performer on numerous albums by other artists.
Studio albums
| Year | Album | Chart Positions | Label | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | US | US Heat | US Folk | |||
| 1977 | Joe Ely | MCA | ||||
| 1978 | Honky Tonk Masquerade | |||||
| 1979 | Down on the Drag | |||||
| 1981 | Musta Notta Gotta Lotta | 135 | ||||
| 1984 | Hi-Res | 204 | ||||
| 1987 | Lord of the Highway | Hightone | ||||
| 1988 | Dig All Night | |||||
| 1992 | Love and Danger | MCA | ||||
| 1995 | Letter to Laredo | 68 | MCA | |||
| 1998 | Twistin' in the Wind | 55 | MCA | |||
| 2003 | Streets of Sin | 51 | Rounder | |||
| 2007 | Happy Songs from Rattlesnake Gulch | Rack 'Em Records | ||||
| Silver City | ||||||
| 2011 | Satisfied At Last | 46 | 18 | |||
| 2015 | Panhandle Rambler | 43 | 24 | 18 | ||
| 2020 | Love In the Midst of Mayhem | |||||
Live albums
| Year | Album | Chart Positions | Label | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | US | US Heat | US Folk | |||
| 1980 | Live Shots | 159 | MCA | |||
| 1990 | Live at Liberty Lunch | 57 | MCA | |||
| 1998 | Live at the Cambridge Folk Festival (EP) | Strange Fruit | ||||
| 2000 | Live @ Antones | 66 | Antones | |||
| 2008 | LIVE Cactus! (with Joel Guzmán) | Rack 'Em Records | ||||
| 2009 | LIVE Chicago 1987! | |||||
Compilations
| Year | Album | Label | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Milkshakes and Malts | Sunstorm | Compiles Ely's covers of Butch Hancock compositions. |
| 1989 | What Ever Happened to Maria | Sunstorm | Compiles tracks from Ely's first 3 albums. |
| 1995 | "No Bad Talk Or Loud Talk" '77-'81 | Edsel | Compiles tracks from Ely's first 5 albums. |
| 1995 | Time For Travelin‘ (The Best Of Joe Ely Volume Two) | Edsel | Compiles tracks from Ely's first 5 albums that were not included on No Bad Talk Or Loud Talk. |
| 2000 | Joe Ely / Honky Tonk Masquerade | BGO | A compilation of both albums. |
| 2000 | The Best Of Joe Ely | MCA | Compiles tracks from albums starting with Joe Ely through Letter to Laredo |
| 2002 | From Lubbock to Laredo: The Best of Joe Ely | MCA | Selected tracks compiled and annotated by Sid Griffin. |
| 2004 | Settle For Love | HighTone | Compiles tracks from Lord of the Highway and Dig All Night plus 2 bonus tracks. |
| 2009 | Down On The Drag/Live Shots | BGO | A compilation of both albums. |
| 2009 | Musta Notta Gotta Lotta / Hi-Res | BGO | A compilation of both albums. |
| 2012 | Lord Of The Highway / Dig All Night | Shout! Factory | A compilation of both albums. |
| 2014 | B4 84 - Pearls From The Vault Series | Rack 'Em Records | Compiles stripped-down demos from the Hi-Res sessions, including 2 songs that were not included on the Hi-Res album. |
| 2018 | Full Circle: The Lubbock Tapes | Rack 'Em Records | A collection of full band demos by Joe Ely from 1974 to 1978, including demos that helped him with the record deal with MCA.
