I took the covers from two of my Ely lps, Joe Ely and Down On the Drag. My son got them autographed. He keeps one, I keep the other.
Just last year, my son's band opened for Ely at Rockefellers. It was a monumental occasion for our family. I was standing just off the stage with local bassman Denny "Cletus" Blakely, who nodded and said, "I think Joe's got this rock star stuff down."
A few years ago I had the pleasure of interviewing the guru of the Lubbock Mafia, Terry Allen, and during the interview he made an indelible statement about Ely: "What I love about Joe is that even if he's just sitting on the couch running through something he's working on, he does it like his hair is on fire."
I drove famed Lubbock sax player Bobby Keys around for few days during the past International Festival and he recalled meeting Ely for the first time in Phoenix, Arizona, where Keys was playing with the Stones.
"We were shooting pool back in the dressing room and Ian Stewart came in and said, 'Bobby, I think there's some of your lot down the hallway.' Some of my lot? So I drifted down there and you could hear those West Texas accents out in the hall. We had a great time."
Keys would eventually play select gigs with Ely.
Ely, who has not only shared stages with the Clash and the Rolling Stones but also Bruce Springsteen, Los Super Seven, even Uncle Tupelo, was one of the earliest users of technology that we take for granted today. His website "Campfire Nightmares," went live in 1983, long before many of us knew anything about the Internet. He also made the first digital album in Austin, 1984's Hi-Res, which included Houston fave "Imagine Houston."
So happy birthday, Mr. Ely. And thanks for the memories. May your road go on forever, and the party never end.