Most of the songs were later officially recorded and released on Joe's early albums. |
EPs
| Year | Title | Label | Tracks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Texas Special | MCA | "Crazy Lemon" / "Not Fade Away" /"Treat Me Like a Saturday Night" / "Wishin' For You" |
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions |
Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | US MSR | |||
| 1977 | "All My Love" | 89 | — | Joe Ely |
| 1977 | "She Never Spoke Spanish To Me" / "All My Love" | — | — | Joe Ely |
| 1977 | "Tennessee's Not The State I'm In" | — | — | Joe Ely |
| 1977 | "Gambler's Bride" / "Tennessee's Not The State I'm In" | — | — | Joe Ely |
| 1978 | "Honky Tonk Masquerade" | — | — | Honky Tonk Masquerade |
| 1978 | "Fingernails" / "Because of the Wind" | — | — | Honky Tonk Masquerade |
| 1979 | "Down On The Drag" / "In Another World" | — | — | Down on the Drag |
| 1980 | "Fingernails" / "Suckin' a Big Bottle of Gin" / "Standin' at the Big Hotel" | — | — | Live Shots |
| 1981 | "Musta Notta Gotta Lotta" / "Wishin´ For You" | — | 40 | Musta Notta Gotta Lotta |
| 1981 | "Dallas" / "Hard Livin´" | — | — | Musta Notta Gotta Lotta |
| 1981 | "Dallas" / "Wishin' For You" | — | — | Musta Notta Gotta Lotta |
| 1984 | "What's Shakin Tonight" | — | — | Hi-Res |
| 1987 | "Lord Of The Highway" | — | — | Lord Of The Highway |
| 1987 | "My Baby Thinks She's French" / "No Rope, Daisy-O" / | — | — | Lord Of The Highway |
| 1988 | "Settle For Love" / "Jazz Street" / "Rich Man, Poor Man" | — | — | Dig All Night |
| 1988 | "Grandfather Blues" / "My Eyes Got Lucky" | — | — | Dig All Night |
| 1990 | "Row Of Dominoes" / "Me & Billy The Kid" | — | — | Live at Liberty Lunch |
| 1993 | "Highways and Heartaches" | — | — | Love and Danger |
| 1996 | "All Just to Get to You" | — | — | Letter to Laredo |
| 2011 | "You Can Bet I'm Gone" | — | — | Satisfied at Last |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | ||||
Guest singles
| Year | Single | Artist | Peak positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | ||||
| 1992 | "Sweet Suzanne" | Buzzin' Cousins | 68 | Falling from Grace soundtrack |
Music videos
| Year | Video | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 1984 | "What's Shakin' Tonight" | |
| 1987 | "My Baby Thinks She's French" | |
| 1992 | "Sweet Suzanne" (Buzzin' Cousins) | Marty Callner |
| 1993 | "Highways and Heartaches" | Deaton-Flanigen |
| 1996 | "All Just To Get To You" | Adrian Pasdar |
| 2016 | "Southern Eyes" |
As a member of the Flatlanders
- 1980: One Road More (Charly)
- 1990: More A Legend Than A Band (Rounder) - initially released in 1976 as All American Music in a limited run on 8-track tape
- 1995: "Unplugged" (Sun) - recorded in March 1972
- 2002: Now Again (New West)
- 2003: Wheels of Fortune (New West)
- 2004: Live at the One Knite: June 8th, 1972 (New West)
- 2004: Live From Austin TX DVD (New West)
- 2009: Hills And Valleys (New West)
- 2012: The Odessa Tapes (New West) - unreleased 1972 recordings
As a member of Los Super Seven
- 1998: Los Super Seven (BMG / RCA)
- 2001: Canto (Columbia)
- 2005: Heard It On The X (Telarc)
As composer
- 1985: Lisa Rhodes - Shivers (Spindletop) - track 3, "I'll Be Your Fool"
- 1988: Jimmie Dale Gilmore - Fair & Square (Hightone) - track 2, "Honky Tonk Masquerade"
- 1988: Guy Clark - Old Friends (Sugar Hill) - track 7, "The Indian Cowboy"
- 1988: Mack Abernathy - Different Situations (CMI) - track 10, "Honky Tonk Masquerade
- 1991: Kelly Willis - Bang Bang (MCA) - track 10, "Settle For Love"
- 1994: Townes Van Zandt - Roadsongs (Sugar Hill) - track 7, "The Indian Cowboy"
- 1994: various artists - Howl... A Farewell Compilation Of Unreleased Songs (Glitterhouse) - track 4, "Honky Tonk Masquerade" (performed by Joe Henry)
- 1998: Ramblin' Jack Elliott - Friends Of Mine (HighTone) - track 2, "Me & Billy The Kid"
- 2010: John Train - All of Your Stories (Chapter 7) - track 8, "Because of the Wind"
- 2010: Rod Taylor - Here, There, Or Anywhere (Broken Horn) - track 10, "The Indian Cowboy"
- 2012: Pat Green - Songs We Wish We'd Written, Vol. 2 (Sugar Hill) - track 1, "All Just to Get to You" (co-written with Will Sexton)
- 2014: Jason D. Williams - Hillbillies and Holy Rollers (MRI / Rock-A-Billy) - track 5, "Fingernails"
As primary artist/song contributor
- 1978: various artists - Kerrville Folk Festival 1978 (PSG) - track 2, "Livin' On A Dry Land Farm" (with Butch Hancock)
- 1992: various artists - Buddy's Buddys: The Buddy Holly Songbook (Connoisseur Collection) - track 20, "Rock Me My Baby"
- 1992: various artists - Across the Great Divide: Songs of Jo Carol Pierce (Deja Disc) - track 2, "Queen Of Heaven"
- 1994: various artists - Songs from Chippy (Hollywood Records) producer w/ Terry Allen; performer on tracks - "Goodnight Dear Diary", "Buildin' More Fires", "Cold Black Hammer", "Whiskey And Women And Money To Burn", "Goodnight", "Cup Of Tea" w/ Jo Harvey Allen, "Oil Wells" w/ Jo Harvey Allen (narration), "Fate With A Capital F" w/ Terry Allen, "Boomtown Boogie" w/ Terry Allen and Butch Hancock and Jo Harvey Allen
- 1994: various artists - Brace Yourself! A Tribute To Otis Blackwell (Shanachie) - track 11, "Great Balls of Fire"
- 1994: various artists - Tulare Dust : A Songwriter's Tribute to Merle Haggard (HighTone) - track 6, "White Line Fever"
- 1995: various artists - For the Love of Harry: Everybody Sings Nilsson (MusicMasters) - track 5, "Joy"
- 1995: various artists - Texans Live From Mountain Stage (Blue Plate) - track 9, "I Had My Hopes Up High"
- 1996: various artists - Not Fade Away (Remembering Buddy Holly) (Decca / MCA) - track 8, "Oh Boy!" (with Todd Snider)
- 2000: various artists - KGSR Broadcasts Vol. 8 (KGSR) - track 2-1, "Dallas" (with the Flatlanders); track 3-3, "The Indian Cowboy"
- 2001: various artists - Daddy-O Daddy! Rare Family Songs of Woody Guthrie (Rounder) - track 2, "Want To See Me Grow" and track 12, "Tippy Tap Toe" (both with Jimmie Dale Gilmore)
- 2002: various artists - KGSR Broadcasts Vol. 10 (KGSR) - track 2-1, "I Had My Hopes Up High" (with the Flatlanders)
- 2003: various artists - Light Of Day: A Tribute to Bruce Springsteen (Schoolhouse) - track 2-18, "Working on the Highway"
- 2003: various artists - KGSR Broadcasts Vol. 11 (KGSR) - track 2-14, "Streets Of Sin"
- 2006: various artists - A Case for Case: A Tribute to the Songs of Peter Case (Hungry For Music) - track 2-2, "Put Down The Gun"
- 2006: various artists - Sail Away: The Songs Of Randy Newman (Sugar Hill) - track 4, "Rider In The Rain" (with Reckless Kelly)
- 2009: various artists - Man of Somebody's Dreams: A Tribute to Chris Gaffney (Yep Roc) - track 1, "Lift Your Leg"
- 2010: various artists - KGSR Broadcasts Vol. 18 (KGSR) - track 1-4, "Midnight Train"
- 2011: various artists - This One's for Him: A Tribute to Guy Clark (Icehouse) - track 2-1, "Dublin Blues"
Other appearances
1978 - 1989
- 1978: Terry Allen - Lubbock (On Everything) (Fate) - harmonica
- 1979: Butch Hancock - The Wind's Dominion (Rainlight) - resonator guitar
- 1980: Terry Allen and the Panhandle Mystery Band - Smokin' the Dummy (Fate) - harmonica
- 1982: The Clash - Combat Rock (CBS / Epic) - backing vocals
- 1983: Terry Allen and the Panhandle Mystery Band - Bloodlines (Fate) - backing vocals
- 1984: Robert Earl Keen - No Kinda Dancer (Philo) - steel guitar on track 4, "Swervin' In My Lane"
- 1986: Darden Smith - Native Soil (Redi-Mix / Watermelon) - steel guitar on track 7, "Wild West Show"
- 1988: Jimmie Dale Gilmore - Fair & Square (Hightone) - vocals
- 1989: Butch Hancock - Own & Own (Demon / Sugar Hill) - guitar, backing vocals
- 1989: Kimmie Rhodes - Angels Get The Blues (Heartland) - vocals
- 1989: Syd Straw - Surprise (Virgin) - guest on track 12, "Learning The Game" (bonus track on 2000 reissue)
1990 - present
- 1993: Uncle Tupelo - Anodyne (Rhino / Sire) - guitar, vocal on track 15, "Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way" (bonus track)
- 1993: Rosie Flores - Once More with Feeling (HighTone) - guest artist on track 3, "Love and Danger"
- 1996: Terry Allen - Human Remains (Sugar Hill) - backing vocals
- 1997: Scotty Moore and D.J. Fontana - All The King's Men (Polydor) - track 5, "I'm Gonna Strangle You Shortly" (with Lee Rocker)
- 1999: Aztex - Short Stories (HighTone) - special guest
- 2003: The Chieftains - Further Down the Old Plank Road (Victor / Arista) - track 8, "The Moonshiner/I'm A Rambler"
- 2004: Tom Russell - Indians Cowboys Horses Dogs (HighTone) - lead vocal on track 6, "Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts"
- 2005: Original Bells Of Joy - Original Bells Of Joy and Friends (Dialtone) - shared lead vocal on track 1, "Sinner Man"
- 2005: James McMurtry - Childish Things (Lightning Rod / Compadre) - vocals on track 4, "Slew Foot"
- 2015: Tom Russell - The Rose of Roscrae (Proper) - vocals
- 2016: Robert Earl Keen - Live Dinner Reunion (Dualtone) - guitar, vocals on track 2-11, "The Road Goes On Forever"
References
Sources
| Joe Ely | |
|---|---|
| Studio albums |
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| Live albums |
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| Related articles | |